Making assumptions based off of one game in baseball is asinine; but if Monday's season opener for the Cubs is any indication of what is to come in the future, the North Siders are certainly moving in the right direction.
The Cubs won three-one in Pittsburgh, taking the first game from a Pirates team that expects to be in the discussion when it comes to playoff time. That they won is nice, but hollow; this Cubs team is facing serious odds when it comes to taking the division. What matters is the way that they garnered the victory, using solid defense and pitching to overcome a very solid Pirates lineup.
Jeff Samardzija pitched eight stellar innings of two-hit baseball, allowing no runs and striking out nine. He only walked one in his first career Opening Day start, and looked like the future ace that the Cubs are hoping he can become. Whether he could have pitched a ninth inning, we may never know. Manager Dale Sveum elected to pull his starter and go with his ever reliable closer, Carlos Marmol. His short lived stint on the mound strongly resembled the Marmol of early 2012, when everyone was calling for his job. Marmol struck out Garrett Jones (who whiffed at a pitch that bounced next to the plate) and proceeded to allow a walk and base hit. This lead to a run, and Sveum pulled the plug on this all to familiar scene. James Russell and Kyuji Fujikawa recorded the next two outs, and the Cubs were able to escape with the win.
Aside from Samardzija's performance, maybe the most reassuring performance of the day was that of Starlin Castro. He had two singles in four trips, but that isn't what matters. Everyone knows that he can hit. His defense appears, at least from today's game, looks like it is leaps and bounds better. On several different occasions in the latter third of the game, Castro made tough plays that his former self wasn't capable of. His throws were on line, he was able to set his feet, and he recorded outs. Hopefully his defense is here to stay; it may be the only thing keeping him from being considered an elite shortstop.
Other notable performances included Anthony Rizzo and Welington Castillo, both of whom had RBI's. Rizzo homered to right center on the first pitch that he saw, calming any fears after his homer-less spring. Wellington Castillo, the believed heir apparent to Geovany Soto, doubled to right center field, scoring new Cub Nate Schierholtz. Castillo made a boneheaded base running mistake and was tagged out between second and third base. Hopefully errors like that disappear as he progresses.
Had Sveum left Marmol in and the Cubs lost, the poor play of several players may have been highlighted. A win can right the ship, and for that, Brent Lillibridge is thanking his lucky stars. His first inning error, along with three strikeouts, made for a pretty awful Cubs debut. Darwin Barney should be back soon, but if not, the Cubs will have a gaping hole at second base. Avoiding the Golden Sombrero (four strikeouts in one game), Sveum elected to replace Lillibridge with Alberto Cabrera, though he struck out as well.
Schierholtz did not have a bad game, though he didn't get many chances. He walked, was hit by a pitch, reached on an error, and singled. Maybe the (not) highlight of his day, though, was diving for a fly ball and missing by a good six feet. Fortunately the ball was just foul, but expect that to be on Sportscenter soon.
The focus of this year's Cubs team should be on improving the young cornerstones of the franchise. If Castro can improve on his defense, Samardzija can take another big step forward, and Rizzo can keep being Rizzo, 2013 will prove quite fruitful for the residents of the Friendly Confines. All of those were on display today.
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