Come To Think Of It...Cubs Pen Mightier Than Sword

Rest easy, Cubs fans. If the bullpen is our only concern this year, we're in for a great season.

Yes, I know that both Kerry Wood and Bob Howry imploded yesterday and thwarted what was a dramatic home run by the Japanese import, Kosuke Fukudome.  

And yes I know that we're counting on both guys to be solid this year. Especially Woody, who's been tagged as the closer by Lou Piniella.

But the bullpen is, by most accounts, a strength of the team. It sure wasn't a strength yesterday, except for Marmol. But it will be; these guys are simply too good to fail over a long season, save for an injury.

In fact, few of us actually thought about Woody failing.

The main concern with him has always been injuries. But he has never performed in the role as closer, and may take awhile to get the hang of it. And to be fair, yesterday was not a save situation as he entered to a tie ballgame.

We all remember Ryan Dempster, who was especially bad when brought into a non-save situation.

And Howry has always been a slow starter. He's had a brutal spring and that has carried over into the season.

(Interesting side note: here's a perfect example of why spring stats mean little or nothing. Wood was on fire all spring, yet comes out in his first real game and gives up three runs).

But Howry has a track record of being a very solid relief pitcher, so odds are he'll straighten out over the long term. And there's no denying the stuff that Wood and Marmol have. They are electric.

Add guys like Hart and the steady Michael Wuertz and you have a 'pen that even the most pessimistic Cubs fan should have no reason to be overly concerned about.

So, despite the sting of a first game loss, I'm optimistic. I personally don't expect much power from Fukudome, so to see that shot yesterday was a bonus to me.

In fact, instead of the bullpen, I'm more concerned with the offense scoring runs consistently. The difference between Theriot leading off and having Brian Roberts in that spot is huge. But we'd better quit whining and play the hand that Hendry dealt.

Another valid concern might be in the power category. I seem to recall the Cubs talking about needing more power after last season, yet they didn't really do anything to shore up that department.

But Zambrano looked good, although it was admittedly a tough day to hit with the weather being what it was, windy, rainy and cold. Still, it was good to see him go almost seven innings use only 90 pitches.

It was also nice to see that Eric Gagne still can't pitch effectively without steroids. That doesn't bode well for the Brewers.

All in all, while you never like to lose, you can't help but think that Monday was an aberration. In fact, the bullpen should end up being the team's strong point. So put away the sharp objects, Cubs fans, all is not lost.

Come to think of it, the fun is just beginning.

Oof wah.