Did anybody believe it wasn't a big deal when Carlos Zambrano was scratched from Sunday's game?
It's fair now to wonder if Zambrano will be able to pitch, at least effectively, the rest of this season.
And if he doesn't, what does that mean to the Cubs' chances of overcoming 100 years of futility?
As Gordon Wittenmyer points out it's no coincidence that the Cubs' last four-game skid was when Zambrano was injured and missed his turn in the rotation.
You can still count on Dempster, but what about Harden? Is he healthy? The injury-prone right-hander also skipped a start and has pitched a ton - for him - this season.
Is this the beginning of the end? Cubs fans are entitled to wonder.
Z is obviously hurt and has not pitched like an ace for 9 or 10 weeks; he might be our #4 but is no way higher than #3. Harden is out, for how long we really do not know. Where would we be without our true ace, Dempster?
D.Lee is killing us offensively. Enough singles to keep a decent average, but it is not just the lack of HR power. He can’t hit doubles; he can’t drive the ball. He can’t hit a Sac Fly when it would win a ballgame. He should not be #3 in any case. Aramis should be there now. Perhaps Soto could go #4, Lee might be #5. Most of his singles are hard grounders and he is among the league leaders in DPs. Not many big hits from anyone during the past four games — glad to see the HRs back, though.
At least we can get out of Wrigley — are we just 8-7 the last 15 games? We need to get on the road where we are 13-1.
This could be a disaster to top 1969. We are happy to lead by 4 1/2 games now. We lead by 5 games at this point in 1969. The Mets got hot, sure. But the Cubs lost that title. They lost 8 straight and all the “if we just go .500 we will . . .” went right out the window. That window is open right now.
One final note: The White Sox were looking worse off in 2005, losing games and losing ground. They righted the ship and won a title even though few people thought they were the best team. They got hot late. The Cubs could get hot late. Hell, Sean Marshall might win 2-3 games and be a major hero around here.
Somebody better be.