It sure was a rough first half for the Cubs and no doubt just as rough of a first half for their fans. A 39-50 record has the team down in the standings behind the Cincinnati Reds and 9.5 games out of first place. Is 9.5 games to much to overcome for this 2010 Cubs team? The way they (attempted too) hit the ball in the first half I have a hard time arguing that it is damn near impossible for this team to get back into contention.
So where did things go wrong in the first half? It was the terrible hitting by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Both of these “veteran” players should be able to work out of a slump and not have it take three months. I know that players go through slumps during the season, but they don’t last an entire half of a season. Sure Aramis has been battling an injury but that doesn’t mean he can’t at least make contact on the ball. Lee, I don’t know what is going on but swing the bat with some authority and hustle down the line just a little bit more. Both of you guys can learn something by watching the way Marlon Byrd plays the game!
As the Cubs are on the outside looking in, there is a lot of talk about who is going to be traded. It’s hard to tell right now due to the fact that the Cubs have signed some of these “veteran” players to pretty lucrative contracts. What team wants to eat the contracts of Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome etc. Any deal involving those three players will have the Cubs not getting much in return and also eating a lot of that money in the contract. Don’t expect to see Alfonso Soriano mentioned in any trades as he is due way to much money for 97% of the teams to take on.
So who could the Cubs look at trading? My thoughts are Xavier Nady (needs regular playing time), Marlon Byrd (nice contract and I don’t want to see him go), Ryan Theriot (nice knowing ya), and Ted Lilly. I full expect Lilly to get moved as a team in contention would love to add a left-hander of his pitching caliber. I wouldn’t mind seeing Theriot move on and the same for Nady.
My hopes for the second half of the season is that the team just relaxes and has some fun. Oh yeah, and HIT THE BALL. Right now I can’t stand watching a full game the way the offense has been going. Who knows though, a quick five game winning streak to start the second half just might get the fans back into it and more people inside of Wrigley Field. You win seven out of ten games and you just never know what might come of this “lackluster” team we call the 2010 Chicago Cubs…
Cubs Blog
Cubs hope to have a better second half
