The Pointlessness of Hope

The last two games against the Cardinals have demonstrated why it was silly for anyone to still hold out hope that the Cubs could stage a miracle turnaround and make the postseason.

It’s not just that they the lost the games, it’s the way they lost:  by once again not being able to mount any offense.

They managed 10 hits on Saturday afternoon against Chris Carpenter and Ryan Franklin, but scored 1 run.  On Friday, they mustered only 2 runs against elderly John Smoltz and two relievers.

Miracle late season comebacks don’t happen if you can’t crack that magical 2 run barrier.

A few days ago, against Milwaukee, it looked like the offense was coming around, hence the glimmer of hope.  But the pattern has been the same all year:  a short burst of hitting followed by a run of flat performances.

The good news is that, now, the last diehards should finally fall by the wayside, forced to admit that it is over.  They’re 11 down to the Cards and riding a 4 game losing streak.  Only the craziest of the crazy can see anything to cling to in that mess.