Jack Parkman Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) I don't think that the Cubs are going to be as bad as most think this season. In fact, they could be very good. They have a very solid starting five and a killer back end of the bullpen. If Mike Quade was smart he'd bench Fukudome and start Colvin in right, and lead off Castro. The only questions are if the middle of their order is declining so much that they aren't going to score enough runs, and are the middle relievers going to get anyone out. I'm not a Cubs fan by any means, but if you really think about it they really aren't that bad and they could finish first as easily as third or fourth. The NLC is just as competitive, IMO, as the ALC, but the ALC has better quality teams. I think 86-89 wins will win the NLC. Edited April 1, 2011 by Elgin Slim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 QUOTE (Elgin Slim @ Apr 1, 2011 -> 02:26 AM) I don't think that the Cubs are going to be as bad as most think this season. In fact, they could be very good. They have a very solid starting five and a killer back end of the bullpen. If Mike Quade was smart he'd bench Fukudome and start Colvin in right, and lead off Castro. The only questions are if the middle of their order is declining so much that they aren't going to score enough runs, and are the middle relievers going to get anyone out. I'm not a Cubs fan by any means, but if you really think about it they really aren't that bad and they could finish first as easily as third or fourth. The NLC is just as competitive, IMO, as the ALC, but the ALC has better quality teams. I think 86-89 wins will win the NLC. I'm with you in that I don't see why people think they're going to be terrible. Obviously, they'll need Zambrano post-meltdown as opposed to how he was prior to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 08:36 PM) I'm with you in that I don't see why people think they're going to be terrible. Obviously, they'll need Zambrano post-meltdown as opposed to how he was prior to it. This is like the only time we ever disagree. I will admit I like some of their young talent, especially Cashner. But they're still relying heavily on guys that are rapidly declining (Soriano, Ramirez) or are just bad (Blake Dewitt?). I think their rotation is average at best. Dempster is solid. Zambrano is a complete unknown. I still think Garza will be a massive bust. Wells? Yawn. And again, I like Cashner. But he'll no doubt go through growing pains. The back-end of the bullpen looks solid. But Wood will, of course, hit the DL multiple times. And their middle relief looks pretty bad. If everything breaks right for them they're probably capable of a .500 season. Anything more than that then something(s) abnormal would have to occur. Like Soriano and Ramirez going 2003-ish or Zambrano reverting back to his 2005-2007 form. Edited April 1, 2011 by Jordan4life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 QUOTE (Elgin Slim @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 08:26 PM) I don't think that the Cubs are going to be as bad as most think this season. In fact, they could be very good. They have a very solid starting five and a killer back end of the bullpen. If Mike Quade was smart he'd bench Fukudome and start Colvin in right, and lead off Castro. The only questions are if the middle of their order is declining so much that they aren't going to score enough runs, and are the middle relievers going to get anyone out. I'm not a Cubs fan by any means, but if you really think about it they really aren't that bad and they could finish first as easily as third or fourth. The NLC is just as competitive, IMO, as the ALC, but the ALC has better quality teams. I think 86-89 wins will win the NLC. Killer? Marmol is filthy but walks about a guy an inning and that will eventually bite him. His setup guys are nothing spectacular, then it goes downhill in a hurry in that pen. Solid starting 5? They had auditions among a bunch of marginal pitchers for not just the 5th spot, but the 4th spot as well. Their #3, Garza, has had an awful spring, and their #2, Z, is... well, he's Z, who has been in decline for years now. They have a solid starting 1. That pitching staff is well below average. Their defense is also terrible - one of the worst last season and likely only worse this year. And you really think that none of CIN, STL or MIL will win 90 games? Sorry, but I saw the Cubs as the 4th best team going in, maybe 3rd now with MIL's injury issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamshack Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Cubs Can't Believe They're Doing This Again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I posted the following on facebook and I think I have really pissed off a Chicago based cousin of mine. "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein ... He must have had Cub fans in mind." They're a touchy bunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Alvarez isn't exactly Longoria over at 3B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Parkman Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 1, 2011 -> 12:02 PM) Killer? Marmol is filthy but walks about a guy an inning and that will eventually bite him. His setup guys are nothing spectacular, then it goes downhill in a hurry in that pen. Solid starting 5? They had auditions among a bunch of marginal pitchers for not just the 5th spot, but the 4th spot as well. Their #3, Garza, has had an awful spring, and their #2, Z, is... well, he's Z, who has been in decline for years now. They have a solid starting 1. That pitching staff is well below average. Their defense is also terrible - one of the worst last season and likely only worse this year. And you really think that none of CIN, STL or MIL will win 90 games? Sorry, but I saw the Cubs as the 4th best team going in, maybe 3rd now with MIL's injury issues. When I think of back end of the bullpen I think of the 8th-9th innings, and Marmol/Wood are both filthy. I think that despite his bad spring, Garza will be the Cubs best pitcher. Career 3.97 ERA in the ALE is good, now he's going the NLC. Despite his problems, Zambrano has never posted an ERA above 4 in his career since his cup of coffee in the Majors. Dempster is solid and their most consistent pitcher. Wells is a good #4 in the NL, he had a good season last year and by some accounts his job was only in jeopardy because he liked to party too much. Cashner has good stuff, but he's a rookie, so they don't know what they will get from him. There was never any competition in their rotation, they were going to cut Silva and insert Cashner from the beginning of the spring. Like I said, their questions are if they can get outs in the 6th-7th innings, and if their middle of the lineup is too old. They are my surprise team this season, and I can see them taking the division if they can get their offense going. The Reds have Baker as their manager, he'll ruin those good young arms. Milwaukee has nobody in their bullpen who can get anyone out. St. Louis has crap in their rotation after Carpenter. As of today I think the Cubs are on equal footing with Milwaukee for second best in the division. All three of the Cubs,Reds, and Brewers could finish first as well as third. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Marshall's a damn good 7th/8th inning guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Parkman Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 QUOTE (fathom @ Apr 1, 2011 -> 01:39 PM) Marshall's a damn good 7th/8th inning guy. I forgot about him. Just strengthens my point about how their back end is very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Darwin Barney? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksfan61 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 1, 2011 -> 01:02 PM) Killer? Marmol is filthy but walks about a guy an inning and that will eventually bite him. His setup guys are nothing spectacular, then it goes downhill in a hurry in that pen. Solid starting 5? They had auditions among a bunch of marginal pitchers for not just the 5th spot, but the 4th spot as well. Their #3, Garza, has had an awful spring, and their #2, Z, is... well, he's Z, who has been in decline for years now. They have a solid starting 1. That pitching staff is well below average. Their defense is also terrible - one of the worst last season and likely only worse this year. And you really think that none of CIN, STL or MIL will win 90 games? Sorry, but I saw the Cubs as the 4th best team going in, maybe 3rd now with MIL's injury issues. Agreed, if anything I think their pitching looks VERY suspect. Dempster is decent but after that it is a lot of question marks. Z has good stuff when his head his on right (which isn't often) but he also hasn't pitched more than 200 innings since 2007. I feel like Garza is going to get torched without the Wrigley wind blowing out and with that sieve of a defense the Cubs have behind him. Wells as a 4 isn't terrible but if Zambrano gets hurt/goes crazy all of a sudden Wells is your 3. Cashner has a good arm but if he is walking people forget it. Their best offensive players are old and declining, Castro is a good player but could easily fall victim to the sophomore slump. Wood is a nice 8th inning but I would never trust the guy healthwise. To me the Brewers are the best in that division, and I expect the Cubs to finish closer to the Astros then I do the Brewers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Apr 1, 2011 -> 01:55 PM) Darwin Barney? The always dangerous 3-man platoon at 2B of Darwin Barney, Jeff Baker, and Blake DeWitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Apr 1, 2011 -> 01:55 PM) Darwin Barney? And you thought our farm system was bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan562004 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I'll have to check back later in the game, but lots of empty seats at Wrigley, then they had a wide shot showing the upper deck and they looked kind of empty. That team desperately needs cashflow that concession sales bring, they need people to show up, not just buy tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Marmol is still nasty if anyone was wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan4life_2007 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 WTF happened? It was 3-0 Pirates in the 8th last I checked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Apr 2, 2011 -> 03:01 PM) WTF happened? It was 3-0 Pirates in the 8th last I checked? Cubs scored 5 in the 8th I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpd9189 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Caught the end, Marmol is fn nasty. One of the few bright spots for the Cubs along with Castro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daa84 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Apr 2, 2011 -> 03:03 PM) Cubs scored 5 in the 8th I believe. big error on overbay....3 runs unearned .....they were playing the pirates after all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 2, 2011 -> 03:41 PM) big error on overbay....3 runs unearned .....they were playing the pirates after all and the Sox were playing the Indians. that doesn't take the W away. a win's a win - you can only play who you're scheduled to. I think the Cubs will end up being a so-so team, probably 4th in their division, but they took advantage of an opportunity today and stole a win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swingandalongonetoleft Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Bob Brenly sounds so much like Terry Boers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 QUOTE (dpd9189 @ Apr 2, 2011 -> 04:20 PM) Caught the end, Marmol is fn nasty. One of the few bright spots for the Cubs along with Castro. Marmol and Castro just combined to blow today's save. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buehrle>Wood Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 What a collapse by the Cubs. Hopefully Pirates hang on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Pedro Alvarez would probably strike out 9 out of 10 times facing Marmol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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