Chicago Baseball: Cubs Not Looking Good Going Into Series Against Arizona

It’s hard to believe these Chicago Cubs were the hottest team in baseball only a few weeks ago.

The 19-15 Cubs have won only three out of their last 10 games and have not won a series since taking two from the Mets on April 21-22.

The offense hasn’t been stellar. The Cubs have only scored more than three runs in a game one time since April 31. Outfielder Alfonso Soriano is the main culprit.

The All Star, who has been injured for part of the season, is hitting .188 with three home runs and 10 RBI. With 18 strikeouts to his name, Soriano has a dismal on-base percentage of .239.

Backup catcher Henry Blanco owns the team’s best batting average other than Sean Marshall, who reached base in his one at-bat. Blanco is hitting .350 in 20 plate appearances.

However, the defense hasn’t been much help either. Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster are the only Cubs starters that are pitching well. Rich Hill was sent down to Triple-A Iowa and Jon Lieber gave up four home runs in the second inning of Wednesday’s 9-0 loss to Cincinnati.

Zambrano has been the gem for the Cubs defense. He has put up a 1.80 ERA, the fourth best in the Major Leagues. He owns a 5-1 record and has pitched 55 complete innings, the third best in the Majors.

However, the fact remains that the Cubs are on a downward slope, and it doesn’t get any easier from here.

The Cubs will have a day off before returning to Wrigley Field for a 10-game home stand, which will begin Friday as Ted Lilley (2-4) will take on Dan Haren (4-1) of the Arizona Diamondbacks, owners of the best record in baseball.

The good news is, the Cubs will likely avoid facing Arizona’s ace Brandon Webb, who boasts the most wins in the majors with seven.

After Arizona, the Cubs will meet San Diego for four games and Pittsburgh for three.

The Chicago Tribune reported that skipper Lou Piniella has considered making alterations to the lineup if the Cubs don’t show some improvement.

”We might have to make some changes," he said. "I hope not. I really hope we can stay just the way we are, that we're going through a little bit of a rough spell and we can work our way through it, but I've given some thought about doing some things. There's no rush, but there's some food for thought."