The game last night turned out well to the Cubs' advantage. With the bats coming around Starlin Castro slapped an RBI single early. Brian Lahair followed suit with his 8th homerun in the 4th inning. The pitching proved to be outstanding by Jeff Samardzija who finished the game with this statline: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K.
That's what the Cubs deserve: a fine starting pitching performance which was backed by ample offense. In route to the win, Samardzija moves to 4-1 on the season. Later in game 1 during the 8th Geovany Soto who'd been rotating with Willington Castillo, drove a ball into the bleachers for a 2-run homer. He went 2-for-4 on the night amongst the lingering fog at Wrigley.
The Cubs have a lot of promise in 2012 with young prospects and talented starting pitching. Making up ground lost in the NL Central will be a true test. I like the Cubs' chances with them averaging around 4.5 runs per game and maintaining the three staples in the starting rotation: Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, and Jeff Samardzija. The club needs that appeal from the pitching with their gritty performances as well as having production from third base and the outfield to keep the runs pouring in for a while.
As for Game 2, Ryan Dempster(0-1) vs. Randall Delgado(2-3), will be to the Cubs' favor. Dempster is shooting for his 1st win in 2012. He's sitting on a 0.95 ERA, which I'm guessing he only will allow 1-2 runs in this game at home. Predictions for this contest are certain to be close. Starlin Castro must get on base. I believe he reaches 2 times with at least a walk and a hit while boosting his batting average. Alfonso Soriano if inserted in the lineup will get a big hit and drive in around 2 runs. The rest of the lineup must get enough pinetar on those bats as they aim for 10-12 total hits. As for Demp, it's going to fun to watch. He may have a bit of trouble with the Braves' middle of the order.
Other than that the savvy veteran right-hander probably will be fine as he tries to keep it close for the Cubbies. Coach Sveum may elect to make a few defensive switches on the infield and outfield. Reed Johnson can have a chance to enter late in the game and get an at-bat. Expect the score to be a 4-2 final for the Cubs. Definitely should be worth the watch as Chicago tries to climb up to .500. Enjoy it while it last Cubs fans because this month may get to be nagging with a challenging schedule. Go Cubs!
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