Cubs Done Early – Again

I’m a die-hard Cubs fan, which is really a misnomer. We should be called die-often Cubs fans, because that’s what happens every year. For the last 97 years, we have been waiting for the next Cubs’ World Series title, and it looks like that wait will be extended one more year.

This year has been a disaster from the beginning, when Mark Prior (staff ace) and Joe Borowski (closer) started the year on the DL. Prior has come back and pitched reasonably well, or at least until yesterday, when the Astros teed him up. Borowski was expected to be there and he’s still not ready to come back.

That has left the closing duties to nobody in particular. LaTroy Hawkins has been doing most of the damage, blowing two of his first six save chances. He converted 25 of 34 a year ago, so he’s not far off that pace again.

After Hawkins’ last blown save, Chad Fox was given a chance and he came through. In true Cub fashion, he celebrated that accomplishment by blowing out his surgically-repaired elbow the next night, and his career may be over. So, now the Cubs are back to Hawkins.

Meanwhile, Kerry Wood appears to be ready for his traditional two-month trip to the DL. Wood has been pulled early from his last two starts with soreness in his shoulder. A lot of people think the Cubs ought to make a closer out of Wood, but his stuff is so nasty when he’s on, that it’s hard to give up on him as a starter just yet. However, if his arm continues to show it can’t handle the strain of starting for a complete season, maybe it’s time to consider that move.

In the everyday lineup, much was made about trying to replace the production of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou, but the Cubs are scoring runs. They are third in the NL in that department. Derrek Lee, who is a notorious slow starter, has been one of the best players in the NL so far. Jeromy Burnitz was brought in to take Sosa’s spot in RF, and he actually has better numbers than Sosa so far this year. Corey Patterson has been pretty good, but I’d like to see him run more. He has only one stolen base so far.

So they have managed to persevere offensively with the losses of SS Nomar Garciaparra, who was expected to provide some of the punch to replace Alou and Sosa, and who may not be back this year, and Todd Walker, who may be back sometime this month.

No, the Cubs problem has been pitching. Its super-stud starting staff of Prior, Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux has been anything but super. Prior is the only one with an ERA below 4.00. Wood and fifth starter Ryan Dempster, who is still trying to regain form after a serious injury, are a lot closer to 6.00. Zambrano, who might actually be the most talented of the bunch, hasn’t been able to keep his cool. He’s been ejected from his last two starts (although he got ejected the first time leaving the mound after being replaced). That kind of explosiveness is not helpful. He might even get a suspension, although since none has been handed down yet, maybe he won’t this time. It’s just a matter of time before he gets one though.

It’s hard to say a team is done when it’s at .500 and only 3 ½ games back of the lead on May 1st, but when you consider the injuries, and the fact that they couldn’t take advantage of a relatively easy April schedule, and the fact that the Cardinals are off to a pretty good start, they’re done.

At least it doesn’t look like they’ll tease Cubs fans all year like they did the last two years. They have put us into our misery early.