Weather and Offense in Chicago Go Together: Both Cold

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

After a terrible 4-1 loss to the cross-town rival White Sox, Cubs fans had seen enough.  They wanted answers, and they wanted them now. 

Before complaining about the issues of this team, let’s look at some positives.  One, the Cubs are blessed to have six starters, and those six have the best ERA of any starting pitching in baseball.  So yes, that means the team has depth in the rotation, something new to the Cubs in recent years.

Their 'pen has been okay, not as bad as people believe.  Kevin Gregg has shown signs of improvement, and Carlos Marmol always seems to go through a funk in the middle of the year.  Angel Guzman has been solid and Jose Ascanio has been a pleasant surprise.  If they can get Aaron Heilman right, this 'pen won’t look too bad.  The problem is, the team currently has one lefty in the 'pen, and he isn’t that good at retiring left handed batters.

But the offense is atrocious.  It just seems as soon as the Cubs get runners on first and second with nobody out, they press.  They swing at terrible pitches, roll over on pitches down the middle, and end rallies rather quickly without scoring.

Fans want to know what is going on with this team.  I don’t have the answers, but I have a plan to solve this funk.

Dear Jim Hendry: Don’t do a thing.

Yeah yeah, you may say I’m taking the rather optimistic view on things.  Things aren’t magically going to get better, I understand that.  Yet, there are some signs of hope.

Things will get better because some of the players have shown improvement.  The best two hitters on this team currently are Milton Bradley and Derrek Lee.  Bradley is riding a six-game hit streak, and during that stretch he’s hitting .440.  In the last 28 days, Lee is hitting .351, getting on-base at a .440 clip, and has a .527 slugging percentage.  They both started off slow and now are getting real hot.

Even though these two are trying to carry this team, there are a whole group of guys not carrying their weight.  Soriano is 14 for his last 99.  Soto is slugging .235 with runners in scoring position.  Theriot is streaky; Fontenot is, too.  Aaron Miles is straight awful. 

Cubs fans want a big bat for the lineup.  I was lucky enough to go to two games in the last week, and I heard fans complain about the offense.  Their solution: Get a big hitter.

Now, it’s an easy thing to say when your favorite team is 14th in the NL in runs, and hitting .244 overall.  But, there isn’t room for a new, big bat.

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