To start off. I love Jim Riggleman. He is the Anti-Acta. He has a fantastic fire about him, will defend his players regardless if they are wrong or right, and he can motivate his young squad to be a 500 club.
That being said... Can we please go 2 games in a row with the same lineup? I did a little bit of research cause I figured that it just seems like we haven't gone 2 games in a row with the same 1-8 hitters. Turns out, we haven't.
Let me say that again. ZERO times.
This season we have not had the same 1-8 hitters in 2 straight games.
Granted we have had a couple injuries(*), I understand that. But c'mon Riggs?
*(How does anyone on our training staff still have a job? For the past 3 years all it has been is the dreaded Day-to-Day for about 5 days and then we will have to put someone on the DL. We did it with Morse already this year, we are doing it with Zim now (granted he had that amazing Kirk Gibson-style PH HR), and to some extent Willie Harris. We are playing with a depleted bench and it is going to end up biting us in the butt.)
How in the world is our team supposed to have quality defense if people are either not playing everyday and/or playing a different position everyday like Kennedy, Guzman or Harris.
Which leads me to my next point. We are not going to win this year. Lets face that. We will be competitive; but we will not contend for a title or the wild card.
We took a chance with Desmond starting; I loved it. We sent JMax down at the beginning of the season cause of a dreadful spring. But instead of filling that opening in the OF with a young stud who had a fantastic spring (Bernadina) we filled it with infield single monster Willy Taveras; great guy, but really?
We brought up Bernadina earlier this year after Morse went down, he was up for 5 days but only got in 1 game with 1 AB. How in the world is sitting on the bench better for his development as opposed to playing everyday at AAA?
Its time we let our young guns sink or swim.
But more importantly, lets let our starters start and let our bench players get acclimated to being defensive replacements and role players.
Mac.
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This is a startling stat. There have been injuries, but there have been plenty of times where we could have easily had the traditional strong lineup. I think it makes it all the more remarkable that we're still 10-10. I do not, however, have a good feeling about this Cubs trip with all the injuries to vital players.
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