Fans and even the front office are talking up a turnaround for Alfonso Soriano, the beleaguered, maligned and overpaid Cubs left fielder. There is even an article on this site that implies he is on a hot streak. Through nine games—he had and off-day on Sunday—Soriano is batting .313. A legitimate question is whether Soriano is back or whether this is just an illusion. The answer is that it is likely just an illusion. Looking behind the obvious numbers, things are not so rosy. The single biggest stat that stands out is his BABIP, batting average on balls in play. ...
Matt Garza is at an interesting point in his career. He is set to be a free agent after the 2013 season and is essentially auditioning for teams and a long-term deal with the Cubs. He is a true professional, which we saw this offseason, in how he handles his business. Neither side has ruled out a long-term extension, which is good, and Garza's agent recently came to Chicago to meet with Cubs president Theo Epstein. Epstein downplayed Garza's early performance as an indicator of what is to come, but could a hot start reignite the rumors that clouded Wrigley all offseason? From Gordon ...
The Chicago Cubs lost a rubber-game match against the St. Louis Cardinals 10-3 on Sunday. Cub starting pitcher Paul Maholm had another rough outing, allowing six runs in just four innings against the Cardinals. Here's what we learned from the game, as the Cubs' record is now a dreadful 3-7. It is going to be a long year for Paul MaholmIn both of his losses this season, he has only managed to last four innings, and he given up six runs in both games.His second-half struggles from last season have plagued him in the early season now, and there's not ...
What do you do when you have a young talent who has a great hit tool but makes more errors than a weatherman's forecast? And is run prevention as important as run production?
Those are some of the questions surrounding the Cubs new field manager and coaches as they work with the Cubs young shortstop, Starlin Castro, who made two more errors on Saturday.
It would be easy to say that he needs to move off of shortstop, but that is not only too simplistic of a solution, it may not be a solution at all. Not only would they have to find ...
The St. Louis Cardinals ended a modest two-game winning streak for the Chicago Cubs as they won 5-1. Here is what we learned from this Cubs loss. Chris Volstad's struggles continues: It has not been a promising start for Volstad, as one bad inning led to his downfall. Granted, everything should have been avoided if Starlin Castro did not make that error, but he had opportunities to pitch his way out of that fateful fourth inning. What is promising is he did not allow a walk in this outing, but he did throw 101 pitches in just six innings. Geovany Soto and Marlon ...
Kerry Wood was a great story in his day, and is among the most beloved Chicago Cubs, but his expiration date has past. The only reason he was brought back was to appease the fans and the owner. Wood garnered the loudest ovation at the Cub Convention with the "surprise" announcement that he had just signed a contract. It was a public relations coup, but not so much for the parent club. On a team not expected to go anywhere, why bring back a soon-to-be 35-year-old setup-man? Wouldn't it be better to spend that $3 million on someone who could ...
Cubs fans, I'd like to take a poll. How many of you expected Alfonso Soriano to be hitting over .300 after the first week of the season?I'd be shocked if more than 10 percent of you said yes.Nonetheless, Soriano has been the most impressive Cub this season, outside of young superstar Starlin Castro. He has been an offensive catalyst for the team while batting .302 with six RBIs and a stolen base.Soriano historically starts strong and then fades as injuries catch up to him and limit his production. But he looks healthier than usual (even at the start of the ...
Forget the "Streets of Philadelphia," and "Atlantic City" because The Boss is coming to Chicago to play a concert at historic Wrigley Field as part of his Wrecking Ball Tour. According to a story posted by The Chicago Sun Times, this is just one of a few ballparks the legendary rocker is set to visit on his tour. Friday’s announcement by the iconic band is part of eight new stadium dates for August and September, including a couple of other ballparks. The band’s Wrecking Ball Tour, supporting Springsteen’s latest solo album, Wrecking Ball, kicked off March 18 (following Springsteen’s rousing ...
The Chicago Cubs opened up a three game series against the St. Louis Cardinals by pounding Adam Wainwright, as he lasted only three innings while giving up eight runs. The Cubs were able to hold on to there early lead to eventually win 9-5.Here is what we learned from this Cubs win to put them at 3-5 on the year. Jeff Samardzija wins ugly Samardzija is offically 2-0 on the season, but he had to labor to qualify for the win, as he threw a whopping 103 in a short outing of five innings. Samardzija did not appear to be as ...
One of the best trade chips that the Chicago Cubs have right now is Matt Garza, who is under contract through the 2013 season. That is significant, especially considering the team has a rebuilding mindset under the new regime led by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.Garza was talked about all throughout the offseason as being on the block, but nothing ever came of it, either because the Cubs didn't get the deal they wanted or they never had any intention of moving him in the first place.However, Epstein now insists that the needs of the franchise—and not Garza's performance—will dictate ...
« Previous Page — Next Page »
