Cubs First Week in Review

At a first glance, the Cubs are 1-5 and have had some serious troubles, but it might not be as bad as it looks.

Let’s start with the bad parts.

The bullpen has been awful, plain and simple. Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood are supposed to be the rocks of this bullpen, but it has been the complete opposite. Marmol has blown a game and Wood has blown two. The good news is both pitchers have had a couple of good outings since blowing their games in the first couple games.

The hitting has not been great, but this is a streaky thing for all teams. As I write this, the Cubs have 8 runs on the board against the Brewers’ best pitcher: Zach Greinke. The Cubs have definitely lacked home run power, but they have had a decent amount of timely hitting. The hitting hasn’t been awful, but it can use some help.

The good news is:

The starting pitching has been solid. With the exception of one outing, the Cubs have been putting up quality starts. Garza, Samardzija and Dempster have all pitched exceptionally well.

There have been some bright spots in the order. Castro, Soriano and Clevenger have all hit well and the other hitters, for the most part, have been having good at-bats.

The base running has also been great. It is very obvious that Dale Sveum has decided to play more small ball and swipe bases anywhere he can. This can certainly help make up for the lack of a monster in the middle of the order.

The record might not show it perfectly, but the Cubs have had some good things happen and are not as bad as it seems. They have been in almost every game and, eventually they will get some bounces too. As I finish writing, the Cubs just won 8-0.