News Flash Cubs Fans

News flash Cubs fans -- your team is in serious trouble.

The Chicago Cubs, who a couple weeks ago were the hottest team in baseball, have cooled off considerably. In their last ten games the north-siders are 3-7 with holes being displayed over those ten games in the starting pitching and power hitting.

Replacing Alfonso Soriano (the Cubs best power hitter) with the platoon of Matt Murton, Cliff Floyd, and Jacque Jones has forced Cubs skipper Lou Piniella to create a lineup full of singles hitters that do not strike fear in opposing ball clubs. The only healty hitter that consistently hits for power in the Cubs lineup is Derrek Lee, and even he is struggling to hit the ball out of the park this year compared to years previous. And without multiple healthy players capable of hitting for power (homeruns and doubles), there will be stretches of games where the team struggles to score runs (see: 3 wins in past 10 games).

The lack of run production is especially troublesome because of the struggles of some of the Cubs starting pitchers. Sean Marshall and Rich Hill have struggled mightly, with Hill looking as if he can't handle the pressure of pitching in a pennant race. But the struggles are not limited to the two tall lefties. Jason Marquis, a sinker ball pitcher who does not strike out many hitters, is inconsistent because he throws his mediocre sinker far too much, a pitch hitters are more than capable of hitting.

And while the team is in a load of trouble, Cubs fans (in typical fashion) are more concerned about Milwaukee's recent struggles (which can be expected without the ace of their staff, Ben Sheets), and do not realize that the St Louis Cardinals are only four games behind of their struggling ball club.

My prediction (if anyone cares), due to the latest run of play, is that the Cubs will not make the playoffs. They will finish third in the NL central because of a struggling starting staff, and the difficulty the team will have stringing singles together to support their pitchers.