Cubs Lose to Dodgers, Dempster Does Well, Silva on the Bubble

It's getting a little scary as the Chicago Cubs move closer to their opening game April 1. Kind of an apropos date is it not for past Cubs' seasons? However, hope springs eternal despite the starting date omen and despite the fact we've lost another preseason game and still do not have a complete starting rotation.

Ken Gumick has posted an article at the Chicago Cubs website titled "Cubs fall despite dandy Dempster, Baker's blast."

Ryan Dempster got into a pitching duel with the Dodgers' Chad Billingsly that went for six innings before Dempster was hit. Further, Jeff Baker got his first homer of the year.

Actually, the loss doesn't bother me that much. The fact that we don't have our starting pitching rotation going doesn't bother me that much. What does bother me is that the Cubs had two different innings where they could have scored a lot of runs and didn't.

In the sixth inning, the Cubs loaded the bases. They couldn't get a run home. Further, in the seventh inning, they had a player get a triple with fewer than two outs and could not get him home. That is the type of thing that didn't occur under current manager Mike Quade at the end of last year, when the Cubs did well at the end of the season when they were expected to continue failing.

It isn't the big homers and the no-hit games that get a team to postseason. It is getting players home when you get a triple or when you have the bases loaded. Also, the Cubs had a player shot down at the plate trying to score from second. Coaches should know their players' speed.

In other Chicago Cubs news having to do with the aforementioned pitching dilemma, Carlos Silva is struggling. He is currently weighed down with a 15.88 ERA and all of a sudden is scratching for a place in the starting rotation.

You may remember last year when Silva was the darling of the pitching staff. He was at one time 8-0. What will happen to him this year?

I'm not sure that Silva will get a spot. In fact, I'm not sure I wouldn't rather see Andrew Cashner get it.

We'll have to wait and see.

Reference:

Chicago Cubs' Website, Ken Gumick, "Cubs fall despite dandy Dempster, Baker's blast"