A Cloud of Sullenness

Well, the way I cash it out, the Cubs have a 2 game losing streak in which they were outscored 25 to 2, an entire lineup slumping, a drastically overused bullpen, and 2 rookie starters due to pitch against Pittsburgh. The only good news? They’re hosting Pittsburgh. A.K.A., the NL central division’s bitch. That is, unless the Cubs are the bitch right now. You know what they say about spotting the sucker at the poker table.



The biggest concern taking shape, however, is Zambrano’s utter lack of focus. He’s walked too many hitters every single game – 25 in 6 starts – and has yet to win a start. 0-2, 5.35. Not good folks.

Rarely has there ever been such a clear case of a mental problem, either. Z’s stuff has been fine. I don’t know why he tries the slider so much, but the fastballs, both 4 and 2 seam, have been fine. He’s used the curveball and changeup sparingly but effectively. And when he’s concentrating, the location has been stellar.

So how do you fix what isn’t a physical problem? Who knows? I’m for anything they can try – hypnosis, flattery, discipline, consultation with a priest or whatever else. There’s just no reason such a dominant pitcher should be rocked so hard, and while at the bottom it’s no one’s fault but his own, a lot of us want to see him find his way past whatever his mental roadblock consists of, and so I hope they find something that works.

It was torturous to watch the Cubs lineup visibly deflate in the innings after Zambrano checked out. There was no way the team was staging a comeback, I thought. The competitiveness was gone. Sure enough, 9 up and 9 down.

Honestly, it was all I could do not to fall asleep during the game. In retrospect, I probably should have just taken a nap. Losses like these make me lethargic, and I suppose there’s no point fighting it.

Really there’s not much else to say. The Cubs played awful baseball, absent any semblance of verve or vigor. They were not having fun, and we weren’t either. The Cubs were so bad that today it almost seemed like the Brewers couldn't even enjoy whooping them. That's pretty bad all right.

Now they have to find a spark and get some momentum going again. We can hope Marshall is ready to go 7 innings. We can hope Ramirez heats up against Pittsburgh like he’s done before. We can hope.

It’s just hard to hope after enduring such a schellacking. I know it’s temporary, and bad losses happen, but still. Zambrano was supposed to step up today, and assert himself. Didn’t happen. Now we have no idea what’s going to happen next, and it feels like it could go either way. I’m kind of nervous about it.

A cloud of sullenness hangs over Cubs Nation this afternoon, and all we can hope for are winds of change. Hope, hope, hope. It's already getting kind of tiresome, and the only rejuvinator is winning.