Multi-homeruns by Rizzo propels Cubs past Marlins 4-2 after leaving Cincinnati lackluster

Mike Ehrmann/ Getty Images

 
  Again, the game came down to the long ball plus the team which scored first to take the lead.  The Cubs brush past the Marlins Friday night thanks to their only offense, Anthony Rizzo, who creamed two homeruns.  He accounted for all the team's 4 runs.  Although the lineup produced 10 total hits the first baseman proved to be the hero, tallying his 7th and 8th homerun.  Such a performance is good for the morale in the clubhouse.  Also, the starting pitching finally got a win in the decision too.  Scott Feldman (1-3) went 6.2 IP to yield 2 ER, 7 H, and 2 BB while striking out 2 batters.  The combined bullpen: Camp, Russell, and Gregg pitched good too, giving up just 2 hits.  That is a far change from the previous week in Cincinnati and Milwaukee. 

  From reports in baseball news there are rumors going around about Alfonso Soriano being traded among other players.  This isn't a suprise at all.  The Cubs need to replace basically the entire outfield unless Schierholtz maintains his worth and can be used as a fill-in and hitter off the bench.  Before July is the time to shop around by Cubs management.  Soriano, Stewart, Marmol, and a couple extra young relievers can go!  Too much money has already got wasted relying on unproductive (often injured) long-term contract players.  Add a power stick in left or right field, a legitmate proven catcher and everything will be set to be fall in order for the offense to develop.  If a trade is immiment in Wrigleyville soon it should be interesting to see what the Cubs do to freshen up the atmosphere for baseball. 

   The way the bullpen has proven to be ineffective several times already the Cubs are fortunate their record isn't the worst in baseball. Well, at least not yet anyway. Every outing Carlos Marmol gets in relief makes fans want to cringe. He's not the prime choice to be the closer any longer. Shawn Camp's appeal is lowering as well. Just allowing enough hits to let close games slip away. As the Cubs played back-to-back extra inning games in Cincinnatti it was evident the Cubs' starting lineup can't be relied upon to pad a lead nor deliver clutch hits.

   It's no surprise the club is once again dealing with a struggle to produce big results. This is with the exception of the starting pitching which holds the 4th lowest ERA allowed coming into the final week to complete the first month for the season. That's not what irks Cubs' fans. The unbelievable amount of runners LOB and failure to score with the game in jeopardy plus the appearance of Carlos Marmol mainly causes the reaction. While Chicago sits at last place in the Central the rest of the NL just bides their time and cashes on the Cubs' lack of execution and confidence.

    To the Cubs credit though Thursday they grabbed a win over the low-ranked Marlins for Game 1 in a 4-3 final. This series seemed to be a toss-up with two last place teams squaring off.  Chicago has now won at least two games.  Nate Schierholtz cranked a homerun in Game 1 as did Luis Valbuena to cap the victory. What is an absolute blunder so far is how starter, Jeff Samardzija (1-4) can't even buy a win now. Complete lack of run support for poor Jeff. Hopefully, with any success in 2013 he will have a big turnaround in the second half. Either Chicago finds a way to drag themselves into third place or they continue discourage fans with a sluggish start.


  

Behind Samardzija Cubs fall to Brewers 4-3 after split series at Wrigley Field

Photo by Mike McGinnis- Getty Images

  Through just over 2 weeks the Cubs continue to show why they're still rebuilding at a 5-10 record.  Friday night to start up another road trip the subpar exhibition was no different.  With Jeff Samardzija going for his 4th start a turnaround looked to be in order.  That wasn't the case as he pitched 7 innings to give up 4 earned runs on 6 hits and a walk.  The two homeruns yielded hurt his chances of getting a win so he drops to 1-3 on the season.  There has to be a balance at a point where the Cubs can hang on long enough with effective starting pitching or decisive offense.  Last night the club hit 3 homeruns (DeJesus 2, Vilbuena 2, and Rizzo 5).  Still the efforts weren't enough to seal a victory. 

  For the past week Chicago has lost 4 games by only a run.  They split the series back at home against the Rangers after a postponed rainout before leaving for Milwaukee.  The offense is showing life again, but what a lousy waste of leads thrown away by the bullpen.  With Shawn Camp, Fukijawa (15-DL), or Marmol it's hard to tell what's going to be problematic with the game on the line.  Already the pen has came out shaky with no good reliablity.  Carlos Villanueva so far has the best ERA at 1.29.  The team needs to be moves made to get rid of some relievers and bench players in order for some darn good results. 

  The only main offensive attack guy now is Nate Schierholtz who is maintaining a surprise .988 OPS and a .326 batting average.  To not build on this is a mistake.  With limited run production the road schedule will only get more tough for the Cubs.  At best to utilize speed on the bases with several hit-and-runs can be the answer for a short while.  Since there is such little power in the lineup Chicago must play at smart, not have 10 or more LOB per game by being persistent with runners in scoring position when they manage such.  Coming up on the schedule as the Cubs try to avoid major letdowns and mediocrity are the Reds and the Marlins on the road.  The bats have to produce or else it's time to ship players away after they hit the showers.           

Cubs routed 7-6 by Giants, lineup evolves with capability as Rizzo homers

Photo- John Biever SI

  Small ball with efficient starting pitching leads to okay homestand except for the loss yesterday, 7-6 seems unfathomable.  The Cubs held a 5-0 lead into the 5th inning against the Giants only to allow such a extra cushion to slip away after that.  Early on Anthony Rizzo smashes his 3rd homerun off Ryan Vogelsong to put Chicago ahead.  Starlin Castro scored a run in the second inning as he went 2-for-5.  Everything appeared to turning around for the offense as 17 total runs have accounted for during the homestand.  Although the Cubs were outhit 12-9 Thursday the lineup is overall taking shape.  Nick Schierholtz is the team leader in batting average at .370 so far, managed 3 hits in the loss. 

  Scott Feldman (0-2) went just 4.1 innings allowing 6 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.  A few errors though were made in the game on routine plays which also impacted the final score.  With better days ahead most favoring the Cubs want to see a permanent starting roation as some point.  The Matt Garza (injury) situation is still unclear on whether or not he's going to be traded.  Management is in dire consequences later this season if they don't find suitable replacements in the outfield for at least two spots.  Without a potent lift there nothing will change much with the expected team record.  Now the Cubs are 3-6 and have won only 1-of-3 at Wrigley Field.

  The previous games this week showed the Cubs getting past the Brewers 6-3 in Game 2 after the disappointing 7-4 outcome on April 8.  Then the game was postponed Wednesday due to rain.  For who the Cubs' have right now on field and those on the injured list the performance is okay.  Another strong or reliable bat off the bench sure could help.  At least to switch around at third base or the outfield.  Other than such soluble options Chicago must trod along and find ways for improved production in the coming weeks. 

  Today Carlos Villaneauva (0-0) takes the mound against the Giants' Matt Cain (0-1).  This shapes up to be a tough game for Chicago.  Don't expect the Cubs to score much today as the Giants' hurler probably will have good command and maintain a quality pitch count.  It may take an near equal pitching display on the Cubs' end to come close.    

Cubs claim 2013 opening series in Pittsburgh, avoid near meltdown late in Game 3

AP Photo- Gene J. Puskar

  Thanks to homeruns from Anthony Rizzo in Game 1 (3-1 win) and a significant one from newcomer Nate Schierholtz in Game 3 late the Cubs managed to win 2-of-3 from the Pirates to kick the season off right.  Starlin Castro knocked in a run with a single in yesterday's 3-2 victory also to help the cause.  Let's not forget about the starting pitching either which rendered 2 total runs for the series.  Fine outings by Jeff Samardzija (7 innings: 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K's) on opening day and then Travis Wood (1-0, allowed one hit in 6 IP) Thursday allows Chicago to earn a 2-1 record to start the season.  The only loss came the previous day with a 3-0 shutout with basically no offensive production. 

  Less hitting for the most part revolved around the first series on the road.  Chicago must work to achieve a 4-run average each game. That is a decent goal to start with for the lineup.  The worst issue to notice though came in the 9th inning for Game 3 with Carlos Marmol again, who came in close and caused a near diaster.  He pitched uncertain to yield 2 runs across the plate.  Other than pitching to Andrew McClutchen the reliever should've had nothing to worry about.  He is a lost cause for the team with several bad closing appearances in 2012.  As luck went the Cubs way they managed to get a double play to end the game, 3-2. 

  As far as the outfield goes for now there needs to be another tremendous bat added in either left or right field.  Judging from the marginal hits in 3 games Cubs management can work to pull off at least one big trade.  Third base needs a good replacement when the time comes later this year.  If anything the team can go out and pick up more than a ulility player to cover the spots Chicago lacks offense the most.  Why not look for someone like Raul Ibanez, Corey Hart, or even a Jose Bautista caliber type position player?  The starting pitching won't be able to endure all the time so it's worth making an early move.  So far the club looks okay to play small ball behind effective starters.  Still management needs to ship Marmol, DeJesus, and possibly Soriano somewhere to get any good value before it's too late.  The Cubs match-up with Atlanta for a 3-game series starting Friday where the bats may come up in short supply.