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August 27, 2008

On the Beat

Staying the Course

by John Perrotto

Cubs manager Lou Piniella and general manager Jim Hendry are in the middle of a pennant race, and they realize that there is really nothing either can do to make a difference. That's not at all frustrating for the veteran duo; they are savvy enough to realize that the best thing they can do for the National League Central-leading club with the best record in the major leagues is to stay out of their way. "My strategy is simple right now, just let my guys play," Piniella said. "We're playing good baseball. Our offense has been good all year and our pitching is as good now as it has been all season. There is nothing to change, nothing to tinker with, just go out and keep playing good baseball."

Don't expect Hendry to make any big moves this week in advance of the August 31 deadline for setting post-season rosters. While the GM knows there is no such thing as a perfect team, he also knows his club is pretty darned good. "I really like everything about our team," Hendry said. "It goes beyond just the ability on the field. It's a good group of guys, a real quality bunch. You don't have to worry about anything happening off the field or in the clubhouse. You combine with the great job Lou does managing the team and it is just really a joy for a general manager."

There is a whole lot to like about the Cubs. They have an 82-50 record and hold a five-game lead in the division over the Brewers. They're second in the major leagues in runs scored per game (5.5), third in runs allowed (4.1), and first in defensive efficiency (.710). While the Cubs have the largest lead of any first-place club in the NL, and Baseball Prospectus' playoff odds give them a 99.1 percent chance of getting to the postseason for a second straight year, they aren't yet getting ready for October. The Cubs still have six games remaining against the Brewers, playing three at Wrigley Field from September 16-18, and three at Miller Park to conclude the regular season from September 26-28. The Cubs also have four other series with contenders, including four games at home against the Phillies beginning on Thursday, six games against the Cardinals (three at St. Louis from September 9-11, and three at home from September 19-21), and four games versus the Mets in New York from September 22-25. "There is still a lot of season left, and we've got a lot of difficult games ahead of us," Piniella said. "The last thing we need to be doing is thinking about who we're going to be playing in the playoffs, or trying to figure out our playoff rotation. We've just got to keep doing what we've been doing all season. If we do that, we'll be fine. If we start trying to look beyond that, we're just asking for trouble."

Nevertheless, the Cubs are justifiably optimistic about their chances; they've been seemingly slump-proof this season. They have one four-game losing streak and one three-game skid, but no others longer than two games. "We've been very consistent," said catcher Geovany Soto, a leading contender for NL Rookie of the Year. "That has been really been the key for us. We've just gone out and played consistent baseball day after day after day. If you look at our team, there isn't anybody having a really great year. We're not going to have the MVP or the Cy Young winner come from our team. What we have had though, is a lot of guys having really good seasons, both up and down the lineup, on the bench, in the starting rotation, and in the bullpen. The thing you can say about us is that we're solid. We really don't have a weak spot."

While Ryan Dempster ranks fourth in the NL with 5.7 SNLVAR and Carlos Zambrano is 10^th at 5.0, third baseman Aramis Ramirez's team-leading .300 EqA is just 19^th in the league. "We've had our ups and downs like a lot of clubs," Piniella said. "It's just that we've been more fortunate to have a season where the ups have outnumbered the downs so far. We've really gotten a lot of contributions from everybody, and that's what it takes to have a contending ballclub. Whenever we've hit some rough patches where we've gotten somebody hurt or had somebody struggle, somebody has taken on a little bit more of the load. We really haven't had a situation where one or two guys have carried us all year."