May 23, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro (13) reacts to flying out to end the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

What is going on with the Cubs–are they really a sinking ship like that recent article at Cubbies Crib mentioned?

The 2012 Chicago Cubs are exactly the team that Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer said we would see. The Cubs are rebuilding. As they stand now, the Cubs are na organization that has no depth. With recent injuries to the likes of Geovany Soto, Welington Castillo, Steve Clevenger, and Carlos Marmol; the team’s depth has been challenged. The Cubs are not as bad as their current nine game losing streak. But the Cubs are going to stuggle for at least the next two seasons in my estimation. Once Epstein and Hoyer clear the wastes from the previous regime and add prospects that they value to the organization, that is when the Cubs will be going in the right direction.

What’s the biggest weakness of the team heading into this series?

If you were to ask me this a couple weeks ago, there is a strong chance that I would have said bullpen. But the ineptness of the offense can not go without mention. The Cubs are a team that simply has no power. Bryan LaHair got off to a hot start, hitting .350+ to go along with 10 home runs, but the first baseman seems to be coming back down to earth. The potential run producers that the Cubs do have are currently with the Iowa Cubs. Center fielder Brett Jackson, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, and third baseman Josh Vitters all figure to be future building blocks for the Cubs.

Paul Maholm: Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?

Love em’. Maholm has been an effective pitcher for the Cubs this season. Maholm is currently 4 and 3 on the season to go along with an ERA of 4.73. Though, the inflated ERA is largely due from Maholm’s struggles during the first month of the season. But not only from an on the field perspective, Maholm is a genuinely good guy.

Maholm has been nothing but supportive of his teammates, and is a true breath of fresh air considering some of the previous attendees in the Cubs’ clunhouse prior to the 2012 season.

What can you say about the other Cubs starters for the series?

Ryan Dempster has been the best pitcher in Major League baseball this season. The issue is that with a record of 0 and 2, the average viewer tends to ignore his 2.28 ERA. Matt Garza, who is more likey to be signed to a long-term extension rather than traded, is sliding into the role of being the team’s ace. It is expected that Dempster will be traded this season, and once that move happens, Garza will be the new front-man for the Cubs’ rotation/

How is the new regime being perceived in Chicago after such a short period of time?

Epstein, Hoyer, and the new regime still are favored among the Cubs fan base. Even though fans say they are patient, there have been some grumblings in light of the Cubs’ recent struggles. Rebuilding is something that the Cus have not done for a long time. This current generation of Cubs’ fans may not be familiar with the rebuilding philosophy. But they remain patient, as for the time being, they still trust in Theo.

Predicition for the series?

Pirates take two of three.

Thanks Yankees

Don’t for a moment think Ryan Dempster isn’t having a solid season. It might actually be one of his best, if not one of the best in all of baseball.

Great.

The right hander still has nothing to show for it in his win column, proving to be the poster child for the pointlessness of the pitchers win loss stat.  Tonight Dempster will carry an 0-2 record to the mound with solid outlying numbers including a strong FIP against the Bucs A.J. Burnett. Sure we could think about Dempster striking out ten Buccos at Social Media Night as Lacee rants about twitter, but instead let’s just pretend everything is going to be ok.

There isn’t nothing we can really do anyway right?   We are close Clint Hurdle says.  Nobody makes trades in May.  The money we dropped on that Facebook stock will come back to us soon, and the traffic won’t be bad this holiday weekend.

That’s right. Think Happy Thoughts!

So, speaking of Dempster, here is my absolute favorite Ryan Dempster gif from Cubby Blue–it shows him waiting…and waiting….

Andrew McCutchen hits pretty well against the Cubs. (Insert all those pictures of his monster days against Dempster and the Cubs into your mind )

It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend.

Halter top season is nearly here at PNC Park.

Beer.  Lots of beer.

At least I’m not a Cubs fan.  You think you feel bad as a Pirates fan after 20 years? Shiiiiiiiiit. Think about the Cubs. Another rebuild. And Chicago has lost nine in a row.

Cubby-Blue.com

April 18, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tyler Greene (27) watches as Cardinals first baseman Lance Berkman (12) misses a foul ball against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

Coming into this year we knew that the National League Central was not going to be nearly as good as it has been in the past. The departures of Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols were the main reasons for that.

The Pirates are through three series and the rest of the division is about right there with them. The best team in the division to this point is St. Louis Cardinals at 9-3. However, health is a huge issue for them with oldies but goodies like Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran being counted on for production. Berkman is headed to the DL already, so he’ll miss the Pirates series. It certainly wouldn’t surprise anybody to see him miss a lot of time this year, and the same goes for Beltran. Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter are two more guys that aren’t young anymore that are being counted on in a big way for the Cardinals. Carpenter is also on the shelf right now and doesn’t even have a timetable for when he can start throwing again. Wainwright is off of a big time surgery and hasn’t performed well to this point this year. There are a ton of question marks on this team that make you think they might not win more than 85-90 games this year.

The Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds are supposed to compete for this division as well. The Brewers are off to a 6-6 start and are hitting just .231 as a team (before Thursday’s game) without Fielder in the middle of the order. The Reds are at an even worse .211 mark, although they have a lot of fire power on that offense and will more than likely turn that around in a hurry. Both teams also have poor ERA’s, the Brewers come in at 5.14 and the Reds are at 4.15.

All that is without even mentioning Houston and Chicago, who are both off to bad starts. The Cubs at 3-9 and the Astros are 4-8 and neither team looks good at all. Houston’s pitching rotation has had a decent start to the year with a 3.52 ERA, and their offense could be worse – they are hitting at a .244 clip. Chances are their team batting average will stay around there if not go down, they really don’t have any batters in that lineup that will scare you. Neither of those teams should be in contention at all past May.

If the Cardinals have to battle these injuries all year, the Brewers continue to struggle offensively without Prince, and the Reds battle inconsistency all year, all of which aren’t unlikely situations, a 87-90 win season could win this division this year. That’s a lot to ask from a Pirates team who is hitting a league worst .205 on the season, but at least we know it’s not going to take a bunch to compete here.