Post by ChicagoCubs on Jan 12, 2006 22:22:54 GMT -5
For 162 games, the Chicago Cubs were the best team in baseball. It only took 6 games for the Atlanta Braves to tear all of that down.
Atlanta refused the Cubs another shot at a world series championship by simply roughing up the Cubs starters that were the best in baseball this year. Even beating up on Cy Young canidate Greg Maddux(27-5). Though Maddux did not take the loss in game 4, he was still shaky and gave up 10 hits and 3 earned runs in 5 innings pitched. But with this team, 3 runs is a lot to give up.
In game 2, it was David Cone(18-9 reg season, 0-2 in the playoffs) who disappointed by giving up 7 earned runs in 2.1IP, and then in the final game of the 6 game series, the Cubs failed to show up in front of the home crowd of the friendly confines, giving a uninspiring performance to the tune of 11-0 with Mark Langston having his 14 game win streak snapped.
The Cubs bullpen, also so strong during the reg season, was disappointing in the playoffs. Bob Knepper(0.90 ERA in the reg season, 7.94 ERA in postseason), and Scott Holman(4.11 during the season, 6.75 in postseason) being the worst performers.
But what really hurt the club in the postseason, is what hurt the team all year...hitting. They were shut out 3 times in the postseason in 11 games. The overall team avg for the year was .261, which was 17th in the league. In the playoffs, against the Padres, the Cubs overall avg was .246, and against the Braves, it was even worse, hitting at a dismal .221 avg. The Cubs will definitely go into the draft, free agency, and trading period looking for a decent .300 hitter who can handle the bat in tough situations. Cost will be no object, and I think certain members of the team will find themselves in unfamiliar territory of being on the trade block to achieve that goal. They feel that they are very good in the starting pitching department and solid in the bullpen. They just had letdowns towards the end. Every team has them, many feel that because the starting pitching was not up to par against the Braves, that the bullpen was called into action more than it was used to, and that may have led to the downfall.
Lets not get crazy, the Cubs do not think that the Braves are not worthy of this opportunity for the title. Because they are a worthy opponent. They were the better team in this series. But do the Cubs think that the Braves are the better team? I do not think that is going through their minds, the Braves just happen to get hot at the right time, and that is what it is all about. It all came down to one thing...postseason experience...the Braves have it, the Cubs don't right now. But after 3 straight years of the Braves beating up on the Cubs, the Cubs came back strong this year with 105 victories, and reclaimed the central division over the Braves by 18 games(winning the season series between the two 9-5), So not only not getting a chance at the world series, they also lose that chance to a division rival, and that is a hard pill to swallow.
Not taking anything away from the Braves, the Cubs will be routing for them in the World Series to get their 2nd straight title for the National League.
The Cubs would like to put the rest of the league on notice next year. They will be back in 1990 on a mission, to complete what they started this year.
Guess the Las Vegas oddsmakers lost some money huh?
thank you
Shane Wilhelmi
Cubs owner, president, and CEO
Atlanta refused the Cubs another shot at a world series championship by simply roughing up the Cubs starters that were the best in baseball this year. Even beating up on Cy Young canidate Greg Maddux(27-5). Though Maddux did not take the loss in game 4, he was still shaky and gave up 10 hits and 3 earned runs in 5 innings pitched. But with this team, 3 runs is a lot to give up.
In game 2, it was David Cone(18-9 reg season, 0-2 in the playoffs) who disappointed by giving up 7 earned runs in 2.1IP, and then in the final game of the 6 game series, the Cubs failed to show up in front of the home crowd of the friendly confines, giving a uninspiring performance to the tune of 11-0 with Mark Langston having his 14 game win streak snapped.
The Cubs bullpen, also so strong during the reg season, was disappointing in the playoffs. Bob Knepper(0.90 ERA in the reg season, 7.94 ERA in postseason), and Scott Holman(4.11 during the season, 6.75 in postseason) being the worst performers.
But what really hurt the club in the postseason, is what hurt the team all year...hitting. They were shut out 3 times in the postseason in 11 games. The overall team avg for the year was .261, which was 17th in the league. In the playoffs, against the Padres, the Cubs overall avg was .246, and against the Braves, it was even worse, hitting at a dismal .221 avg. The Cubs will definitely go into the draft, free agency, and trading period looking for a decent .300 hitter who can handle the bat in tough situations. Cost will be no object, and I think certain members of the team will find themselves in unfamiliar territory of being on the trade block to achieve that goal. They feel that they are very good in the starting pitching department and solid in the bullpen. They just had letdowns towards the end. Every team has them, many feel that because the starting pitching was not up to par against the Braves, that the bullpen was called into action more than it was used to, and that may have led to the downfall.
Lets not get crazy, the Cubs do not think that the Braves are not worthy of this opportunity for the title. Because they are a worthy opponent. They were the better team in this series. But do the Cubs think that the Braves are the better team? I do not think that is going through their minds, the Braves just happen to get hot at the right time, and that is what it is all about. It all came down to one thing...postseason experience...the Braves have it, the Cubs don't right now. But after 3 straight years of the Braves beating up on the Cubs, the Cubs came back strong this year with 105 victories, and reclaimed the central division over the Braves by 18 games(winning the season series between the two 9-5), So not only not getting a chance at the world series, they also lose that chance to a division rival, and that is a hard pill to swallow.
Not taking anything away from the Braves, the Cubs will be routing for them in the World Series to get their 2nd straight title for the National League.
The Cubs would like to put the rest of the league on notice next year. They will be back in 1990 on a mission, to complete what they started this year.
Guess the Las Vegas oddsmakers lost some money huh?
thank you
Shane Wilhelmi
Cubs owner, president, and CEO