Don’t bother rolling your eyes, I’m basically trying to calm myself.
Actually, I’m not that desperate, even though we’re all frustrated with the latest pathetic showing in Colorado.
A full third of the season remains, and there’s no point in overreacting. But it’s easy to look up at the Cardinals in the division, look up at the Rockies and Giants in the Wild Card, look at the ever-growing injury ward, and wonder how the hell we’re going to make up three games?
After the Cubs leave Denver tonight (Thanks for the fucking late-night Getaway Game, Denver. Can’t sell out a day game. Jerks.) they will have been soundly housed by the Rockies. Beaten, battered, embarrassed and flummoxed by a team that’s improbably impossible to get out. Add to that two-fifths of our starting rotation becoming injured, and star player Aramis Ramirez heading for the bench, and it seems like trouble. Not a good series.
What’s worse, the Cardinals currently ride the crest of their schedule, facing the Pirates, Reds, Padres, and only the Dodgers over their next 20 games. I shouldn’t remind you that we face Philly next, the Dodgers next week, and the Giants after that. As much valleys as the Cubs have discovered this season, three games feels like a canyon.
But it’s not. It’s frustrating, but it’s elastic. The Cubs can make it up With Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome the only players untouched by the injury bug all season, Derrek Lee hooked up to the rejuvenation machine, and Milton Bradley finally showing signs of breaking out of his Cub-slump, the Cubs continue to battle and hang in the race. During the meat of Chicago’s schedule and the potatoes of Saint Louis’, the gaps are bound to bend. AFter August 31, we may still be looking up at the Deadbirds; but we’ll still be in it.
And I suppose it’s tribute to the Cubs that they’ve hung in the race and separated from the Central with all these injuries and unsolved age-33 slumps and everything. No, this team isn’t all that great without Aramis, and no, the rotation isn’t imposing at all without Zambrano and Lilly. But no, they’re not out of it yet, not even against Philadelphia, not even with skittish Jeff Samardjiza starting Wednesday.
And so, no, the sky is not falling.
Although, strangely enough, the Cubs have turned into dead-team-walking ever since we joined Twitter. Just pointing that out. (Gulp.)
