The Cubs finished up the trip through Cincinnati, Miami, and Boston surprisingly well at 3-4, though there seem to be a dwindling number of survivors to talk about it. They played awful baseball in Cincinnati, good ball in Florida, and one good inning in Boston, enough to earn a single victory even though they seemed totally outclassed and outplayed by the Red Sox.
In the process Marlon Byrd suffered a horrific injury when he was hit in the face by a pitch Saturday night. Byrd's not a great player, but he was just starting to heat up a little in terms of run production and he will be missed for sure. I would suppose he would be sidelined at least a month and maybe more. The Cubs brought up a relief pitcher to replace him on the roster, largely because their bullpen was in tatters after Friday night's debacle behind Doug Davis and they weren't expecting much from James Russell.
I'd look for them to get some outfield help from the minors. Brett Jackson, reputedly the next big star coming through the system, is hurt, so he is out. Tyler Colvin is 5 for 16 since his demotion with 4 extra base hits. Ordinarily, I would think Byrd's injury would be an opportunity to play him more or less everyday or at least against right-handers and find out once and for all whether he has what it takes. Of course, with the Cubs, you never know. Look for them to send down a reliever to free up a spot.
After Friday's performance, I was about to pronounce the great Doug Davis experiment DOA, but if Garza has to miss another turn, the Cubs are in trouble. Wells is progressing in his rehab, but he had an unimpressive outing Sunday. If he is held back for another start, the Cubs are in big trouble again with only Zambrano and Dempster available from the opening day rotation. Cashner looks to be out at least through July if not longer.
I actually don't mind seeing Coleman hang around as the fifth starter, but Davis and Russell mean almost certain losses, despite Russell seeming to be an effective left-handed reliever.
Baker also came up lame. Again he is not a great player, but an effective role player, at this stage a lot more effective than I had given him credit for when the year started. Lots of infielders at AA to choose from, but probably no one ready for the show as yet. AAA full of weak prospects now, at least among the infielders, just professional minor leaguers. Not much pitching help from there either.
No comments:
Post a Comment