With June and the All-Star break approaching, the North Siders haven't reached a better time to capitalize on the much weaker NL Central. After losing $200 million superstars Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder to the hitter-friendly American League, the declining NL Central still houses likely All-Stars Joey Votto, Ryan Braun, Carlos Beltran and Andrew McCutchen, among many others.However, the Cubs have a legitimate chance of coming back in the standings this season. Headed into Tuesday's matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, here are the changes most important to long-term success for the Cubs. Standings after 05/14/12:
Teams Wins Losses GB
St. Louis Cardinals ...
Tom Ricketts didn't want to tell you this. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer won't publicly admit it. But even Dale Sveum, whose managerial career may depend on winning, must know. The Cubs brass harbored no illusions of being competitive this season.
Sure, Epstein laid out his plan to build from within. To do things the right way. The Cubs way.
But what he didn't want you to know is that the Cubs, if they are truly committed to this plan, will not be contenders for several years.
I realize they did tell us that rebuilding takes time. But if you recall, they all said—especially Ricketts—that there's ...
Jeff Samardzija struggled with the command of his off-speed pitches throughout his career, while also having difficulties blowing his fastball straight past hitters. To say Samardzija has surprised this season would be an understatement. But is it just a mirage of what he really is? Or is this Samardzija the one the Cubs thought they were getting in the fifth round out of Notre Dame? At 4-1 with 2.89 ERA and 45 strikeouts, Samardzija has potentially put his name in All-Star consideration. Can he be an All-Star and anchor of a competing Cubs rotation? Here are five reasons to believe ...
Brett Jackson, Anthony Rizzo and prospects, oh my!Chicago Cubs fans cannot wait for the major league arrival of the two big-name prospects with the intention of leading Chicago down the yellow brick road to a championship sooner rather than later.Fortunately, the man in charge knows it'll take more than a click of his heels to bring a championship home.Theo Epstein's hands are full with draft evaluations and questions from all angles asking when the two top prospects will be seeing time in the majors.On the surface it makes perfect sense. Rizzo is posting numbers that appear to be pulled out ...
Frank Sinatra released a song in 1966 that can summarize multiple Cubs seasons. The song title also gives eloquent reason for the Cubs to trade some players now rather than waiting until the July trade deadline.
The song? “That’s Life.”
There is a line from that song which could define the predicament the Cubs are currently in: riding high in April; shot down in May.
We have all seen the surprise starts to the season by both Bryan LaHair and Ryan Dempster, both playing at a level which few believe they can sustain for very long—riding high in April. Therefore, the Cubs would be ...
The Chicago Cubs must start making some moves, especially before its too late. One player the team must look to move immediately is veteran pitcher Ryan Dempster.Before the season, Dempster accepted his player option for the 2012 season. That gave the inconsistent right-hander $14 million for the season. Coming off a 2011 season with an ERA of 4.80 and 211 hits over 202.1 innings, Dempster certainly didn't look like a $14 million pitcher.In just five starts, though, Dempster looks like that type of pitcher. So far, he has an ERA of 1.02 through 35 innings with a record of 0-1—and yes, you ...
The Cubs are currently in last place in the NL Central, seven games back with a 12-18 record. Despite the teams struggles, there are several bright spots throughout the organization that are giving people an excuse to be patient. Cubs ace Matt Garza is off to a strong start, going 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 36 strikeouts through 33.2 innings pitched. He has made five starts, with his next start coming in a few days.There's been a lot of talk about the Cubs moving Matt Garza for more prospects because they are in a rebuilding mode. That is not entirely ...
As Kerry Wood completed coughing up a win to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, he proceeded to do his best Carlos Zambrano imitation, throwing his glove and hat into the stands and becoming very surly with reporters when asked about the glove incident, courtesy of Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com.."Irrelevant, dude, and why the (bleep) would you even bring that up?” Wood said. “You guys have a good night.” And then Wood left his locker and was done for the night.Well, actually he was done much earlier, which brings us to a more logical question: is Kerry Wood done for his career?Now, to ...
Being a Chicago Cubs ball girl comes with certain perks, one of which may very well be getting in touch with the opposition to get your flirt on. The good people at Busted Coverage direct our attention to a video feed that captured a Cubbies ball girl writing down a missive and then sending it off with an usher, presumably to a Braves player. It's not like a Cubs fan would ever want to date a Chicago ballplayer. It was a scene that played out just like the movie The Natural (minus Glen Close, Robert Redford and that fat kid that stood awkwardly as ...
The first year of the Epstein/Hoyer/Sveum era has been... well, odd. In spring training, guys such as Joe Mather and Steve Clevenger, who were considered to be ticketed for AAA Iowa, forced their way onto the ball club. During the regular season, Matt Garza threw away a shutout—literally. Darwin Barney was the first Cub of the year to hit a home run. For those of you who love statistical anomalies and oddities in baseball such as myself, then this is the list for you.Begin Slideshow
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