Ivy’s Cubs recap 5/11-5/30
More power!
Let’s start this recap with a positive and uplifting video, everyone please watch this:
play.jsp?content_id=21894951&topic_id=28898650&c_id=chc&tcid=vpp_copy_21894951&v=3
I’m ridiculous. I started to tear up when that happened. Can you imagine how we’ll react when we win the World Series?! We’re going to lose it, that’s for sure. (Our emotional control, not the World Series…)
The Cubs had an off day yesterday after completing a 3-game sweep of the Padres. I know what you’re thinking; sweeping the Padres is not a major feat by any stretch, but still, it’s great to see the Cubs pull this off. They haven’t won a series since May 9th. and now they head into June on a high note so I’m hoping that this will help them get back on track and maybe closer to being a .500 team. The Cubs will need a lot more than a 3-game sweep to get themselves back into contention though. Yeah, I doubt they will contend but that’s the way a Cub fan thinks. We never lose hope. It’s amazing how the series sweep of the Padres makes you emotionally forget about the 12-game losing streak they had before, but unfortunately the standings and numbers don’t change that easily. They have an overall record of 18-32 and they still find themselves in last place in the NL Central, 10 games back.
Let’s go ahead a look at the recap for the last series:
5/11 @ Brewers L 7-8 5/21 @ Astros L 4-8
5/12 @ Brewers L 2-8 5/22 @ Astros L 1-2
5/13 @ Brewers W 8-2 5/23 @ Astros L 1-5
5/14 @ Cardinals W 6-4 5/25 @ Pirates L 0-1
5/15 @ Cardinals L 6-7 5/26 @ Pirates L 2-3
5/16 vs. Phillies L 2-9 5/27 @ Pirates L 4-10
5/17 vs. Phillies L 7-8 5/28 vs. Padres W 11-7
5/18 vs. White Sox L 2-3 5/29 vs. Padres W 5-3
5/19 vs. White Sox L 4-7 5/30 vs. Padres W 8-6
5/20 vs. White Sox L 0-6
As you can see I missed a couple recaps, I’m sorry for that, sometimes life just happens to get a little crazy. Honestly though, with the way that they were playing made me want to just hide under a rock. Everyone knows how big of a Cubs fan I am and everywhere I went that is the first thing they would bring up: “So, how about those Cubs?” I would just brush it off. Plus working in an office full of Sox fans is not that fun, especially when the Sox kick the Cubs’ butt. I’m 27 but I feel 97 if we use “Cub years” lol, us Cub fans have been through so much already, but even though we’ve come to understand to just expect the worst and we’ve associated the Cubs with failure, we really don’t ever come to terms with that. Deep inside we always feel like they’ll turn it around. That despite what the media is projecting for that season or how the team looks on paper, we always feel like they might just contend, they might just surprise us and win, that this might be the year. So, when these types of things happen (the 12-game losing streak) it just gets us all depressed. I found myself so tired, and cranky. The Cubs are really a way of life.
With that said let me tell you this, I know that you have heard or read this before but I feel like I have to say it again. Let’s talk about the future. As much as I would love to give you good news, well, I can’t. We need to realize, that it will take time for the Cubs to become playoff contenders, but it is just a matter of time. It would be absurd to think the Cubs will be competing for a playoff spot this season or next. But that is ok because we need to remember that the Cubs’ organization is rebuilding. Expecting big things in the next two seasons is not exercising sound judgment. The club will be built at its own pace, and good things take time. Plus you can’t fix years of mistakes in a few months. Also, remember slow and steady win the race. Theo deserves a chance, time and patience. We’ve all waited this long, why not wait a few more years?
Anyway, let’s talk about the negatives, positives and take a look at what’s next for our boys.
Negatives:
Besides the oh so obvious 12-game losing streak one of the big ones was the struggles of our starting pitchers. We all knew that those struggles would eventually come. After a hot start, the starting pitchers cooled off a bit, Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza to be exact. In the beginning the pitchers were the ones keeping the team in each game because they wouldn’t give up many runs, but since they have been struggling and giving up more runs that magnifies how bad the offense really is. Another biggie that I saw was that the hitters were showing no patience at the plate. They were swinging at first pitches and not going into deep counts. I know this is something that Cubs manager Dale Sveum addressed and the Cubs definitely showed improvement in the last series vs. the Padres. I would like to see the whole team taking pitches, working their at bat and not giving up quick outs. Also, it would be nice if they do this right off the bat, instead of trying to mount a comeback towards the end of the game. I saw this at least 3 times, where they tried to come back, they put really nice at bats and showed a lot of patience, they still fell short but this shows that it works, but they can’t wait until the last minute to do it.
Positives:
Shawn Camp and James Russell. They’ve been really good out of the bullpen. With the starting pitchers struggles it’s nice to see these guys stepping up. Hopefully the other guys including Carlos Marmol will follow.
Upcoming Series:
Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants
Friday, June 1, 7:15 PM PT, AT&T Park
Paul Maholm, LHP (4-3, 4.62 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner, LHP (5-4, 3.14 ERA)
Saturday, June 2, 4:15 PM PT, AT&T Park
Matt Garza, RHP (2-3, 4.22 ERA) vs. Matt Cain, RHP (5-2, 2.79 ERA)
Sunday, June 3, 1:05 PM PT, AT&T Park
Travis Wood, LHP (0-1, 5.94 ERA) vs. Barry Zito, LHP (4-2, 3.41 ERA)
Monday, June 4, 12:45 PM PT, AT&T Park
Jeff Samardzija, RHP (5-3, 3.09 ERA) vs. Ryan Vogelsong, RHP (3-2, 2.36 ERA)
Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Tuesday, June 5, 7:10 PM CT, Miller Park
Ryan Dempster, RHP (0-3, 2.90 ERA) vs. Yovani Gallardo, RHP (4-4, 4.22 ERA)
Let’s hope that the momentum of sweeping the Padres will continue on this road trip. Thanks for reading and as always, Go Cubs!
-Ivy