Cubs end season on bad note, brief year in review

The season finale didn't go to the Cubs' advantage. They lost the series to the Padres on the road. Only producing 2 runs in the last game wasn't a good strength to end it for the franchise. Their offense lacks too much execution without enough run support. The team will have to find a solution to the runners stranded dilemna they face almost every year. In good news Carlos Pena finished the year strong with 28 homeruns and over 80 RBIs. He's eligible for free agency again this off-season. A smart move would be to sign him again to a new contract.

The young arms didn't stick around long in 2011. Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Samardzja, and other pitching prospects didn't get much time in due to injuries. The starting pitching didn't have a terrible time on the mound yet couldn't keep the ERA to around 4.00 or lower as a rotation. In the lineup Starlin Castro produced over 200 total hits with 10 homeruns, having his best season as a Cub. He became the real bright spot for the young blood as did Darwin Barney who served well in the no. 2 spot in the lineup.

The Cubs finished 2011 with a 71-91 record. They fell well below .500 after July and wasn't able to rebound to get within 10 games if not better of the Cardinals and Brewers. They end up 5th in the NL Central. Another big year for Aramis Ramirez who took leadership for the offense as he totaled 26 homeruns with 93 RBIs on 173 hits. Ramirez also notched a .306 batting average. Not much else went to high favor in Wrigleyville. The Cubs let the Pirates get in front of them. They need to desperatley sign key off-season acquistions and possibly make a few trades with their bullpen extras. Most of all they need to work on their offensive strategies and find a way to juice up the power connection in the linuep. That's all for 2011, better luck next year.

Pena takes charge with homerun, Cubs route Reds 6-3

The Cubs battled the Reds yesterday with Pena and the lineup taking advantage of good opportunities. Starlin Castro had 2 hits to move his league leading total along the way. Carlos Pena struck for his 25th homerun and notched 3 RBIs. Aramis Ramirez also did fine work in an at-bat to pick up a 2-run single when the Cubs needed it. The pitching held up enough as Ryan Dempster proved to be effective. Yet he didn't qualify for the decision, allowing 3 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks.

Kerry Wood came in during the 8th inning to record his 2nd win this season. Carlos Marmol sealed the victory with his 33rd save. With their record at 62-81, the franchise has endured injuries with new decisions being made by management and the team President. With room on the roster a few minor league call-ups have been made. Nothing exciting for the most part as the franchise will search for a new GM in the off-season since the Jim Hendry firing. The big turnaround may take making at least two big signings after the season ends. That can give the Cubs the firepower they need.

4 dingers completes win for Cubs, Wells records 6th win in San Francisco

The ball sailed right for the Cubs on the West Coast Monday evening. With the score 0-0 in the 5th inning, Blake Dewitt hit a 3-run shot over the right field wall. Alfonso Soriano followed by drilling his 23rd homerun thereafter. Later in the 7th, Carlos Pena and Geovany Soto both hit homeruns. The star first baseman collected his 68 RBI while Soto picked up his 14th homerun with 41 RBI for the season. Smooth from that point on as Randy Wells pitched a real gem, a 2-hit shutout. He struck out 7 batters. With the victory the Cubs improve to 58-77.

Homeruns by Ramirez and Soto don't win series for Chicago

The long ball didn't work for the Cubs the past series against the low rank Astros. Yesterday the franchise dropped it's second straight game, 4-3 with no good hindsight in the near future. Geovany Soto cranked his 13th homerun while Aramis Ramirez launched his 23rd of the season. Overall the team left 13 runners in scoring position, a new season high. On Tuesday night the bullpen gave up a 5-2 lead and allowed a grand slam. That sealed the game for the Astros in Houston.

Ryan Dempster has pitched well in a couple of performances, keeping his ERA down. With a few exceptions in the bullpen the pitching hasn't dominated any team in the NL. Kerry Wood has made good holds and strikeouts for the Cubs in recent weeks yet it's the young blood picking up the pieces for the franchise. Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro are both hitting around .300 or better. They combined for 8 hits in a separate game against the Braves. The pair are the main quality young players this year. With Andrew Cashner out with injury the two infielders have showed the most promise and completeness as Cubs. There is no telling what the team's record will be after September.

Baker pinch-hit single notches victory in extra innings

Sunday showed there was no need for slouching on the field and in the dugout. After coming back to tie the game in the 8th as the Cubs took over in the 10th inning. Alfonso Soriano got the opportune hit to create the deadlock, 4-4. Then with the bases loaded Jeff Baker hit a walk-off RBI single as the Cubs got the sweep against the Astros. They truly needed this series win to pick them up. Marlon Byrd cranked out 3 hits while Geovany Soto added an RBI double The lineup tallied 16 hits.

Matt Garza pitched a fine game, going 7 big innings. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. He recorded 9 strikeouts as didn't get the decision. The bullpen did well with the likes of Samardzja, Grabow, and Marmol. He yielded 2 runs through 3 innings. The Cubs have ground to made up in the division. They will see a few their Central opponents coming up. Hopefully come this week Zambrano will be ready for a big start and the team will continue it's win streak.

First half of the season in the books: Cubs need streak after All-Star break

With the Pittsburgh series over and done with things didn't go to the Cubs' liking this past weekend. They managed to win just 1-of-3 games. With Castro and Barney showing real promise for the first half nothing else looks too good. The franchise has undergone changes with new management, different players while the record began to slide in June. The team leader for homeruns remains to be Carlos Pena with 19. Aramis Ramirez is not far behind him.

At about 36-55 the Cubs find themselves back a ways in the NL Central for 4th place. That wasn't the plan coming into mid-July. Before the trade deadline the Cubs' fans expect management to make a good move. They need to acquire more veteran talent to hit in the lineup. They're okay with the bullpen. They need to beef it up with the power selection. With Starlin Castro headed to his first All-Star game the young blood aims to keep up the banter and energy flow. It's up to the big guys on the other hand to carry the load after the break.

Cubs toss a doubleheader to Giants, Pena works to power offense

Nothing went to the Cubs liking yesterday. The doubleheader and heat took their toll. Carlos Pena managed to go deep for a homerun in Game 1. The 13-7 loss shows the franchise needs to gain depth in the rotation. They also need the hitting to pick up the slack. Not too many in the lineup could answer the call. In Game 2, Aramis Ramirez hit a shot to outfield for his 8th long ball. Barry Zito got the best of the Cubs as the bats managed only to drive in a couple runs in the 6-3 defeat. The Chicago men in blue wait for the cross-town classic series to make a dent for improvement in the division standings.