Ugly Cubs start could get uglier
Veteran Cubs fans readily remember looking ahead at the schedule in the spring of 1997 and thinking, “This could start badly.”
It did. The Cubs began that year 0-14.
Don't look now, but the 2012 version of your Chicago Cubs is off to the worst start by a Cubs club since '97.
The Milwaukee Brewers came from behind Wednesday with 2 runs in the top of the seventh — a 2-run homer by George Kottaras off hard-luck starting pitcher Ryan Dempster — to beat the Cubs 2-1 on a cold day at Wrigley Field.
The loss dropped the Cubs to 1-5.
There have been some bad Cubs teams since 1997, but not even wretched outfits such as the 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2006 clubs started this badly.
You may not want look ahead on the schedule. It doesn't offer much encouragement.
“I don't really see much of a breather throughout the whole season,” said Dempster, who is 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA. “Parity in baseball is becoming more and more. I think you see that with the amount of teams making the playoffs. Every series you play, every game you play, any team's got a chance to win. That's the nice part about the game nowadays.
“For us, what we're going to do is go out there and try to win as many as possible and put losses behind you and build off the wins.”
The Cubs would like more of that parity stuff and less parody.
Manager Dale Sveum talked this week of needing to get the lead in games. Well, the Cubs have had a lead in five of their six games and still have just 1 win to show for it.
It's not like Sveum isn't trying stuff. He is. Some of it's working and some of it isn't.
Take bunting, for example. Much was made about the spring-training bunting tournament. So far, the Cubs have just 1 sacrifice bunt, by pitcher Jeff Samardzija in the only game they've won.
After the Cubs fell behind 2-1 in the seventh Wednesday, Ian Stewart led off with a single. Bryan LaHair fouled off a bunt attempt against Yovani Gallardo before singling to put runners on first and second. Geovany Soto showed bunt but took a pitch. He struck out, as did Marlon Byrd before Blake DeWitt grounded out to end the inning.
Not that it's easy to bunt against Gallardo, but the Cubs haven't gotten it done in this area.
“I think if you're well prepared, you can put the bunt down,” Soto said. “But the case didn't present itself. I only had one sign to bunt there. He threw a ball up. The guy throws 90-plus. It's not easy.”
Sveum went so far as to pinch hit rookie backup catcher Steve Clevenger for veteran Byrd (1-for-21, .048) with two outs in the ninth inning. Clevenger hit a double to left, but Reed Johnson struck out to end the game.
“If Marlon is swinging the bat well, I probably don't make that move,” Sveum said. “Save it for another day. Just at the time, we got to get Marlon swinging the bat a little bit better, and I just felt our chances to get somebody on, and with the way the wind was blowing, Clevenger could pull the ball and tie the game up, too. We only need one swing to tie the game up.”
Perhaps Dempster summed it up best.
“Well, that (stinks),” he said. “Right? I mean, really.”
Yeah, really.