Well Cubs fans, things sure didn’t work out for the new Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs as they dropped their opening game of the 2010 season to the Atlanta Braves on Monday afternoon 16-5. Big Z got recorded just four outs as he gave up eight runs on six hits – including two homers, hit a batter, and made a throwing error that led to a run as well.
The Cubs bullpen was an up and down story the rest of the game. Sean Marshall and James Russell pitched well but Jeff Samardzija was charged with six runs and Justin Berg was charged with another two. Way too many walks by the bullpen especially when you were already battling back to get into the game.
The Cubs bright spot of the game was two swings. Marlon Byrd hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning to put the Cubs up 3-0 and Aramis Ramirez added a two-run home run in the third inning. Five runs will usually win the ball game for you when you have your “ace” on the mound but right now I don’t think you can call any pitcher on the Cubs roster an “ace”.
Hopefully the team can bounce back and get a win on Wednesday night to even up the series at one game each. Follow us on twitter as I’ll be tweeting live during the game. @chicagocubsblog
Hey Cubs fans, it’s been quite a while since I have wrote on the blog and I do apologize for that. I took a full time job away from the house so that has kept me pretty busy. Working 16 hour days between two companies just hasn’t left much time for the blog. That is until today 
The Cubs will kick off their 2010 Spring Training games this afternoon against the Oakland Athletics. No matter how the game goes this afternoon, there are questions that the Cubs and management will need to address before the season starts. To me, these are the keys of the 2010 Cubs season.
- Will Carlos Zambrano win 15 games this season?
- Will Ted Lilly recover from his injuries?
- Will Alfonso Soriano finally play in 150 games in one season for the Cubs?
- Is Aramis Ramirez’s shoulder 100% and can he stay off of the disabled list?
- Can Derrek Lee stay healthy?
- Who will win the second base job? Mike Fontenot or Jeff Baker?
One thing if for certain. Anything that new center fielder Marlon Byrd does will be an improvement over Milton Bradley did in 2009. Having Byrd in center will also allow Kosuke Fukudome to move back to his natural right field position.
Let’s set back and see how some of these spring training games go and hope that the team stays injury free. Staying injury free and getting Ted Lilly back will be the keys to the Cubs starting off the season on the right in my mind. Let’s just hope that it happens.
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It’s a good day to be a Cubs fan! Former Cub great Andrew “The Hawk” Dawson was elected into the baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Dawson received 420 of 539 votes by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, 15 more than the 75 percent necessary to gain election. It was the ninth ballot that Dawson had been on before being elected.
Dawson had this to say after hearing he had been elected:
“It was well worth the wait. I can’t really describe the elation,” Dawson said during a telephone conference call. “If you’re a Hall of Famer, eventually you’re going to get in, no matter how long it takes.”
Dawson played just six years of his 21 year career with the Cubs but that is where he had his best year of his career. In 1987 Dawson won the MVP award while leading the league with 49 homers and 137 RBI. Dawson was also runner up for the MVP in 1981 and 1983.
Dawson finished his career with 2,774 hits, 438 home runs, 314 stolen bases, and 1,591 RBI. He is one of only six players in major league history to record over 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases in his career.
Congrats Hawk!
Milton Bradley’s time in Chicago if officialy over as he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Carlos Silva. Silva has a terrible contract just like Bradley, but hopefully the change of scenery for both players will be good. However, I don’t like this trade one bit.
Trading Bradley for Silva is not a win for the Cubs. Your team is worse off then it was in my opinion. You open up another position in the outfield and lose some of that pop especially from the left hand side of the plate. I agree that Bradley should have been traded, but not for Silva.
“We knew we had to move the player,” Hendry said Friday of Bradley. “In hindsight, obviously, it was an acquisition that I’m responsible for that obviously didn’t work out.”
Gee you really think so Jim? Maybe you should have worked a little harder at the Winter Meetings and got a decent deal done then. Silva has won five games in two seasons in Seattle. Wow what a winner we got coming to the Northside!
The best thing from this trade is probably the $9 million dollars that the Mariners are sending along with Silva. This will allow the Cubs to go after a centerfielder and move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field. I’d like to see the Cubs go after Jacoby Ellsbury who doesn’t have a position with the Red Sox now. Will it happen? I doubt it…
