This idea definitely has not hurt the Cardinals, who, bafflingly, are fighting it out with us for first place. We may see this lineup before the year is over. Why? There are a couple reasons why it makes sense for the Cubs, more than ANYONE. Best reason: LaRussa thinks it is a good idea to have RBI opportunities of some kind for his leadoff hitter, and increased RBI opportunities for his #3 hitter.
More RBIs for a leadoff hitter? Do we know any leadoff hitters that would benefit from more RBI opportunities? Secondly, we have a couple pitchers who can really hit. Here I mean Zambrano and Jason Marquis. I believe Zambrano would love the chance to hit eighth, and possibly score another at-bat.
I have a couple ideas about who should move down to ninth. One idea is to bat Theriot there. But what if Soto batted there? If Soto bats ninth, he would have Soriano as lineup protection, and the offensive beat down he is giving the NL might just continue.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Cubs Were 17-10 in April...
This was a great month for the team! Fukudome showed he was a smart pickup, and Derrek Lee is the player he was back in 2005 once again. These two led the offense, along with Ryan Theriot, Geovany Soto, Reed Johnson, Mark DeRosa, and Aramis Ramirez. In other words, the entire lineup had a good month, and two players had a great month. But let's not forget our pitchers: Zambrano pitched like an ace. Ryan Dempster had multiple quality starts. Rich Hill rebounded nicely from a rough start. Kerry Wood pitched like a real closer, and Carlos Marmol was even better than that.
If the Cubs are going to continue playing .600 ball, what issues need to be dealt with?
1. Felix Pie. Can this man hit any better or not? I am surprised that he has been this bad, but not shocked. Maybe he needs to go to a team that has time to just send him out to center, and let him figure out the game with no fans that expect to win right away. Another thing that might be good for Felix is to play for a team that can afford to carry his weak bat for some time. We are almost that team. If we sub Reed Johnson in to the game in later innings, we might be able to get away with this one for a time.
2. Starting Rotation. Zambrano will be fine, and Ted Lilly is improving. But will Ryan Dempster continue to pitch this way for a full season? Right now, Ryan is far and away out-pitching his best years with Florida. Not only would he come down hard for that reason, we also have to remember he hasn't been a starter in years. He will get tired, and if we don't have a backup plan, it will kill us at the worst possible time. That would be August. Rich Hill has had only one good year, but also some potential, with comes with some risk. Jason Marquis, however, has shown that he is unreliable over the long haul. It's not a question of attitude, or pacing, or anything else that can be fixed. The problem is he's not that talented, and needs to be "on" in order to win.
3. Bobby Howry. Does he have enough left to be a part of a great bullpen, or will he be in mop-up roles all year?
4. Geovany Soto. I doubt he will hit .333 his whole career. What will happen when national league scouts turn on to his weaknesses? I suspect he has one or two, at least.
5. Kevin Hart and Sean Marshall. Are these two the answer in the last spots of the bullpen? Hart has won admiration with his attitude, but the results are not there so far. Sean Marshall is a young starting pitcher, not a lefty specialist. that half of the question might be answered by the return of Scott Eyre.
If the Cubs are going to continue playing .600 ball, what issues need to be dealt with?
1. Felix Pie. Can this man hit any better or not? I am surprised that he has been this bad, but not shocked. Maybe he needs to go to a team that has time to just send him out to center, and let him figure out the game with no fans that expect to win right away. Another thing that might be good for Felix is to play for a team that can afford to carry his weak bat for some time. We are almost that team. If we sub Reed Johnson in to the game in later innings, we might be able to get away with this one for a time.
2. Starting Rotation. Zambrano will be fine, and Ted Lilly is improving. But will Ryan Dempster continue to pitch this way for a full season? Right now, Ryan is far and away out-pitching his best years with Florida. Not only would he come down hard for that reason, we also have to remember he hasn't been a starter in years. He will get tired, and if we don't have a backup plan, it will kill us at the worst possible time. That would be August. Rich Hill has had only one good year, but also some potential, with comes with some risk. Jason Marquis, however, has shown that he is unreliable over the long haul. It's not a question of attitude, or pacing, or anything else that can be fixed. The problem is he's not that talented, and needs to be "on" in order to win.
3. Bobby Howry. Does he have enough left to be a part of a great bullpen, or will he be in mop-up roles all year?
4. Geovany Soto. I doubt he will hit .333 his whole career. What will happen when national league scouts turn on to his weaknesses? I suspect he has one or two, at least.
5. Kevin Hart and Sean Marshall. Are these two the answer in the last spots of the bullpen? Hart has won admiration with his attitude, but the results are not there so far. Sean Marshall is a young starting pitcher, not a lefty specialist. that half of the question might be answered by the return of Scott Eyre.
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