Cubs HRs, Byrd & Samardzija

The Cubs appear to have turned the corner offensively.

They plated 22 runs in three game against Milwaukee after totaling 18 runs during the opening six-game road trip.

Scoring via the home run remains the same. Nine different Cubs have gone yard totaling 15 HR through nine games…now that’s digging the long ball!

Of course, there’s still something to be said about ‘Get’em on, Get’em over, and Get’em in…especially against top of the rotation guys…but the Cubs’ lineup is built around power, not small ball.

I couldn’t care less how the runs cross the plate…long ball, wild pitch, whatever…just as long as they keep coming. And while the offense has come to life, the bullpen remains, well…scary to say the least.

So it’s score, score, score some more…the winning formula for a bullpen as poor as the Cubs’.

Marlon Byrd’s two-run homer was magnificent! And as Len Kasper put it “that’s Sosa territory.”

You marvel at any hit that lands above the batter’s eye…even in BP! It’s estimated distance was more than 450 feet!

The guy’s been clutch, too. His majestic shot Thursday tied the game at 4-4…and six of his seven RBI have come with two outs. That’s huge!

I can barely watch Jeff Samardzija…figure I’m not the only one, either.

Talk about frustrating…it might as well be recreational softball with him…every batter starts with a 2-0 count.

Samardzija’s faced 20 batters in 3.1 innings this season. He’s allowed 8 runs on 4 hits…walked 5 and struckout 2. Sorry, that doesn’t cut it.

I’ve been okay with putting the right-hander on the trade-block for a long time…but each outing his value appears to sink while his ERA and walk totals continue to rise. If there’s still a taker out there I’d deal Samardzija in a heartbeat.

Meanwhile, I’d leave it like this with Jeff…you can throw strikes here, or you can walk batters at Iowa. Because at this rate he’ll be back in Iowa by month’s end.