Can't Win 'Em All: Cubs Pitching Is Again Solid, Offense Is Blah

Photo by wolfheadfilms (license)

So much for that winning streak. The Cubs got yet another solid game from a starter, as Tom Gorzelanny gave up only two runs in seven innings. Alas, the Cubs bats were as cold as the 43-degree Wrigley air, and the good guys lost 3-1. Here's a shocker: John Grabow came in and gave up a run. Poor winless Gorzelanny (0-3) is not only saddled with that unfortunate name, but the Cubs have scored a mere two runs while he was on the hill in his four starts.

ESPN Chicago: Rolling Hernandez helps Nats to best start since 2005
Chicago Sun-Times: Four-game streak is cold news to Cubs
Chicago Tribune: Cubs waste another fine start in 3-1 defeat

Walk the Line: Cubs Are Drawing Bases on Balls. Not a Bad Thing.
You never know what the future will bring. Maybe Jeff Samardzija becomes an ace, and Ryan Theriot becomes a home-run slugger. The tea leaves don't tell us much. But stats do tell us the Cubs offense is becoming more patient. A look at the numbers finds the Cubs are fifth in the league in walks and on-base percentage, and seventh in runs. That means more baserunners, more pitches thrown by the pitcher, and so on. And Alfonso Soriano had three — three! — walks the other night. Surely the apocalypse is nigh.

Daily Herald: Stats pack: Cubs taking their walks
Chicago Sun-Times: Soriano's patience helps drive Cub rise

The People Have Spoken About the Crosstown Cup. They say, 'Nay.'
The Cubs and Sox announced on Monday that the winner of their annual six-game fracas will take home a trophy/prize/geegaw/bauble/doodad/what have you, dubbed the BP Crosstown Cup. (Oddly, no one knows yet what it looks like.) Well, the idea doesn't seem to please people. The Trib sarcastically called it "imaginative," while the Daily Herald quoted people saying it was "laughable," "a blatant marketing scheme," and "silly." And Hire Jim Essian dubbed it "baseball's stupidest new idea."

Chicago Breaking Sports: Your morning Phil: Big Z, $$$ cup, Fielder trade?
Daily Herald: Gas station trophy can't add fuel to the Cubs-Sox fire
Hire Jim Essian: Cubs, Sox fans to act even more like frat boys

The Silva Lining: Carlos Might Come Back to Earth After Stellar Start
The Cubs picked up the not-exactly-svelte Carlos Silva for Milton Bradley, who most Cubs fans would have traded for a bag of Funyuns. And while Bradley has struggled, Silva has sparkled, going 2-0 with a 1.73 ERA. But here comes Talking Chicago Baseball to rain on our parade: The site points out that Silva's career numbers in April are 17-7 with a 4.09 ERA, but in May they skyrocket to 6-19 with a 5.90 ERA. D'OH!

Talking Chicago Baseball: Fool's Gold

Kiss on My Lists: Fantasy Baseball, Power Rankings, and Rally Kraken
Sometimes you don't want to go through all of that pesky copy and actually "read" an article. Sometimes, little tidbits hit the spot. With that in mind, we've got lots of lists. One is a look at Yahoo's top fantasy baseball names, and "Cubs" makes the cut. Clever. Fox Sports' Power Rankings has our favorite team right in the middle, while A League of Her Own proposes a rallymal for the Cubs (you know, like the Angels' Rally Monkey).

Bendable Media: Top 10 most popular fantasy baseball names
Fox Sports: MLB power rankings
A League of Her Own: A brief history of rally animals

Today's Report by Joel Reese

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