The woes and joys of being a Cubs fan

Seeing the Cubs drop 5 in a row isn't a picnic in the park for us Cub fans. At the same time we realize this 2008 team remains 30 games over .500 which was a far difference than in the past 10 years. There is always a problem, however which causes a setback. This time with less a month left in the regular season Carlos Zambrano is on the shelf. The reasons for his early departure in the last start were keep quiet. Lou found out he was hurt as the velocity wasn't there on his pitches. It turns out Zambrano has inflammation in his rotator cuff. A cortisone shot was administered to the tough-natured Venezuelan. With the nagging arm problem several days of rest and rehab will be order. Carlos is anticipated to make a start in the series at Houston next week.

Filling in for the rotation will be Sean Marshall, who has pitched better out of the bullpen this year, but is the most sensible choice to serve as a replacement. It stinks how Lilly and Dempster have got cheated out of picking up wins in their previous starts. Sometimes the offense wavers and gets shut down. The main area for improvement I believe is getting guys in the lineup prepared to drive in runners within scoring position with greater frequency. The positive side is getting players breaks here and there is the bench tends to hit well. Ronny Cedeno shows he's capable of producing given the chance at the plate. Mike Fontenot has also been consistent and added another solid left-handed bat in the lineup. These two guys must find as much extra spots in games as possible.

The day off gave the Cubs time to recompose themselves and work out a few kinks which may have linked to their offensive lapse in the last series at Wrigley Field. They're set for road action today as they will see the Reds for 3 games before traveling to St. Louis for another critical series. The Cubs also will be without Rich Harden most likely this week due to discomfort in his arm. Somehow the pitching staff has to get healthy to endure the long haul in the coming weeks. From there after some R&R can be allowed. The most important thing is for the offense not to give up and continue to battle against NL competitors. Think smart baseball and put those injuries out of mind. Go Cubs!