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 Ah yes, would you like the good news or bad news first?? The good news is that the Cubs bats woke up last night as the beat the Reds 9-5 in a game that was filled with drama.
Derrek Lee, Ryan Theriot and Mark DeRosa each went deep for the Cubs as they pounded out 14 hits, six of which were for extra bases. It was quite a site to be seen as every starter had a hit except for Felix Pie and the Cubs constantly put pressure on the Reds. The wind was blowing out to left last night but for the most part the Cubs hit the ball with authority with consistency. Hopefully they can keep that momentum going because, and this is where the bad news comes in, they are going to need it now that Alfonso Soriano is likely out for awhile because of a calf strain.
Soriano went down in the first inning after catching a Ken Griffey, Jr. pop up and performing his usual 'hop' while catching the ball. His 'hop' has driven Cubs fans crazy ever since he signed with the Cubs but we've always been able to overlook it as he's played a decent left field. It will be interesting to see if he drops the 'hop' once he comes back.
The Cubs have some position flexibility on their roster so they should be able to cover left field just fine while Soriano is out. Soriano has generally been known to be a quick healer, so it will be a couple of days before the Cubs make a decision as to whether or not to put him on the 15-day disabled list. If he goes on the DL, Matt Murton will probably be called up from Iowa to fill the spot on the roster. If Soriano doesn't go on the DL, the Cubs can either slide Mark DeRosa over to left field every once in awhile, with Mike Fontenot playing second base, or they can shift Reed Johnson to left and allow Pie to roam around in center by himself for a couple of weeks. Look for Theriot and Johnson to take over the lead-off hitter duties while Soriano is out as they both have experience in the role. It's good to have options. Let's not overreact just yet.
Still, I wonder....could this actually be a good injury for the Cubs?? It's obvious, if it wasn't before, that Soriano is going to deal with leg issues for the rest of his career and there is no way he's going to be able to hit in the lead-off spot that way. I'm hopeful that Soriano will slide down to the fifth spot in the batting order when he returns, with Kosuke Fukudome hitting second while it looks like Johnson, if he takes over CF full-time, and Theriot can fill the need in the top spot in the order. That way Soriano can still run but it's not as if he's depended on to provide speed.
As I move back to the good news front....SP Ryan Dempster had another solid outing as he went to 2-0 on the season by throwing six innings. He had some control issues as he walked five batters but he gave the Cubs a much needed quality outing. After Dempster departed the Cubs brought in RP Carlos Marmol and he threw two electric innings striking out three hitters and again proving that he is the best set-up man in the National League. Michael Wuertz came on in the ninth to close things out but gave up a lead-off homer and was replaced by RP Kerry Wood, who shut the door.
Good news.....bad news.....either way, the Cubs won. If the rest of the lineup produces like they did last night then they can deal with Soriano being out for awhile.
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