By Steve Rhodes
Every second that Matt Garza remains a Cub is a bad second for Cubs fans.
Not only is he at his highest value, but he is a Cub, which means that every second is perilously fraught with danger.
Matt Garza is a ticking injury bomb. Cubs executives need to ensconse him in velvet and keep him in a temperature-controlled man cave until a trade is signed and sealed. Don’t let him drive, don’t let him near kitchen knives, don’t let him mow his lawn or take a hot tub. Maybe put him to sleep for a few days.
Because otherwise, we all know what’s coming . . .
He should be getting more protection than the president right now.
*
Meanwhile, in the We Told You So department . . .
Last week: The Ryan Sweeney Era Is So Cub.
This week: Ryan Sweeney Fractures Rib, Out 4-6 Weeks.
At least. You watch.
*
And a reminder of why you can never count on prospects to stay healthy and develop into meaningful major-league players.
You hope they do, but you can never count on it, which is, again, why Theo’s Plan is so flawed.
*
If the Cubs learned anything from the Carlos Marmol saga, and there’s no reason to believe they did, it’s that hope should never triumph over reality. In other words, Shawn Camp is done. Better to face that fact now then regret it for another half-dozen blown games.
–
Week in Review: The Cubs have won three straight series’, which only proves that are better than the Astros, Brewers and Mariners – the only teams with winning percentages worse than the Cubs besides the Marlins, Mets and White Sox. The Cubs went 12-15 in June.
Week in Preview: The Cubs have three in Oakland before returning home for three against the Pirates, whose .630 winning percentage is easily the best in the major leagues – and nearly 200 points higher than the Cubs’ winning percentage.
The Second Basemen Report: Darwin Barney went 5-for-23 for the week and left another five men on base. His OBP is .289. You can never flash enough leather to overcome that.
Wishing Upon A Starlin: Is it really possible that a single day off can get a player out of a slump? We here at The Cub Factor are skeptical, especially given Cubs TV analyst Jim Deshaies’ observation that Starlin Castro’s approach at the plate hasn’t changed a single bit since said day off. We’re thinking the (temporary) antidote was simply give games against Brewer and Mariner pitching.
The Legend of Dioner Navarro: Dioner has one of the league’s top home run to at-bat ratios and now appears to be Matt Garza’s personal catcher, as much as Dale Sveum won’t admit it. Why mess with success? #BecauseItsTheCubs
Deserted Cubs: Tony Campana is heating up, people. Will he be wearing a Diamondbacks uniform when the Cubs visit in July?
Bullpen Bullshit: Every losing team is “snake-bit.” That’s just a phrase that tries to assign terrible performances to bad luck.
Ameritrade Stock Pick of the Week: Shares of Theo Pissing On Our Legs And Calling It Rain skyrocketed this week.
Sveum’s Shadow: Dale Sveum’s Five O’Clock Shadow stayed at 10 p.m. because, just like his ol’ Uncle Lou, he knows the tools in the shed are okay for scrub work but totally not up to the major landscaping project his wife keeps demanding.
Shark Tank: Jeff Samardzija ranks 10th in number of pitches thrown so far this season, which is both good news and bad news.
Jumbotron Preview: Six thousand square feet of Jeff Samardzija returning from Tommy John surgery.
Kubs Kalender: Wait ’til next year 2016.
Over/Under: Starts until Matt Garza is hurt again traded: 1.5.
Beachwood Sabermetrics: A complex algorithm performed by The Cub Factor staff using all historical data made available by Major League Baseball has determined that the Cubs do not have a single player worthy of the All-Star game.
The Cub Factor: Unlike Alfonso Soriano, you can catch ’em all!
The White Sox Report: Know the enemy.
–
Contact The Cub Factor!
Posted on July 1, 2013