BP: Hope and Faith on the Cubs

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Link.

 

A few key exerpts...

 

If nothing else, the Cubs’ spending spree enabled them to break the chains of having hope and faith that Wood and Mark Prior could lead them to glory. As talented as the right-handers are, Prior has only won 18 games combined in the past three seasons and Wood has 12 victories in that span. While Lilly and Marquis have their flaws, they do take the ball every fifth day.

 

Lilly has pitched at least 178 1/3 innings in three of the past four seasons and was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts with Toronto in 2006. Given the usual lift pitchers get from moving from the American League to the National League and away from the designated hitter, it’s safe to assume Lilly can improve upon those numbers.

 

Marquis had a disastrous 2006 with St. Louis as he went 14-16 with a 6.02 ERA in 33 starts and led the NL in losses. However, Marquis is only 27 and fixable as he also had two solid seasons with the Cardinals, going 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 2004 and 13-14 with a 4.13 ERA in 2005 while topping 200 innings each year.

 

The Cubs aren’t the perfect team, but they are certainly better after shelling out all that cash. And they don’t have to be great to win the NL Central, the weakest division in baseball, as St. Louis captured the title with only 83 wins last season.

 

The Cardinals then went on a surprising October run that resulted in them winning the World Series.

 

Could the Cubs follow suit? Well, they are certainly due.

[NCCubFan]

Could the Cubs follow suit? Well, they are certainly due.

Talk about an understatement.

[seanimal]

Link.

 

A few key exerpts...

 

If nothing else, the Cubs’ spending spree enabled them to break the chains of having hope and faith that Wood and Mark Prior could lead them to glory.

 

I just wish this point wasn't lost on the MSM.