CubsChic

When is Lou going to talk to Soriano about his defense? Are we expected to look the other way and just pay attention to his offensive heroics? Soriano might have hit a 2-run homer today, but he cost us the game by dropping the potential game-ending fly ball. The last thing our team needed today was another extra inning affair, especially after last night’s 14-inning loss. (For some reason, when you win those contests they don’t seem to take as much out of your team.) What really bothered me about today’s game is that they gave McLouth a double instead of giving Soriano an error on that 9th inning play, so Marmol not only had to eat the run but also got his first blown save of the season.

Soriano’s fear of the outfield wall, regardless of the stadium, is obvious. Maybe hypnosis would do the trick and rid him of his fear of hitting the wall. I don’t think he’s ever had a serious crash into the wall, so I don’t know why he can’t use the warning track like all the other fielders to judge where the wall is. The Cubs even added three feet to the track at Wrigley to give Soriano more space. It hasn’t helped. Can’t really blame it on his thigh either, although that has slowed down other parts of his game. He just doesn’t seem to be hustling anymore. Johnson needed help in center the other night and the replay showed Soriano just standing in left, watching the play like he was in the dugout. For the money he’s paid, I want hustle on every play.

So now the Cubs limp home after a 2-4 roadtrip. The Dodgers certainly aren’t going to make the homecoming an easy one, as they’re almost .500 on the road. Too bad the Cubs didn’t get a travel day after their second extra-inning affair in two days. The bullpen could really use a break. Hopefully we can get a quality start out of Dempster on Monday and get the week off to a great start.