Cubs dust off Pirates with the long ball

It was a pleasant Easter Sunday for the Cubs as they beat the Bucs on the road 7-3. Aramis Ramirez and Todd Walker hit 2-run homers to help the cause on a cloudy,cool at PNC ballpark. Glendon Rusch picked up his first win, going 6 innings with 5 strikeouts while yielding 3 earned runs. The Cubs take 2-of-3 in the series and will travel to Los Angeles for another 3 game series with the Dodgers starting Monday.

I knew the chances of scoring runs were highly in the Cub's favor when Juan Pierre gets on base hitting in the lead-off spot. He doesn't even have to get hits for this to happen. Sunday Pierre reached base 3 times, all coming off base hits. Being consistent with getting on base is the real test. Somehow Todd Walker looks to be a changed player from last year. If he and Pierre can get on base at the top of the lineup Lee and Ramirez will have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.

Jerome Williams could've used a little more run support on Saturday as he showcased a terrific pitching performance, but came up short of a victory. The good news for the starting rotation is that Kerry Wood is making progress in his rehabitation. He's expected to pitch in another simulated game then make a minor league start soon. The Cubs still have a decent roation right now. The bullpen has shown traces of promise thus far with the likes of Scott Williamson, Will Ohman, and Ryan Dempster. I still feel the club's GM should keep an eye on the market for any potential starting pitchers and strike a deal if Wood or Prior don't make a full recovery in the time frame expected.

So far as a Cubs fan you've got to like what you see. The capability of run production is apparent as well as having several offensive weapons to throw at opponents. Neifi Perez and Ronnie Cedeno look to fill quality starts and bench hitting assignments. I still want to see some of the prospects from Double A and from Triple A Iowa. If Felix Pie is as good as scouts say he is the Cubs could benefit by calling him up before mid-way through the season and use him as a reserve to rotate days in the outfield and serve as a pinch hitter. Nic Jackson is supposed to be another hot prospect in the farm system. It could be a while before he moves up the ranks. Until such a possibility becomes open the Cubs will have take care of business on their short West Coast road trip.