Red-Hot Chicago Cubs Need to Worry About Pitching

Yes, they have the best record in all of baseball. But last year, Cubs fans were freaking out about the inconsistent hitting, while this year, it's the pitching that has this Cubs fan worrying.

Big Z and Ryan Dempster seem to be the standouts of this rotation. It will be a strong one-two punch until Big Z has his annual meltdown and the surprising Dempster falls back into form. When that happens, this potent offense had better be on, because the rest of the rotation is anything but hot.

Jason Marquis is 3-3 this year with a 5.02 ERA after Tuesday's win against San Diego, where he gave up three earned runs and walked five in only five innings.

Coming into this year, there were questions on whether or not he would even be in the rotation. Maybe we got the wrong answers.

Is Marquis better in the bullpen? I think so, even as a spot starter until he can find some control. In his last two teams' playoff appearances, he has yet to appear (2006 with the Cardinals, 2007 with the Cubs). If your team is not willing to put you on the bump, there's something to it.

Ted Lilly, this is a guy that I really like. I think he is a gamer from the first pitch. He's out there throwing hard, but maybe that's the problem. Last year he had his best year in the big leagues, winning 15 games and sporting an ERA of 3.83. This year he is a .500 pitcher with an ERA of 5.23. I think you have to start to wonder what's the difference between last year and this year?

Larry Rothschild says his velocity increases as the game progresses, that he seems to be starting off behind early in the game. Yes, he does get better as the innings continue, but you don't want to be battling from behind in every start.

Sean Gallagher has been a nice surprise, but we have seen how this has gone before. He's 3-1 so far this season with 4.55 ERA. He has kept this team in the game, and has worked his way out of some tough jams. He's been a bright spot so far.

The bullpen has been great, I can't complain too much. We knew putting Wood as closer would be an adventure, and he hasn't done all that bad. His ERA is a filthy 0.84 and he has 16 strikeouts, but he has been wild and hit a couple batters.

Marmol is just insane. With an ERA of 2.35, he is a stud. This team better recognize what they have in him and lock him into Cubbie blue for a long time. 

If this team can figure out their starters, especially the back end of that rotation, then this team is not only a contender, but also a major threat in a season that has seen unlikely division leaders and major disappointments throughout baseball. This team carries a lot of potential, and even with a average rotation, this team is leading all of baseball in runs scored, OBP, and wins.