No moves may be right move for Cubs
By Scott Garbarini
They say if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.
That’s the mantra Jim Hendry adhered to at this season’s non-waiver trade deadline. The Chicago Cubs general manager resisted the urge to tinker with a club that’s recorded a major league-best 35-19 record since June 3 and has caught the fading Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central standings.
It’s hard to argue with that philosophy, considering how well the Cubs have played over the last two months and the fact that the team resides in baseball’s weakest division. There really aren’t any glaring holes to fill on the roster, as the ones that existed during Chicago’s rough start to the season have been plugged from within.
Shortstop’s no longer a problem since manager Lou Piniella inserted sparkplug Ryan Theriot into the lineup on an everyday basis. Jacque Jones has proven he can play center field and has started to hit again after a brutal first half. A lack of power that was evident early on has been corrected now that Derrek Lee’s regained his home run stroke. The bullpen’s been terrific since the Cubs promoted flame-throwing Carlos Marmol in mid-May to team with reliable veterans Ryan Dempster and Bob Howry.
And as long as youngsters like Angel Pagan and Mike Fontenot can remain productive role players and Daryle Ward is able to come back from his calf injury, the bench will be a strength as well.
“We’ve used our farm system very well,” Piniella recently told the team’s official site. “For the most part, (the young players) have come up here and done a nice job. Our farm system has really helped us. It helped us in the bullpen, it helped us in the rotation, it helped us on the field.”
Like just about every other team, the Cubs could use a little more rotation depth behind aces Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly, since Jason Marquis has been erratic and twenty-somethings Rich Hill and Sean Marshall have yet to be tested in a playoff race. But its unlikely Hendry would have been able to provide an upgrade over any member of that trio in a market that was virtually devoid of difference-making starting pitchers.
A SHOT IN THE ARM
Another reason Hendry decided to stand pat was due to the impending return of Kerry Wood, who should add further depth to an already-formidable bullpen. The former Rookie of the Year appears to be finally healthy after lingering shoulder problems that have shelved him for this entire season and limited the right-hander to a mere 19 2/3 innings in 2006.
Wood cleared the final hurdle to his comeback by pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings for Double-A West Tennessee on Tuesday. The 30-year-old also got through back-to-back one-inning stints with Class A Peoria last week without any problems and is expected to be activated prior to Friday’s opener of a three-game series with the New York Mets.
The former All-Star allowed just two runs — one earned — and five hits in 8 2/3 total innings over eight minor-league appearances during his rehab assignment and was able to get his fastball up to 94 miles per hour.
“We get him on the roster and keep him healthy, it’s like trading for a good reliever,” Piniella remarked.
SIMPLY THE BEST
Zambrano was named the National League’s Pitcher of the Month for July after compiling a 5-1 record and a brilliant 1.38 earned run average over six starts. The excitable right-hander yielded only six runs in 39 innings and limited opposing hitters to a .143 batting average during that awesome stretch.
The 26-year-old Venezuelan also became the first 14-game winner in the majors this season with 7 1/3 dominating innings against Cincinnati on Sunday. Zambrano surrendered only two hits and walked three to lead the Cubs to a 6-0 triumph.
Zambrano has now won four straight starts and has posted a microscopic 0.71 ERA during that span, having allowed a mere two runs over 25 1/3 innings of work.
WHO’S HOT
Left fielder Alfonso Soriano is batting .429 (12-for-28) with seven runs scored and five stolen bases over his last six games.
Although Lilly had a string of seven consecutive winning decisions snapped with Monday’s 4-1 setback to the Phillies, the left-hander challenged Zambrano for Pitcher of the Month honors by going 5-1 with a 2.52 ERA in July.
WHO’S NOT
Catcher Jason Kendall has struggled at the plate since being acquired by the Cubs from Oakland on July 16. The veteran backstop has hit just .229 (8-for-35) with three RBI in 11 games following the trade.
MEET THE METS
The NL East-leading New York Mets make their only regular-season appearances at Wrigley Field this weekend. Zambrano (14-7, 3.47) will face Orlando Hernandez (7-4, 2.92) in Friday’s opener of the three-game series, with Lilly (11-5, 3.60) squaring off with John Maine (12-5, 2.92) in a marquee pitching matchup on Saturday.
In the finale, New York’s Tom Glavine (9-6, 4.38) will attempt to earn his 300th career victory and will be opposed by Marquis (8-6, 4.22).
