Don't count out the Chicago Cubs

After going 3-5 with a 6.11 ERA in his first 9 starts, Carlos Zambrano finish with an 8-0 record with a 1.41 ERA in his final 11

It was August 22, and the Cubs were sitting at 51-74 following a 16-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves.  This was when Lou Pinella decided to walk away from the game, retiring as a manager after 23 seasons with 5 different teams, the previous 4 seasons on the North side of Chicago.

The team then promoted third base coach Mike Quade to manager.  After that, the team went 24-13, surging to a 75-87 record.  This is where Cubs fans alike should find optimism in the 2011 season.

The biggest improvement in 2011 seems to be in the pitching staff.  The starters are led by a solid 1-2-3 combination that includes Matt Garza, Carlos Zambrano, and Ryan Dempster.  Garza, despite his inconsistencies, pitched very well in the for the Tampa Bay Rays for three seasons, going 34-31 with a 3.86 ERA, averaging 197 IP and 156 strikeouts in those three years.  He is best known for starting Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, going 7 innings and holding Boston to 1 run and 2 hits and getting the win in the game that clinched Tampa Bay's first pennant.  As for Dempster, he has been phenomenal in the three years hes pitched since becoming a starter in 2008, throwing 200 innings every year, a 3.49 ERA and struck out 208 batters in 2010.  Carlos Zambrano was one of the game's best pitchers from 2003-2007, averaging 15 wins a season, as well as 215 IP and 189 strikeouts.  After 2 off years and a terrible start to 2010 that landed Zambrano on the restricted list to cope with anger management issues, he came back to go 8-0 with a 1.41 ERA in his final 11 starts.  In the back of the rotation, Randy Wells should be an adequate #4 guy, but there is uncertainty around the 5th man, and the job will most likely go to either Todd Wellemeyer or Carlos Silva.  The one thing this rotation lacks is a lefthanded starter.

The bullpen also looks good, bringing back Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall, both of whom has solid 2010 seasons, as well as bringing back Kerry Wood.  Wood was having a tough 2010 season with Cleveland before being traded to New York, in which he allowed just 2 runs in 26 innings.

The lineup has Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro coming off great rookie seasons in 2010, and signed Carlos Pena, who has been one of the better power hitters in the past few years, and despite having just a .196 batting average in 2010, still managed to hit 28 home runs.  The lineup is by far the big weakness of the team.  It is an aging lineup, with veterans Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez, both of whose best years are clearly behind them.  There is also uncertainty in who should lead off, with the two main candidates being Castro and Byrd.  Both these guys have a good ability to get on base, and Byrd should be the guy, depending on the spring that Castro has.  The offense, and the types of years that the young guys Castro and Colvin have especially, will depend on where this Cubs team goes in 2011.

All things considered, this Cubs team had a strong finish in 2010, winning 24 of their final 37 games, and with a strong pitching staff could compete in 2011.  Are they good enough to win the division? Probably not, I feel the Brewers and the Reds have a better lineup than the Cubs, but if the pitching staff steps up and the offense isn't too bad, this Cubs team could make some noise in 2011.