Well, they did today anyway. I was encouraged by Carlos Zambrano's fine performance. He had really good stuff and was in command throughout. Of course, you'd expect that in a 12-1 rout. I hope his enthusiasm for the team is borne out in subsequent games.
Actually, a number of players, namely, Baker, Nady, and Soriano continued their sloppy or casual defensive play, though Baker and Nady were effective offensively. Theriot, back or reduced to the 8th spot where he belongs, had a good offensive game. Oddly enough, it was his base-running error in the 2nd inning that was one of the turning points of the game, in that he was fortunate to advance from second to third on a routine chance. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart.
Another lucky play turned the game around in the 1st when Alfonso Soriano, another guy who will never be described as a smart player, swung at a ball over his head with the bases loaded and accidentally topped the ball barely past the pitcher's mound for a "single" that produced two runs when Kendrick made an errant and ill-advised throw to first.
Anyway, after the 2nd it was all downhill for the Angels and all fun and games for the Cubs. Lets hope they play well in Seattle, where they will face some pretty good pitchers in Vargas, Lee, and Hernandez, the first two being left-handers in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Granted Seattle is a bad team, but the Cubs should not underrate them. They are likely to get Ramirez back on Wednesday. Maybe that will help.
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