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The offense had its second straight good day, and while Randy Wells had issues, facing Dave Bush and LaTroy Hawkins sure helps counteract that. If only the Cubs could face those two every day. Today Ryan Theriot earns today's Curtis Goodwin Player of the Game award. Four hits and two stolen bases from the leadoff spot really helped key the offense. I do have to note however that I was not a fan of the decision to steal in the eighth. It seemed like a needless risk that could have taken the Cubs out of a golden opportunity. But this award is given for results, and Theriot got results and helped get the Cubs over the hump. As far as the four hits go, he did it all by being Ryan Theriot. He hit four solid singles, and did not try being Babe Theriot like he fell in the habit of last year. If he and Fukudome can continue to get on base like this, it will go a long way to making this team a real contender. Of course history tells us that is not necessarily the smartest bet. The "Hang Your Head" award definitely goes to a pitcher. I was thinking Randy Wells because of 10 hits and 1 bad walk to the pitcher in 6.1 innings is pretty bad. I think Jeff Gray edges him out though, because he nearly put this game well out of reach in a pitiful Cubs debut. This is also another indictment on the win stat as he got the win today simply because the offense bailed him (and Wells) out. First, Gray gave up a hit to a man who was 0-for-the year. I know, I know: it had to be somebody. But to follow that up with two triples? You simply cannot have that. The eighth continues to befall the bullpen. Fortunately, an old friend had an even worse time of it. Say what you will about LaTroy. He is a decent reliever, and he has been around long enough to prove that point. He was put in a position that was not optimal for him (closing), and he failed. I do not begrudge him as much as other Cubs fans do, but man, there is something about facing that man. Last year he had 2 blown saves and a 6.00 ERA in 6 innings against the Cubs. After today, he has a 6.46 ERA against the Cubs since being traded away in 2005. Again, I think he is pretty quality, and I wouldn't mind having him back considering the current bullpen situation. Then again, Cubbie blue seems to be his kryptonite. Also, good to see that indeed Soriano and Soto got some licks in today. Soto especially is noteworthy with two walks and a home run. His plate approach was nice today, and with Jeff Suppan going tomorrow, Soto has a good shot to continue this. As far as Soriano on defense, well let's just say he is a DH at this point, but bless his heart he is trying. Posted in: Ryan Theriot, Jeff Gray, LaTroy Hawkins, Geovany Soto The home opener yesterday was a joy to hear. For the first time this season the offense broke out, and for at least a game, the Cubs made it look like it was 2008 all over again. Expecting that performance to be sustained is unrealistic, but it is nice to take the pressure off the pitching once in a while. The offense had a bunch of good performances, but the Jeff Blauser Player of the Game award goes to Xavier Nady. His three run home run started up the offensive outburst, and he would add another hit later. This is an encouraging sign after some reports had him not being a productive member of this team until June. He and Jeff Baker are making me like our lineup against left-handed pitching, albeit through one week. Plus with Derrek Lee out for a couple of days (possibly) and with Chad Tracy making me wish for the days of Kevin Millar (sarcasm), Nady may have positioned himself to get at least one start at first base. Let's see if he can sustain his early success. The "Hang Your Head" award was a bit harder to give out. All the position players got on base at least once, and none had any egregious defensive miscues. I will hang this one on Ryan Dempster with the caveat that he doesn't have to hang his head too much. Still out of all the choices, he is probably the player who performed the worst. His control was a bit spotty and he did give up a monstrous home run to Ryan Braun. While giving up a home run to Braun is not in and of itself shameful, I don't like Ryan Braun. Therefore if you give up a home run to him, it saddens me. Anyways, sorry Ryan. It's not like you were that bad. On the other hand, it's not like this matters much. Tomorrow could be another good one for the offense with Dave Bush on the mound. He has proven to be a pretty pedestrian pitcher. Now would be a good time for some players (*cough*SOTO*cough*) to get going. The rumor is Soriano has been threatened with a benching already as well, which is a bit eyebrow-raising. It has been pretty clear that the Cubs success is closely tied to how those two perform. I hope tomorrow is the day they finally start showing signs, and I think there is a good chance they will. Posted in: Xavier Nady, Ryan Dempster, Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto Well, you knew not every game would be blown in the eighth. Today John Grabow got a bit of defensive help from Derrek Lee, but he managed to preserve the lead for Carlos Marmol, who turned back the clock 2 years. I'm telling you, if Marmol goes 0-2 or 1-2 on a hitter, just end the at bat right there. A hitter who goes into protect mode against Marmol may as well be wearing a blindfold up there. You know, so far the awards have been pitcher heavy, and I thought Zambrano early on would break the streak of starters winning the player of the game award. Instead, Zambrano got stronger, pitched seven innings and earned himself the Bob Patterson Player of the Game award. That seventh inning was especially impressive, as he had clearly found his rhythm out there. So now four starters have turned in solid performances, and the pressure is now on Tom Gorzelanny to keep the streak alive. And today's "Hang Your Head" award goes to Geovany Soto. The man looks lost at the plate, and two backwards K's are pretty unacceptable. The early returns on the new lighter Soto are not good, but we are still at a point where you can call it merely a slump. Still, he needs to show something soon, or you can bet Koyie Hill will be seeing a lot more playing time. That is not a good thing for anyone. Well, maybe it is good for the guy who reattached Koyie's fingers since he can brag about how he pretty much reassembled a big leaguer. Today's final note is about the offense. It has been pretty average thus far, but I am liking Derrek Lee's showing so far. He has been very patient, and yesterday showed us he still has the power stroke. You know Aramis will get going, and maybe Soriano is starting to show up this year. If the Cubs are going to make a run, they either need the offense to go from average to good or the bullpen to go from awful to average. I feel at this point, today notwithstanding, that the former has a much better chance at happening. By the way, if someone can figure out a way to make Fukudome think it is always April, that would be greatly appreciated. Posted in: Carlos Zambrano, Geovany Soto | ||