Chicago Cubs: Slow Start Not an Issue

1-3.

Hey, we're still sitting better than the Detroit Tigers right now, so apparently we're not to bad. And the Yankees are the cellar dwellers in the AL East, and they're not worried a bit, outside of having Ian Kennedy get throttled in his first start of 2008.

Coming into this season, the three biggest questions on my mind were: (1)can Japanese players other than Ichiro actually hit MLB pitching, (2)how would the back end of our rotation hod up, and (3)would I rather see Felix Pie get replace, or just suffer though him hitting 8th and getting on base once every other game?

Well, after watching Kosuke Fukudome take Eric Gange deep to tie the Cubs opening day matchup, and follow that up by finishing Milwaukee series at .500, the question of whether or not he can hit Major League pitching is answered. In the words of Bret Musburger "A star is born in the teeth of the Lake Michigan wind."

I've been a fan of Ryan Dempster since he was in Florida, so it wasn't a shock to see his success earlier in his first start in over a year. Jason Marquis' spring makes me anxious to see his first couple starts. And for those who question Ted Lilly's rough outing, outside of last year, he has never had a good first start, yet by the end of the year had had an ERA below 4.50 all but one year, so look for him to rebound quickly.

For the third question, I'll give Pie until the end of next week to impress or else I, along with most Cubs fans, will be calling for Reed Johnson.

With all that said, our trip to Pittsburgh and Philly next week should help turn around this early season and provide a spark at the plate we missed to start the season.

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