Baseball Month in Review

The first month of the baseball season is in the books, and based on the performance of the Cubs and White Sox so far, I would say 2006 is a mirror image to 2005.

The Cubs have started out strong and are an improved team over last year -- a 13-10 record in April compared with 12-11 last year. But they were in second place a year ago and fourth place this year. At times, the Cubs have played brilliantly and other times, shaky and inconsistent.

I like the additions of Juan Pierre, Bobby Howry and Scott Eyre. Pierre gives them the lead off spark they need, similar to what Scott Podsednik has done for the Southsiders. But the Cubs have also lost Derrek Lee for three months, so the other starters must step up offensively. As of tonight, three rookie pitchers are starting for the team -- Angel Guzman, Rich Hill and Shaun Marshall. With any luck, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior will return to the team in June, and hopefully that will spark the team. It's up to the rest of the team to stay afloat until then. My grade for the month of April: B

As for the World Champs, after a slow start the first week of the season, they have gradually improved to a 17-7 record for April, matching their record in 2005. They're in first place, one and a half games ahead of Detroit. Ditto for 2005, except the second place team was Minnesota.
Jim Thome has made an immediate impact, and his presence in the lineup is helping the other hitters. Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede usually start out slow, but all three players are hitting above or near .300. Podsednik had a very slow start, at one point hitting .039. Before tonight's game, Scottie is hitting .250 and he has hit safely in 12 of 13 games. The Sox also finished strong in April, and looked impressive in a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the first time they've swept the Angels in California since 1992. On paper, the Sox are an improved ball club, and they are playing up to their potential so far. If they stay healthy, like they did in 2005, the Sox should continue to play well. My grade: A-