| Kyle Trompeter. 4th August, 2005 - 4:40 pm
 If you haven’t seen the Bad News Bears, original or remake, the Bears team at midseason were playing mediocre baseball. All they needed was a solid player or two to get them over the hump. Then, Coach Buttermaker was able to convince stud pitcher Amanda Whurlitzer to be their ace, and she brought power-hitting outfielder Kelly Leak along with her. All of a sudden, the season turned around and the Bears made a run at the championship.
To this point in the season, the Chicago Cubs have found themselves in a similar position. Playing inconsistent at best, the Cubs have lacked a few players all season long needed to make a strong push in the playoff race. Now that the trade deadline has come and gone with the Cubs acquiring a much needed leadoff guy, and with the return of three key players from injury, the Cubs look to hit their stride in the last two months of this season.
Minutes before the 3:00 Central Time trade deadline this past Sunday, the Cubs obtained outfielder Matt Lawton in exchange for outfielder Jody Gerut. Lawton (.273 BA, .380 OBP) will take over the leadoff role in the Cubs lineup that has been recently occupied by centerfielder Jerry Hairston. The move was made with the idea that Lawton, who brings experience and a good hitting resume to the North Side, will jumpstart an offense that ranks second in batting average in the national league, but only 11th in on-base percentage and last in walks. He will most likely drop Hairston to the second spot in the order with Todd Walker moving down to the sixth or seventh spot.
When the Cubs play Friday night at Shea Stadium against the New York Mets, the club will welcome back Kerry Wood, Nomar Garciaparra, and Scott Williamson from the disabled list. Wood and Williamson give the bullpen much needed depth, with Wood making his debut in the pen as a set up man. Garciaparra’s return to the lineup means Neifi Perez will go back into his reserve role on the bench.
The lineup with Garciaparra and Lawton will probably go Lawton, Hairston, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Garciaparra, Jeromy Burnitz, Walker, Michael Barrett, and the pitcher spot. With Lawton and Hairston at the top, there should be plenty of RBI opportunities for MVP candidate Lee and Ramirez.
Only four games back in the wild card, the arrival of these players should give the Cubs the shot in the arm it so desperately needs. They have filled the need for a legit leadoff man, they now will have depth in the bullpen, and one of the best shortstops in baseball is back in the field. If this team doesn’t start to consistently win with these guys back on the team, then maybe some other positions within the organization needs to be re-examined. |
