Cubs leadoff hitters getting job done

Well, the Cubs are through the “easy” part of their schedule as they head into a weekend series at Coors Field, where anything can happen.

Let's take a look at both some of the good things and some of the not so good through 12 games, during which the Cubs went 6-6.

The kids:Manager Mike Quade has talked about how happy he is with the #8220;two kids#8221; in the middle of the diamond, shortstop Starlin Castro and second baseman Darwin Barney. What's not to be happy about? The two kids have provided a nice spark at the top of the order and a lot of life on the field. More important, they're producing, even if the sample sizes are still small. Castro has an average/on-base/slugging line of .389/.411/.500, and Barney is at .345/.394/.448. With Kosuke Fukudome straining his hamstring on Sunday, Quade has improvised at the top of the order, and it hasn't hurt the Cubs one bit. Castro stepped in as the No. 1 hitter, and in the three games at Houston, he went 8-for-15. Batting second, Barney went 4-for-11 with 3 walks. In the early going, Cubs leadoff hitters are tops in the majors in both batting average (.480) and in OBP (.544).Barney is proving to be a pleasant surprise after wresting playing time from Blake DeWitt in spring training. Aside from the numbers, Barney brings a good approach to the game. He also has nice on-field awareness. If you're at the ballpark, watch how he positions himself near second base and see how he communicates with the other fielders. Barney also looks adept around the bag, and I've seen him decoy several runners like a seasoned veteran. In spring training, I likened his situation to that of Ryan Theriot, who took a job from Cesar Izturis in 2007. Barney is fundamentally a more sound player than is Theriot. And I don't think you'll see him getting thrown out going from second to third on a groundball to shortstop. Seeking quality:The Cubs led the league in quality starts last season with 96. A quality start is at least 6 innings pitched with no more than 3 earned runs allowed. That #8220;minimum#8221; quality start computes to an ERA of 4.50, but most quality starts are far better than that. Last year, a below-. 500 Cubs team went 59-37 in the quality-start games, and the starters had an ERA of 2.09 in those games. It's been a different story at the start this year. Only 3 of the first 12 starts by Cubs pitchers have been quality starts: April 2 by Carlos Zambrano, April 3 by Matt Garza and April 4 by Randy Wells. Andrew Cashner was cruising along with a quality effort until shoulder tightness forced him out after 5 innings and 1 earned run. Ryan Dempster probably stayed in an inning too long the other night and lost a quality start as he gave up 4 runs in 6 innings.And Zambrano blew up in the sixth Wednesday night, and he wound up with 5 earned runs in 5 innings. However both of Zambrano's wins this year have come in non-quality starts. In their non-quality start games, the Cubs are 4-5, and the starters' ERA is 6.75. They won't be able to live like that forever. Lefties slumping:The Cubs' left-handed hitters need to get it going. Fukudome was off to his usual good April start until he got hurt. His line was .313/.500/.313. But the Cubs have not gotten much from either Tyler Colvin or Carlos Pena. Colvin is at .147/.237/.382 with 2 homers and 6 RBI. He has struck out nine times in 34 at-bats. He's 1-for-12 against left-handed pitching and 4-for-22 against righties.Pena, who is still hampered by a sore right thumb, is at .185/.343/.222 with no homers and 4 RBI. He demonstrates a good eye at the plate, and he leads the team with 7 walks. But he also has struck out 10 times in 27 at-bats. He's 1-for-11 against left-handed pitching and 4-for-16 against righties. If there's a left-handed hitter worth watching in the minor leagues, it's outfielder Brett Jackson, who is off to a torrid start at Class AA Tennessee.The Cubs' No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft has a hitting line of .500/.586/.773. In 6 games, he's 11-for-22 with a double, a triple, a homer, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts and 3 stolen bases. At 22, he looks to be a guy who can go right from Double-A to the majors. How fast that happens might depend on how quickly the left-handed hitters in the current major-league lineup get it going.