Saturday, May 1, 2010
OK, so its not quite mayday time for the Cubs, but April did see a rather lackluster month from the Cubbies, though it could have been worse. Here's a wrap on some of the numbers from the month that are positive and some that troubling. Let's start on a positive note!
Positive
16: The number of quality starts from the Cubs starting pitchers out of 24 starts, good for second in the National League, with a respectable ERA of 3.47. The Cubs starting pitching has been better than expected with Carlos Silva (not Zambrano) leading the way at 2-o with a 1.73 ERA and 4 out of 4 quality starts.
5: The number of Cubs regular starting position players with above .300 batting averages, with Soriano and frequent starter, Tyler Colvin, batting .292 and .289 respectively. The Cubs in general are batting well, paced by newcomer Marlon Byrd (.348 BA, .366 OBP, 4 HR, 16 RBI). Promising starts from Kosuke Fukudome (.344, .443, 5, 16) and Geovany Soto (.340, .500, 3, 7) add to some positive signs from the offense
35%: Geovany Soto's caught stealing percentage. Geo's recommitment to baseball, having lost 30 lbs in the offseason, has resulted a resurgence after a very disappointing sophomore season. His offense has gotten back to the level the Cubs were hoping for after his Rookie of the Year campaign, but the real bonus has been his defense, not known for being one of his strengths.
28: The number of home runs by the Cubs have hit on the season, good for tied for fourth in the majors and second in the National League. The troubling part of that stat is that the three teams ahead of them are 32-38, none of them over .500.
.311, 15, 50: The batting average, home runs, and RBIs from the four man platoon in the outfield of Kosuke Fukudome, Marlon Byrd, Alfonso Soriano, and Tyler Colvin. The four-headed outfield seems to be working in terms of offense. Its definitely better on defense when Colvin is manning right field.
Troubling
11-13: The Cubs record after April having not played the Phillies, Cardinals, or any of the good teams from the West. The Cubs are going to need to improve if they are going to move up in the standings when teams that are actually good get on to the schedule.
3: The number of saves the team has recorded. It's worth noting that it hasn't overly been the fault of Carlos Marmol, who has only blown one save but has looked good on the whole. Three saves makes the Cubs good for tied for 25th in the majors. This means they're not winning close games, which the good teams do.
9: The number of bases the Cubs have stolen, good for 23rd in the major league. This is indicative of the lack of team speed on this team. As a result, the Cubs have a subpar defense and have a hard time "manufacturing" runs.
4.80: The Cubs bullpen ERA, good for 12th in the National League. Add that to blowing four leads and registering six losses, and we're talking about one of the poorer bullpens in baseball through the first month.
.261: The Cubs batting average with runners in scoring position, good for 10th in the National League. This doesn't seem to do justice for how bad the Cubs have been in clutch hitting situations, but is indicative of the fact that the Cubs haven't had problems with baserunners, for the most part, as much as getting them in.
.357: Sounds like a really good first month for a hitter at the plate, but is unfortunately the combined batting averages of Cubs three and four hitters, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Long-time staples of this offense, the Cubs need these guys to get going in order to win this season.
Favorite Stat of the Month
16.97: The K/9 IP ratio of Carlos Marmol, good for the best in the major leagues for pitchers who have logged more than 1.1 IP. He has 22 Ks in 11.1 IP, and is 1-0 with 3 saves and a 0.77 ERA. It's also positive that he has only walked five batters to this point. Carlos has looked solid knowing his role on the team as closer.
On the whole, the Cubs are doing one aspect of the game really well, and thats starting pitching. The defense is average at best, with limited range up the middle and shaky defense whenever Soriano is in the game. The relief seems to be getting better after the move of Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, but there is definitely room for improvement. The big need for this team is better situational hitting and a turnaround by Ramirez and Lee. Here's to a better May!
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