NL Central

Filed: April 30, 2009

Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles turn two against the Marlins Thursday (Cubbie Nation/file)

Click here for the photo gallery of last night's game.

What did we expect?

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Call me irrational. Call me a quitter. Call me a typical "the sky is falling" Cubs' fan. I don't care.

After 18 games of mostly lousy baseball, I'm done. I can't stand watching this team. Every time I turn them on, I get sick to my stomach. I should have known better too.

Behind every MLB contender, there's a dirty little secret.

Keep winning, and nobody pays any attention to it. The Red Sox, for instance, have been on such a tear lately that nobody's asking why David Ortiz (.237 average, .287 on-base percentage, .342 slugging) looks so washed-up.

The Dodgers have hummed along so nicely that no one's sounded the alarm on how the back end of the starting rotation is a disaster in progress (Clayton Kershaw's last two starts: Nine innings, 18 hits, six walks, 15 earned runs).

Welcome back my friends to the most in depth free agent and waiver pickup blog anywhere, The Hot Eight! As we close out the first month of the MLB season, I am happy to have recommended free agents such as Dexter Fowler, Nelson Cruz, Colby Rasmus, Scott Downs, Nyjer Morgan, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner well in advance of their most productive games so far.

The Padres ran into a buzzsaw by the name of Zach Duke on Saturday night. The Pirates' left hander was absolutely dominant, pitching eight and one-third innings and giving up just one run as the Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 10-1.

If hitting is contagious, the Cubs have a clean bill of health.

In its last four games, Chicago has scored 0, 1, 3, and 2 runs. Not surprisingly, those totals have added up to a four-game losing streak.

It’s been hard to watch, and the end to this offensive ineptitude doesn’t appear near. Obviously, injuries to Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley hurt the lineup, but there are seven other batters responsible for hitting the ball, too.

What started out as a well pitched and well played game, got a little sloppy towards the end of the game.

Adam Wainwright pitched 7 solid innings striking out 7 and giving up 3 runs, 2 were unearned. Ryan Dempster was able to baffle the Cardinals until the fifth inning when Joe Thurston doubled home Yadier Molina and Khalil Greene.