Chicago Cubs Week In Review

After sweeping the Brewers in Milwaukee and giving the Cubs some much needed breathing room in the National League Central, the Chicago Cubs returned to Wrigley Field with the hopes of avoiding a let down. During the past week the Cubs have won 4 of 6 games at home and managed to avoid losing their 5 game lead over Brewers and Cardinals.

Alfonso Soriano has been a huge reason for the Cubs post All Star game success. Soriano has given the Cubs the boost that they needed when they started to faulter in mid July. 21 home runs for a man who has missed six weeks of the season is quite impressive, and his personality on the field seems to rub off on the rest of the Cubs lineup.


You may have seen these Soriano t-shirts in the Wrigley Field crowd, while watching their games on WGN. Order your Soriano tee today for only $19.99!

The Cubs bullpen went through a tough overworked spell after Kerry Wood couldn't recover from his aggravating blister on his pitching hand. Carlos Marmol was having trouble finding the strike zone, while the rest of the Cubs bullpen have been shaky at best. Since the all star break, Carlos Marmol seems to have regained his location and is once again being the reliable set up man that the Cubs need. Kerry Wood has been activated from the DL and recently pitched one scoreless inning in relief, and more importantly his finger appears to be fine. The Cubs may have to use Kerry Wood sparingly until they are confident that his finger has completely healed. The Cubs will need Wood during their stretch run in their quest to make the playoffs.

Bobby Howry has been a headache for Lou Piniella all season. Howry has the "stuff" to be a solid set up combination with Marmol, but he hasn't shown any consistency on the mound. His most recent bullpen implosion cost Rich Harden another win, and may have lost any remaining confidence that Lou has in him. Chad Gaudin may be the man who replaces Bobby Howry in the role of holding the lead to pass on to Marmol and Wood in late inning relief.

The Cubs get the rare opportunity to enjoy a day off (their first day off in three weeks) today, and hope the the day off will have the Cubs ready and rested as the St. Louis Cardinals roll in to town in a very important divisional match up.

Ryan Theriot hit a ball off of his foot yesterday and appeared to be in a lot of pain. Ronny Cedeno replaced Ryan Theriot in the seventh inning. Today's day off will hopefully give Theriot some time to rest his foot and be ready for the St. Louis series. Theriot has been an integral part of the Cubs success this year, getting on base consistently for the Cubs RBI men in the middle of the order.

Alphonso Soriano Returns From Injury In Knick of Time

Can Alphonso Soriano give the Cubs some much needed pop to their lineup during their offensive struggles? Lou Piniella, and the Cubs surely hope so. The Brewers have crept within 1 game of the Cubs, while the Cardinals are lurking right behind (only trailing by two games).

Returning from a broken bone in Soriano's hand, it is hard to believe that he will come out of the gates hitting home runs and being a huge force offensively. I look for Soriano to struggle for a week or two, often looking very bad at the plate at times.

The glaring weakness on the Cubs is that they seem to have forgotten to have patience and plate discipline on offense. Early in the season, nearly all of the players were working long counts, drawing a lot of walks, and getting good pitches to hit when they were ahead in the count. Nobody seemed to have pressure on them since everybody was getting on base with regularity. Since about a week before the all star break, their offense started to struggle and everybody in the middle of the order has started to swing at bad pitches. Trying to be the hero and jerk the ball out of the park isn't what guided the Cubs to the top of many of the statistical offensive categories in the National League.

Not only has their offensive struggle, the Cubs bullpen has imploded on several occasions recently, ruining fine performances form the Cubs starting rotation (most notably Rich Harden). With Kerry Wood out with a blister on his finger, Carlos Marmol has to return to form along with the rest of the Cub s middle relief.

The Cubs second half of the season doesn't get any better, since many of their remaining games will be against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Milwaukee Brewers. Their fate is in the own hands. That is what worries Cub fans the most.

Cubs Winning Streak Reaches Seven Games

The Chicago Cubs continue to roll over their opponents completing a 7-0 homestand, by sweeping the Colorado Rockies. They have did it with timely hitting, amazing comebacks, and enough pitching to keep them in each game.

Cub fans are finally starting to warm up to Jim Edmonds. Jim Edmonds always had a knack of getting a clutch hit AGAINST the Cubs while playing center field for their long time rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. Jim, has mentioned that he had always wanted to be play for the Cubs, and continued to say how impressed he had always been with the Wrigley Field fans. Well, as much as some Cub fans resist to accept it, Jim Edmonds is now a Chicago Cub. If Edmonds can swing the way he has his entire career, he will be a welcome addition to our team that was in need in another left handed hitter that is capable of driving in runs.

Kerry Wood continues to be on a roll, throwing strikes and piling up the saves. The Marmol / Wood combo is without a doubt one of the better late inning relief duos in baseball.

The Cubs hope to turn their home success and take it on the road with them. The Cubs are an under .500 team on the road, and until they can prove they can go into other ball parks around the country, there will always be the nay sayers undermining the Cubs success. How many times can Cub fans be reminded about how its been 100 years? How many times can Cub fans be reminded about "the billy goat curse"?

Cubs Hang On To First Place - Carlos Zambrano Jersey

Despite dropping the last two games to the Houston Astros, the Chicago Cubs hold on to first place in the National League Central Division.

Carlos Zambrano hopes to get the Cubs back to their winning ways with a strong performance tomorrow against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Zambrano is coming off a bad outing against the Pirates on 5/17, lasting only 4 innings. An "ace" is supposed to extend winning streaks, and stop losing streaks. We will see if Zambrano is up to the task tomorrow. Carlos Zambrano has complained about a sore shoulder, but is still scheduled to make his start tomorrow against the Pirates.Purchase a Carlos Zambrano Jersey


The Cubs recently traded for Jim Edmonds. I really have mixed feelings about this addition. If he can hit .270 with some occasional power I think it will be a positive addition. Yet so far with the Padres, and now with the Cubs, Edmonds hasn't been able to hit a lick. Is the tank on empty? Lets hope not. I couldn't stand Jim Edmonds while he was a cardinal, and so far my feelings haven't changed. Hopefully he will force me to have a change of heart.

One of the bright spots has been the cubs Carlos Marmol, and Kerry Wood. If the Cubs can hold a lead through 7 innings, you have to like our chances. Kerry Wood is really attacking the hitters and throwing first pitch strikes. Let's hope Kerry's success continues and the Cubs can open up some daylight in the central division.

Cubs Return Home After Rough Road Trip

The Chicago Cubs eagerly return home to face the Arizona Diamondbacks. Eratic pitching, lackluster offense, and fielding woes all contributed to the Cubs poor road trip.

The Cubs have lost 8 of their last 10 and hope to turn it around tomorrow at 1:20 pm against one of the best teams in the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ted Lilly faces Dan Haren in what should be a hard fought battle. Ted Lilly hopes to continue his stretch of solid outings after a few very poor starts to open the season.

Alphonso Soriano continues to struggle at the top of the order, and Lou Piniella has to be feeling the pressure to move him down in the lineup and to move Kosuke Fukudome closer to the top of the order. I really don't know what the delay is. Soriano has let it be known that he will hit anywhere that Lou puts him in the lineup. His high power and low on base percentage is better suited for the #6 spot in the lineup.

Kerry Wood continues to mystify me. He follows one superb outing, to get a blown save in the next, only to pitch "lights out" a few days later. I really hope that Wood pitches with more consistency soon, or Lou will be forced to move Carlos Marmol into the closers role, even though he has been excelling in his role as the set up man.

Chicago Cubs - Off To Best Start Since 1975

The Chicago Cubs have been on fire leading (or near the top) the league in nearly every offensive category. These "new look" Cubs have been patient at the plate with nearly every player in the lineup with an on base percentage of .400 or higher. The pitching has even started to come around with a little more consistency.

Rich Hill had a nice outing in his last start, and hopes to have a similar performance tonight in Colorado. The Rockies have been struggling following their World Series appearance in 2007, and the Cubs hope to keep swinging their hot bats in Coors Field.

If the Cubs can hold a lead into the 7th inning, you have to like their chances. Carlos Marmol has been filthy, and Kerry Wood is shaping into the type of closer that the Cubs had hoped for.

Brian Roberts was on everybody's wish list throughout the offseason, but the outcry has since died down with the success that Reed Johnson, and even Cedeno, are having. Reed Johnson is consistently setting the table for the big bats, and Kosuke Fukodome continues to sizzle at the plate as a Chicago Cub. Fukodome has quickly become the most beloved Chicago Cub, and is one of the league leaders in jersey sales. Order Your Chicago Cubs Kosuke Fukudome Jersey!

Aramis Ramirez, Derek Lee, and Ryan Theriot lead Cubs

The Cubs continue to sizzle on offense, sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-6 and taking over first place of the NL Central.

Reed Johnson, and Ryan Theriot have been getting on base at the top of the order, setting the table for Derek Lee and Aramiz Ramirez. The result is 26 runs in the last two games. A good on base percentage at the top of the order is a huge factor in offensive success, which is why I have been a long time proponent of dropping Alphonso Soriano in the batting order and letting hitters who aren't afraid to draw a walk to lead off. Order A Chicago Cubs Baseball Jersey

Lou Piniella has this team playing good baseball, and the new found plate discipline seems to be contagious. Adding Kosuke Fukudome, and Reed Johnson seem to have lit a fire under this team and its wonderful to watch this kind of baseball. I had, had it with Dusty Baker's "walks are overrated" mentality! Good luck in Cincinnati Dusty. I hope you keep instructing your players not to "clog the bases" by taking a walk!

After a worrisome start to the season, the Cubs have really been on a roll. The Carlos Marmol / Kerry Wood combo at the end of the game seems to be coming along just fine. Now, with a little more consistency out of our starting staff and middle relief, the Cubs aim to only get better.

Chicago Cubs Weekly Baseball Reviews

After the first 10 games of the season, the Cubs have raised both concerns and optimism.

First of all, it appears that Kosuke Fukudome is the real deal, and should be an on base close to 40 percent of the time. The way that he hits to all fields and goes with whatever the pitcher is given him, makes me believe that he won't endure any long slumps. While he has made a couple of fielding blunders (possibly due to not having any experience in any of these American ball parks.), his arm is very strong and already has gunned down a runner at the plate.

Kerry Wood has three saves, but failed to hold the lead in two of his relief appearances. He will need to be more consistent in the closers role, or his job could be lost to Carlos Marmol.

Carlos Zambrano has been pitching lights out, and looks to flirt with 20 wins once again. Ryan Dempster has been surprisingly solid, but the rest of the staff has struggled at times. Ted Lilly has been rocked in two of his outings, and the Cubs will need some stability out of him.

Aramis Ramirez, and Alphonso Soriano have struggled, but its hard to worry about those two. Its just a matter of time before they will put up their typical numbers. Derrek Lee appears to have his power stroke back, and Geovany Soto is coming along just fine.

All in all, I am satisfied with the Cubs 6-4 start. The Brewers appear to be strong (just as most had expected), and will probably be in the race till the end. The surprise team of the National League has been the Cardinals. I have to believe that they will fade since I only had them figured to be a .500 team at best.

Please leave any of your thoughts!

Kerry Wood Hurt Again - Back Spasms

Here we go again. Kerry Wood has always had hall of fame talent. If only his body would had been able to hold up over the years. Here in 2008 the injury bug has struck again and the Cubs haven't even made it out of Spring Training!

Kerry Wood complained of back spasms and was unable to go in back to back games, which was Lou Piniella's plan to see if his arm would be able to handle the closer's job. Well, the good news, is his arm is fine (atleast according to the Cubs). The bad news, this latest injury is yet another road block for Kerry Wood to overcome.

Kerry Wood has pitched excellent this spring, and Piniella was beginning to lean toward Kerry Wood (over Carlos Marmol) to land the closer's role in the bullpen. Now its all up in the air, and the final couple of weeks in spring training should prove to be very interesting.