This seemed like a very Cub-like thing to do. Not only did we struggle against unfamiliar pitchers, but the manner in which the homestand ended had to be disappointing.
The season is a long 162-game race. I know that. Probability says that during this long race, you will have some good times and some bad times. That's inevitable. But, it seems like the Cubs are notorious for taking stretches that have the potential to be great and settling for good.
If after the all-star break you would've told me that the Cubs won win 7 out of the next 10, I would've been happy. If you would've told me that the Cubs would've taken 3 of 5 without Derrek Lee, I would've been happy. But what upsets me is how it happened.
Time and time again, it seems like the Cubs have the potential to do something great, but then walk away coming up just short. Looking at the big picture, you still say to yourself "you can't be disappointed with...", but it would be nice for us to do something great.
In the Cubs' 7-game road trip right before the break, the team started 3-1. However, after dropping two out of three to Pittsburgh, the team ended that stretch with a 4-3 road trip. A winning road trip is never bad, but it could've been better. Then, the 10-game home stand that was just finished started with the Cubs taking 7 of the first 8. A split in the last two games and an 8-2 record would've been great. Instead, we end up having to console ourselves: "7 out of 10 isn't bad".
It's different if you're in first place. "Good, not great" could be enough if you have a lead to work with. But when you're 3 1/2 games behind the division leaders and the division leaders are "good", you need to start playing some "great" baseball.
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