What Will Become of the Cubs?

We all know who my favorite baseball team is, without a doubt.

Whether or not they are going to make the playoffs is a question I've gone back and forth with for a few days now. I know, I know, today is June 11th. There's still at TON of baseball to be played. I know they're just 2.5 games out, and I don't think Milwaukee will be there in the end.

But there are several problems with this Cubs team that are deeper than their win-loss record.

The first is the offense. Last year the Cubs had the best run differential in the majors at +1.1, led the NL in OBP, 2nd in the majors in runs per game, and there's others I could mention too. In 2009, the Cubs are 21st in runs scored, and have onlt a +.3 run differential. They haven't been able to come up in the clutch, hitting just .233 with runners in scoring position. The offensive problems are compounded by the fact that Geovany Soto and Milton Bradley aren't hitting, Aramis Ramirez is on the DL for another 3 weeks or so, and Alfonso Soriano must eat at White Castle alot, because he loves going after sliders. Unless these guys pick it up, the Cubs will be watching the playoffs on TV, not playing.

The next is the bullpen. Last night, the Cubs wasted an excellent start from Carlos Zambrano when Angel Guzman gave up a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth to Geoff Blum and the Cubs lost 2-1. The bullpen ERA is 4.47, good for 21st in the bigs. In '08, it was 4.10, not a ton better, but still better. Last year, Carlos Marmol was lights out, and this year, he's all over the place. In 2008, the Cubs' bullpen walked 186 batters, among the best in the majors. The bullpen has already walked 101 hitters this year, and we're barely a third through the season. Walks kill.

The third has nothing to do with stats. The numbers don't lie, but there's just something about this team, or I should say rather that this team doesn't have something that the 2008 team did. No it's not Mark DeRosa or Kerry Wood (although those guys wouldn't hurt). It's the killer instinct. I really don't see a killer instinct. I've seen more guys take fastballs down the middle for strike three than I ever would have imagined. It's one thing to be fooled, it's another to continually take fastballs down the middle. Some guys look lost at the plate.

Unless the Cubs can improve in all three areas, I don't see them in the picture come October.