Yes, I've heard all the jokes about the Cubs. I know their history. I used to watch Harry Caray make broadcasts of a usually crummy team interesting.
Harry might be rolling over in his grave now. This Cubs team is really good. Better, I think, than the 1984, 1989 and 2003 teams that made some noise in the playoffs.
The Cubs, we know, have been great at home. The recent road trip was going to be a big test. In fact, the Cubs had a winning record on that trip, finishing up with a split in Los Angeles.
Splitting with an inconsistent Dodgers team might not sound so great. But the way they did it should be a great cause for hope.
The Cubs won 5-4 on Thursday. The next day, in a game I attended, the Dodgers' Huroki Kuroda pitched a terrific game and shut out the Cubs.
Saturday figured to be the Cubs' day. Carlos Zambrano was on the mound, and he's been close to unhittable -- a candidate for the Cy Young.
But he had a bad inning and lost the game. You would've thought the Cubs would be in trouble with Jason Marquis starting against Brad Penny. But Marquis had a great game, while Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood were great in relief.
On Monday the Cubs were back in Wrigley Field, and beat the suddenly hapless Atlanta Braves, 10-5. Ted Lilly (yes, the same guy famous for throwing his glove on the ground in fury a year ago) pitched a decent game. He's probably the weak link in the rotation.
The lineup's been great. Wow. Look at the averages and RBI totals. Everyone's having a good year. The worst batting average for the players in action Tuesday was Giovanni Soto, hitting .281.
The bullpen still looks a bit thin. Lilly's not great. But it's hard to find a lot of weaknesses in this team.
I've heard Cubs fans talking about the World Series. Well, they sure have a shot at making it. But here are a few thoughts about that.
First, as my Red Sox Nation buddy Bill tells me, is that the Cubs don't have nearly as much pitching as the Red Sox. True enough. I'd say no one does.
But that's getting way ahead of yourselves. Let's look at the National League.
The Cubs have only a two and a half game lead in the Central. That's not much. The Cardinals, Brewers and Astros might all contend. It's hard to tell who's the most best of that bunch.
In the National League as a whole, the Diamondbacks and Phillies are pretty good. There's no dominant team if it's not the Cubs.
Let's remember last year. The Cubs made the playoffs, and Zambrano pitched well. But then he left and the bullpen didn't play well. The other starters weren't up to the challenge.
Zambrano can't do it by himself. The other starters and the bullpen must do well. So far the pitching's been pretty good ... but you have to wonder.
Can Kerry Wood stay healthy? What about the bottom of the rotation?
Keywords: Chicago Cubs
