The Chicago Cubs: Inconsistency Epitomizes First 2 Weeks

So we are now two weeks into the 2008 baseball season and there are some bright spots and some not so bright spots to look at. 

Kosuke Fukudome has been better than I think any of us expected so far early on this season. He's hitting .318 so far with a great OBP and some nice RBI early on. He's only got one home run so far, but look for the power to increase as the weather warms up, since even on a windy day the ball travels well out to right field. 

Another bright spot has to be Ryan Dempster. Did anyone think he would be so effective and so good after being the closer the last couple years? I had told many of my friends that they shouldn't worry about him in the rotation and that there were other pitchers to worry about. 

I know it's early but so far he's 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two games. He's scheduled to pitch Tuesday against the Reds so we'll see if the hot start continues. 

The fact that right now the Cubs are winning the close games (3-1 in extra innings) has to be a good sign. Last year, they really struggled with those close one-run and two-run games and this year, they have started out well. 

However, there are some causes for concern. 

First off, the starting pitching except for Dempster and Big Z has been terrible. Rich Hill, Ted Lilly, and Jason Marquis have to start pitching better and more effectively if these Cubs want to go anywhere this season.

The hitting of Soriano and Ramirez will get better once the weather warms up, so I really don't think that is too big of an issue. The problem right now is there isn't anyone getting on base in the leadoff spot, so I think you will see the Cubs make a move once again to try and get Roberts from the O's. 

Right now, the Cubs are sitting good at 7-5.  Dusty's Reds come to town this week, which should make for an interesting series since that club is playing well with Patterson in center and their pitching staff looking pretty good. 

All we can do is wait and see if these current hot trends continue and these cold beginnings start to warm up.