Chicago Cubs Struggles Continue as Skid Hits 4, Lose to Marlins 9-1

Not even Chicago Cubs ace Matt Garza could stop the current skid they are currently in.  Garza and the Cubs got shelled by the Miami Marlins in a 9-1 defeat.  The Cubs fell to 3-9 and have lost four in a row. Here is what we learned from yet another defeat.

Scoring drought continues: 

The Cubs' offense struggled yet again and on the year they have scored only 42 runs with a batting average of .237.  They had problems getting runners over, as they grounded into two double plays and they were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

It's no secret the lack of production from Marlon Byrd and Geovany Soto are hurting this team, and these two players need to figure it out soon before they receive heat from the fans.  Byrd is currently 3 for 37 on the year.  

The Cubs' main home-run threat Alfonso Soriano has yet to hit his first home run on the season, while club leader Bryan LaHair currently has two.  

This is our bullpen: 

Get used to it, Cub fans.  This is our bullpen, and even with Kerry Wood healthy, it is still not very good.  When your bullpen consists of a rule-five draft player and a pitcher who was in single A last season, it is obvious your bullpen will be inconsistent all year.

Time for a gut check: 

Geovany Soto, Marlon Byrd and Ian Stewart have provided nothing from an offensive standpoint, and it's time for Dale Sveum to change things up.  Sure, we are only 12 games into the season, but he needs to know when something clearly is not working.  Unfortunately, there are not many other options for Sveum to go to.