Homestand ends with a close 5-4 loss to Cardinals as Schierholtz double not enough

 

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

  Another series at Wrigley Field concludes with the Cubs having a chance to win 3 in a row.  After being sweep by the Reds the homestand looked to be bleak.  After dusting off the Rangers in a 9-2 make-up game then the Cardinals 2-1 in a tight contested pitching duel the club leaves the Friendly Confines with a 4-6 stretch (bad breaks, untimely hitting).  For the final game before going back on the road the Cubs lost another 1-run nail-biter to St. Louis, 5-4 Wednesday.  Anthony Rizzo went 3-for-4 collecting a double and a run scored.  The main offense came in the form of a 2-run double from Nate Schierholtz and a RBI groundout by Dioneer Navarro.  The other run came from a throwing error which allowed Luis Valbuena to score from third base.  Carlos Villaneavu receives a no-decision in the game after lasting 6.2 innings to rank up 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.

  The season begins to show the Cubs' inexperience as a group with their lack of execution.  Nothing is working fast enough for this tired franchise who embarks on another road trip this weekend in Washington D.C.  Coach Dale Sveum is going with his set game plan, relying on a day-to-day lineup which can't manage to close out tight games with clutch hits.  Beyond the youth there is nobody who is going to deliver as veteran (forget about Soriano) or full-time leader.  Sveum must need plenty aspirins in the clubhouse because he's got headaches for the long season schedule.  Distractions about home field renovations don't affect the overall performance level and have become a higher priority than trade value for players to move. 

At a 13-21 record the Cubs aren't showing they have the zeal to flourish anywhere.  Such remains to be seen.  As for the Nationals series Friday a wipeout may occur if the offense comes up clueless and empty before returning home to face two winning teams in the Rockies and Mets.  Chicago needs to avoid getting swept again and refrain from allowing too much bullpen usage over the next 3 days.  Today at least the team gets a day off and can rest to look at video in the clubhouse to see mistakes on the field and work on hitting strategies.  A rebuilding process is what Cubs' fans have to put up with and the expected slumps at times in 2013.  Hopefully the Cubs can make a decent turnaround to finish May near third place in the Central.