Prolonged misery and castrophes, Cubs lose 5 straight on the road

I've missed a post this week with a busy schedule and all, but I'm really picking up where I left off. The road schedule for the Cubs hasn't treated them kindly. Getting sweep by the Cardinals was the ultimate 'slap in the face' then coming into Pittsburgh and dropping back-to-back contests hasn't shown to be any better. Finally the Cubs have got Derek Lee back and as always it's too little too late. Obviously, the slugger's presence hasn't made a difference in the win/loss column.

The 7-6 loss in extras against the Pirates Tuesday proved the Cubs bullpen still can't hold a lead and that even Zambrano can't guarantee a win in every start. Wuertz, Howry, and Ohman have done as expected. Yesterday was not Ryan Dempster's day. He came up the tying and go ahead run in 10th inning. The offense didn't help the cause either really. Derek Lee reached base 3 times with 3 hits and an RBI, though this is insigniciant when the everyone else fails to contribute in the lineup.

The thing that startles me is that Zambrano has 4 homeruns and over 10 RBIs for the year as a pitcher. There are guys on the bench who don't have that good of production. I bet if any of bench players were ever called on to pitch in relief they wouldn't be able to record 2 outs nor survive one inning.

Heres the Tuesday's game stat line on Zambrano: 7.0 IP 7 H 5 R 3 ER 1 BB 7 SO 0 HR

At the moment the Cubs are up 3-1 in the third inning. Matt Murton drove home two runs with a single in the lst. Juan Mateo is hurling for his second win. These young pitchers need all the support they can get because as a manager you can't expect them to pitch 6-8 innings every start. The Cubs better touch Victor Santos (5-9) for as many runs as they can early. With a 5.59 ERA that's more than possible. Since several young players from Triple-A are getting play time at the Major League level the Cubs might as well call up Felix Pie. The organization needs to see what he's capable of in the Majors. Make him active on the roster, do it NOW!