April 5th Game’s Results and Analysis

April 5^th Game’s Results and Analysis

Atlanta Braves 4 - Chicago Cubs 1

Winning Pitcher: Minor (1-0) Losing Pitcher: Feldman (0-1)

Save by: Kimbel (2)

Player of the Game: Justin Upton

The Chicago Cubs lost in the series opening game against the Braves earlier tonight. The Cubs had a difficult time manufacturing runs in the game and that is the main reason why they lost the game. The starting pitcher for the Cubbies, Scott Feldman, had a difficult time finding the strike zone in the game and that cost him his first loss of the season. Feldman was outpitched by the left-handed Mike Minor in today’s game because the Cubs hitters just didn’t have an answer for him. Justin Upton was the player of the game because he hit his third homerun of the year in the in the first inning of the game and had a sac fly in the bottom of the third.

Impressive: There wasn’t a whole lot that impressed me in the game today. The only thing that was impressive in the game was Scott Hairston’s homerun in the 5^th inning. But, I am impressed with how competitive the Cubbies have been in the early going because the Cubs have been in every game so far. If the Cubs could just find a way to score some runs they could win these close games that they are having and that means the Cubbies might have a chance to compete in the division or have decent record on the year.

Surprising: What surprised me about the game tonight was the performance by Scott Feldman and how ineffective he was. I thought Feldman would have better control of his pitches in the game, but almost half of his pitches were balls. Feldman went only 4.2 innings and gave up 4 earned runs on 5 hits and 4 walks. I figured Feldman’s first start of the season would have gone just a little better than it did, but it was just a little shocking to me how poorly he pitched.

Concerning: After watching today’s game I have just one concern from it, but it is a big concern of mine. I’m nervous that the Cubs can’t hit or score any runs against starting left-handed pitchers. The Cubs lineup looked terrible against the LHP Wandy Rodriguez on Wednesday and looked terrible again today against Minor. Until the Cubs show that they can hit and score off left-handed pitchers there is no reason to expect them to beat a team that has a lefty on the mound. I believe the Cubs have the players to hit off starting LHPs, but those players just haven’t come to play yet.

Preview for the next game: The next game is tomorrow, April 6^th and is against the Atlanta Braves. I will be posting the preview to that game shortly after I post this blog.