Soriano led the way for the Cubs this weekend offensively and defensively as he begins to earn his $136 million pay check. Soriano's three home runs will overshadow his "Web Gem" worthy double-play in which Soriano gunned down Luis Terrero from left field, but there's no question it is Soriano's bat that will carry the Cubs if they are to go far.
Not to be overlooked is the Cubs starting pitching. Carlos Zambrano dominated with 12 strikeouts in 8 innings. Rich Hill picked up 6 Ks in 5 2/3 innings in a no decision. Sean Marshall only threw about 80 pitches in his victory today. The Cubs bullpen was no slouch, not allowing a run the entire season.
As a Cubs fan, I have two fears. Fear #1 is that this series is the peak of the 2007 season and that it is all down hill from here. Fear #2 is that series is just an mirage and more of an indication of how bad the White Sox are instead of how good the Cubs can be.
If you're a Sox fan and you thought things couldn't get worse, they did this weekend. The offense was as bad as advertised with a batting average in the low .200s and only one home run (a solo shot by Paul Konerko in game one.)
Giving credit where credit is due, the White Sox pitching was top notch this weekend. Mark Buehrle, Javy Vazquez and Jose Contreras put forth three consecutive quality starts---and deserved better fates than what their offense provided.
That brings us to the imminent fire sale that will occur on the South Side, which will probably go down in history as "The White Flag Trade: Part Deux." According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Buehrle is good as gone, with the Boston Red Sox as the front runner for Buerhle's services.
Reports state the Sox are offering a package which would include their top pitching prospect and either their top CF prospect and/or their top SS prospect. A trade like this would help rebuild the depleted Sox minor league system and fill two holes in the field.
Not only would that be the beginning of White Flag II, but would also be a subtle admission that "Grinderball" does not work. Why? Because Boston is an organization that stresses sabrmetrics, a system that GM Kenny Williams laughed off in the book Moneyball.
As for the Cubs, I'm not 100% sold that this team is ready to turn the corner. Yes, they swept the Sox and its a great feeling, but the Sox are on the verge of being the worst team in the AL (statistically.)
Also, I can't take the Cubs seriously as long as their record at home is sub-.500. The Cubs are 15-20 at home, the Brewers are 27-13 (or something like that) at home. That would account for their big lead in the division at this point of the season.
Big moves are possible in the Cubs future as well. They're looking to dump Jacque Jones, Scott Eyre and maybe even Cesar Izturis while also looking to acquire relief help (i.e. Eric Gagne) and a left handed bat (i.e. Ken Griffey, Jr.)
Acquiring Griffey would put a dangerous left-handed bat between Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. However, that trade is unlikely---but Wayne Krivsky is a bona fide idiot---trading young, up-and-coming players Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns for marginal bullpen help. Maybe Eyre and Izturis would do the trick?
Landing Eric Gagne is more of a possibility. I wanted the Cubs to sign Gagne this winter when he was a free-agent, but the Cubs never listen to me. Rangers GM Jon Daniels is a bit like me. He knows a lot about baseball, he's young and believes in the Moneyball system. If the Rangers were to trade Gagne, I believe Matt Murton would be a key trading cog for Jim Hendry.
This weekend could the turning point in this season. Or it could be a typical flash-in-the-pan weekend for my Cubbies. Only time will tell.
NOTES:
- Sammy Sosa hit his 600th HR against the Cubs this week. I advocated hitting Sosa at least once during the series because of his actions at the end of the 2004 season. Even though I love Sammy for what he did in his years a s a Cub, I'm still bitter that he walked out on his team and his "no speak English" act during the Congressional hearings.
- In one bulletin, I call for someone to get beaned--in the next, I call out Sox announcers Hawk and DJ for advocating Bobby Jenks to throw at the head of Ryan Theriot. Theriot executed a perfect suicide squeeze in Saturday's win, but after the play Hawk & DJ said that if they knew it was coming, then Ozzie should have called for Jenks to "throw at his (Theriot's) head." And DJ's a punk for not disagreeing with Hawk on air. Throwing inside is the proper thing to do if you suspect a squeeze, but throwing at someone's head is UNACCEPTABLE! If it was a team throwing at the Sox head, Hawk & DJ would be up in arms, calling for someone's head. I guess its different when the shoe is on the other foot.
- Finally, the Michael Barrett trade has come with mixed emotions. Mikey B. was one of my favorite Cubs because he played with pride, passion and energy. He was one of the top offensive catchers the last two years, but his defensive deficiencies caught up with him this year. Also, thanks to Paul Sullivan (Tribune reporter) we learned that Barrett was the clubhouse snitch who went to ESPN saying that the players disliked Lou Piniella's style. And who did Mikey B. allegedly snitch to? None other than former Cubs manager Dusty F*cking Baker. If indeed that is the case, I've lost all respect for Barrett.
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