Starlin Castro's Cubs

The Cubs have gotten off to the kind of start that most of us expected. They are currently 6-6, Starlin Castro looks like a superstar in the making, and bad luck continues to haunt this forlorn franchise.

Based on what I've seen so far, there is no reason to expect this Cubs team to make a run at the playoffs. They have already lost their number four and five starting pitchers to injury (Wells and Cashner), and the front of their rotation continues to lack dominance. Wells will likely be back soon after his trip to the 15-day DL is up, but Cashner may see his stint extended for some period of time with a shoulder strain. It's disheartening, too, because Cashner looked great in his first start. Let's hope he's able to come back from this minor setback and develop into the kind of pitcher he's capable of becoming. But, the injuries to Kerry Wood and Mark Prior cost them and the Cubs two immensely talented starting pitchers. I don't want to add Cashner to that list, but you never like to see a young, hard throwing pitcher put on the DL with a shoulder injury 6 innings into his season.

The Cubs offense will continue to be the achilles heal of this team. Castro is a hitting machine (.389), and, at this point, has become the main reason to watch this team. He rarely strikes out and has the knack for squaring up nearly every pitch he swings at. Quade has moved him into the lead-off role, which is smart. But, like I said in my preview, he'll be a #3 hitter sooner rather than later. Darwin Barney and Jeff Baker have platooned at 2b with amazing production (.345 and .389, respectively). Marlon Byrd and Aramis Ramirez are also both hitting well over .300. Based on this, you'd think the Cubs would be scoring 8 runs per game. But, it's the 5-8 hitters that have struggled which means that lots of the above mentioned guys are getting on base and staying there.

Carlos Pena has started his first season with the Cubs the same way he ended last season with the Rays...hitting under .200. I'm not optimistic he'll be the starting 1b by the end of the summer. He can't make consistent contact anymore. Soto, who had a great year last season, is off to a slow start. If he starts taking more pitches and works on hitting the ball to right field, he should be productive again. Soriano has surprised us with his power (4 homers), but he's only hitting .250 and has left lots of guys in scoring position. Colvin is also under .200, and he appears to be suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump. If the Cubs can't take advantage of the production at the top of the order, this offense will continue to disappoint.

The starting pitching has been fair so far, and the bullpen has been up and down. They've already blown 2 saves, but over the long season, the bullpen should still be the strength of this team. Marmol needs to stop walking the lead-off hitter, and Wood needs to effectively manage the movement of his new cutter. I expect both of them to find their groove soon.

The Cubs are currently .500, which seems like where they'll stick for most of the season. The young talent is developing nicely, but they just don't have enough consistent hitting or dominating starters to seriously contend. But, Starlin Castro should make for an exciting summer.