Left Field

At this point, Eric Patterson...until Reed Johnson is healthy...until Soriano is back...and I know tonight's loss against the Orioles only amounts to one loss, and I don't want to come across as too negative, but the Cubs bench was exposed tonight.

Cedeno, Blanco, Murton, Fontenot and Ward were a combined 0 for 4 with a walk...and except for for Ward, they all looked horrible...

Cedeno, after looking like he had a clue back in May, is lost again...Murton has never done well...up and down to the minors and back up and back down...he's been spinning his wheels for 3 years...those 2 need to turn in their Cub uniform for good.

Is Blanco really the best backup catcher the Cubs can find??  Do they have a scout out there looking anywhere and everywhere for one??  Blanco is fine behind the plate but has no business standing in the batters box.

I like Fontenot...he's produced plenty...I just chalk up today's at bat as 1 bad at bat.

And I don't know what the Cubs see in Ward...I see a .200 hitter who's on pace for at least 3 more visits to the DL this season...and what was Lou thinking having Ward lead off an inning...

Don't mean to sound so negative after one loss, but they need to find some people for that bench that can find their way on to the basepaths.

I know when Soriano and Johnson are healthy, that will make the bench stronger, but until they come back, it doesn't look so good. 

His name is Jake Fox & he is currently in Tennessee.  For the season btw AA & AAA he has 24 doubles, 11 homers & 53 rbi's.  His avg leaves a little to be desired but the kid can hit.

I don't think the Cubs bench is as horrible as last night may have suggested.  Guys that would be our bench players have been forced into different roles of late.  It was one tough game.  I would just as soon get all the blunders out in one shot than spread them over a week or two.  Let's see how the guys do tonight before we start calling for heads to roll. 

Thanks Will...sounds good...what are the Cubs waiting for though?  Blanco's entire resume leaves little to be desired, so at this point might as well put him up there instead of Blanco.

I didn't want to sound so harsh on the bench last night, and I know with a few injuries the bench has been depleted some and when those guys heal, the bench will be a little stronger, but if the Cubs have to depend on Cedeno and Blanco and Murton and Ward in August and September in the stretch run and into the playoffs as well, it might not end pretty.

Gotta be able to bring somebody off that bench and get a clutch hit to drive in a run or get on base somehow to keep an inning going to get the big hitters to the plate.

Didn't see it Tuesday night and Ward struck out tonight with the bases loaded for the only appearance from the bench...granted the game was in hand but a few more runs would always look good going into the ninth...could have spared Wood an appearance.

Really not sure what the beef is with Blanco.  He is known as one of the better defensive catchers in the game, base runners hardly ever try to run on him, and pitchers consider him a great handler.  He has been Soto's primary mentor since last season, and credited with a lot of Soto's ability to perform behind the plate at such a high level from the beginning.  The primary value of a catcher is in their ability to control the game via the pitcher.  Driving in runs is gravy, but we are fortunate enough to have a very good backup catcher who is actually hitting over .250  (.284).  Have you taken a look at backup catchers around the league?  Good luck improving on that...

As to bench performance, yes, it's going to be a bit thin when your entire starting outfield from opening day is injured (johnson - back, fuku - calf).  The biggest difference has been Cedeno's slump.  He has clearly been pressing in his limited play the last 6 weeks, and we can all hope that he remembers his patience in April lead to his success, instead of trying to hit a 3run homer in each at bat.  Then again, that April patience earned him a whole lot of bench time in may...

Why the Murton hating?  "He's never performed"?  You're saying this about a guy with a career .295 average in the major leagues, with a > .360 OBP, and whose BB/K ratio of .7 is far better than the league average.  He had been slumping horribly for the few weeks before his callup, yet is 3 for 9 since arriving with the team.

The Cubs are incredibly fortunate to have so much depth that they can keep winning with 3 regulars out of the lineup.  Not only that, this gives them an opportunity to showcase that talent as we approach trade season.  Patterson's most likely value to this team is as tradebait for a top tier pitcher.  This is no longer about the future, this is about now, and they have fantastic chemistry and play to win every day.  Why panic and bring in a new backup catcher, possibly messing badly with team chemistry, just because he has a bad atbat (and let's be clear.  You don't go out and pay big dollars to get a .300 hitting catcher as a backup, there just aren't many out there, and you are likely sacrificing a lot more than that on the defensive end).