| Dennis Hobein. 3rd April, 2008 - 11:09 am
 I know what you’re thinking.
“It’s only two games out of 162. Let’s not get carried away, let’s keep it in perspective.”
Certainly, there are no shortages of clichés to describe the length of a baseball season. It’s a marathon, it’s a grind, and you can’t win the division in April. These phrases, although boring and obvious, ring true, and I cannot disagree with the logic.
However, there was something very unsettling about “how” the Cubs lost their opener and to “whom” they lost it to.
After the dust settled on another typical heart-wrenching loss, it became obvious that two perceived weaknesses were exposed in the game by the Brewers, the one team in the division that has a legitimate shot at knocking off last year’s Central Division Champs.
Perhaps the most glaring issue was at the top of the lineup. Alfonso Soriano is 0-for 2008 thus far with 3 strikeouts. The Cubs do not want him to bat lead-off due to his low on-base percentage and his propensity to strikeout (see 2007 NLDS). However, his inability to hit anywhere else in the lineup has forced Manager Lou Piniella to put him back in the lead-off spot.
General Manager Jim Hendry could have done Piniella a favor by sweetening the offer for Baltimore’s Brian Roberts but instead played a game of “chicken” with Orioles' GM Andy McPhail. McPhail never budged off his demands for top-line pitching prospects, and now the Cubs are in the same bind as last year.
The other concern, which has been garnering even more attention, is the collapse of the bullpen in the late innings. Kerry Wood’s transition to closer got off to a rough start when he drilled the first batter he faced in the 9th on opening day and then promptly gave up 3 runs, giving Milwaukee a 3-0 lead. After new fan-favorite Kosuke Fukudome blasted a 3-run HR in the bottom of the inning to briefly ignite Wrigley Field into a frenzy, Bob Howry gave up the winning run in the 10th.
Unfortunately, debilitating losses like this may become common, considering Kerry Wood is new to the role and is always a health risk; Bob Howry has publicly stated he does not like closing games; and Carlos Marmol is still young, and the Cubs will not rush him into the closer role.
The holes in this roster are clearly in critical spots, and the starting rotation consists of two considerable question marks with Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis. Still, many so-called “experts” have handed the division to the Cubs this year, and some have even predicted them to win their first World Series in 100 years. There is the possibility GM Jim Hendry could make a couple of moves as the season progresses, making these predictions more realistic. If the first two games are any indication, Hendry will need to pull off a trade or two. |
