There isn't really any better way to say it: the Cubs did a lot of good things tonight. Soriano had the ultimate leadoff home run, leading off the season with a solo blast. Carlos Zambrano actually pitched really, really well on an opening day. The 6-7-8 hitters looked great.
To be quite honest, there really wasn't too much to be disappointed about tonight. The bullpen did look a little shaky, but the only run they gave up was Kevin Gregg's in the ninth inning, which you can't complain about too much in a win. Marmol looked like he threw a few too many pitches, but he did have to face Berkman and Lee, and I thought he handled them the way he should have. Aaron Heilman induced a double play ground ball to save Z, and the run scoring infield hit he gave up to Michael Bourn really was not his fault. Anytime a guy with speed like that squibs a slow rolling ball it isn't the pitchers fault (no matter how slowly the pitcher lumbers to the ball).
I just want to point out how well I think Fontenot, Soto, and Theriot did at the bottom of the order. The trio combined to go 5-10 and scored two of the four runs. Fontenot looked great with 3 hits, though one was due to Carlos Lee's ineptitude on defense. If those three can put together active, productive on a nightly basis, the Cubs will score a lot of runs this season.
Kosuke may be well on his way to the bench. I don't want to jump the gun and pronounce him dead after one game, but he did nothing to prove he belongs out there tonight. It was very interesting that the oft-injured Milton Bradley and defensively-inept at times Soriano were not the ones removed for a defensive replacement in the 9th, but rather it was Fukudome, which shows how little Lou's confidence in him is.
No comments:
Post a Comment