It’s a miracle the Cubs won the first two games of the Pittsburgh series. A better team would have buried them.
And what’s killing the Cubs early in the season? Fundamentals.
They did everything in their power to give those games away. What was supposed to be the team’s strengths — team defense and a potent lineup — is hurting them in the early going. They must fix these problems quickly to be successful. They can’t play the Pirates 150 times.
On Monday, The Cubs committed three errors that led to five runs, which forced extra innings. The poor defense ruined a good offensive day and a 7-0 lead. That came on the heels of Friday’s game — which I was at — when Mark DeRosa’s error cost the Cubs the game. These mistakes shouldn’t happen. Catching and throwing should be as easy as breathing to these guys. Get your heads in the game.
The Cubs also lack timely hitting. The Cubs stranded 15 men on base Monday and did even worse on Wednesday — 19 LOB. And the poor performance at the plate spoiled a magnificent outing by Ryan Dempster (one hit over 7 innings with 5 Ks). A homer can’t win every game, but nice try Aramis. The Cubs need to start manufacturing runs — move runners up and drive in runners in scoring position with less than two outs.
Until the Cubs get back to basics this is going to be a stressful season.
One Comment
I think the Cubs are going to get the ‘Most Innings Played’ award this year.