A Day Late and a Run Short

We're two months into the season, and the most memorable legacy this 2007 team is looking to leave behind is this: "They couldn't win the close ones." The Cubs are now 1-11 in one-run ballgames, including two complete heartbreakers this past weekend in LA.

I can't say I saw too much of Friday's game. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which by the way, isn't nearly as bad as the cynical bastards that call themselves critics would lead you to believe. Yes, it was long and drawn out in places, and some of the scenes were weird, but overall I thought it was pretty good. Anyway, I turned on the game when I got to bed to see the Dodgers with a 5-1 lead. I then doze off and wake up to find it 8-5 Cubs in the middle of the 8th inning. Figuring they could handle it, I shut off the TV and went to sleep satisfied. The next morning I woke up, only to check the box score online and see the final outcome, 9-8 Dodgers. The sad thing is, I wasn't at all shocked by it. It's become par for the course with this bullpen. No lead is safe.

Saturday proved to be a little better. Chaz threw 7 strong innings before being overextended in the 8th and getting yanked with the bases loaded and two outs. Luckily Ohman managed to strike out Jeff Kent to get out of the jam. Maybe the bullpen would prove to be back on track? Nope. Dempster came out in the 9th and gave up two hits to Mike Lieberthal and Andre Ethier, before lucking out when Olmedo Saenz hit into the game-ending double play.

Then came Sunday. Ugh, just when I think they couldn't come up with any new ways to lose a game, along come Guzman and Marmol to walk the bases load, only for Marmol to bean the winning run in. Jesus, are you kidding me? Walking the winning run in is embarassing enough but to hit the guy? And it was Juan freakin' Pierre of all people. That guy never, EVER draws a walk. He had 32 all last season in over 700 plate appearances! How hard is it to get him to ground out? Apparently harder than not beaning him.

Just an all-around piss poor West Coast trip. There's no reason they should not have won more than just two games. Let's not just point the finger at the bullpen either. The offense is certainly to blame for some of this as well. The Cubs outhit the Padres in all three games they played, and outhit the Dodgers in both losses. What the hell is going on? To take a line from the Book of Dusty, are all these hits 'clogging the bases'? Maybe Davey Lopes is right, that baserunning has become incredibly poor these days.

That brings us to the current series with Florida. I really don't have anything more to say other than how in the hell do the Cubs become completely baffled at the plate against a 5'8" Korean softball pitcher that finds the strike zone about 30% of the time?

We've yet to be swept this season (unless you count the Houston series, but since one game got rained out and hasn't been made up, I refuse to consider it yet). The Cubs better get their shit together, because no way should their first sweep come at the hands of the god damn Marlins! Christ, I'd hate this team more, if only I knew more than 3 of their players.

"Hey asshole, why don't you try to end this shit on a positive, instead of being so damn negative!"

You know what, you're right. So while the Cubs are floundering right now, I turn your attention south to the state of Texas where right now the Houston Astros are riding a 9 game losing streak. As much as we suck right now, we're still not as bad as the 'Stros and Cards, which will always make me happy.