NLDS: Outclassed

Photos from the Chicago Tribune

Well, it didn't take long for the Cubs to find themselves on the brink of elimination. As a matter of fact by the end of the second inning it began to feel that way. The walls started closing in at that point. You know the drill Cub fans: it doesn't stop, it doesn't get any better. The ending is never good.

This series hasn't even been close. The young Diamondbacks have outpitched, outhit, outran, outplayed and outclassed the Chicago Cubs. Last month I called the NL Central the worst race imaginable. There was not a team in the NL Central that deserved to make the playoffs. Guess what? The Cubs have proved that. I made the mistake of letting my imagination go following last weekend when the Cubs clinched in Cincy. This team was not good enough all season. They are not good enough now.

There was so much blame to go around tonite. It all began with piss poor starting pitching from Ted Lilly. There was the poor managing by Dust...errr I mean Lou Piniella, who left Lilly in long enough to ensure that the Cubs struggling offense wouldn't come back. And what about that Cub offense. Well three players in particular, the three superstars Lee, Soriano and Ramirez are 4-27 in the series with 12 strikeouts. Then there were all the little things that the Cubs did wrong a the D-backs did right. Pitchers that can't bunt an outfielder that's afraid of the wall. Just pathetic. So the Cubs have had the grand slam this series bad pitching, bad hitting, bad fundamentals and bad managing. That's a recipe for a sweep.