Have we hit bottom yet?

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The first half of the Cubs season was well symbolized by their 14-3 loss to the Pirates. The Cubs seemed to be unprepared and lethargic. The Pirates scored 10 runs in the first inning, something that happens once or twice in a century to a team. Lester was hit hard, his defense stunk and he walked three. Six of the runs were unearned.

So much for a dynasty

Theo Epstein has sat on his assets too long. Some have become devalued through exposure. Also, by waiting until his staring rotation caved in, he's no longer a position of strength. Jon Lester isn't pitching like an ace, Jake Arrieta is neither dominant or consistent. Arrieta is still a decent starter, but the regression of Jake is probably the biggest blow to the Cubs as a team.

Brett Anderson did what Brett Anderson does, get hurt. Eddie Butler is a band aid. Mike Montgomery is still an unproven commodity. I have more hope for Kyle Hendricks than for any other member of the current Cubs rotation. I do think the Cubs will make a big deal for a pitcher. They don't have what they need in their system and there's no point to holding on to duplicate assets.

Is the south side of Chicago still the baddest part of town?

It's hard to say who closed out the first half of the season in worse fashion, the Cubs or White Sox. The Sox lost to the Colorado Rockies 10-0. The Sox picked up only one hit, a 9^th inning single by Melky Cabrera. Of course, the Sox first half doesn't hurt so much because there were no expectations.

Do the math

Former Cubs catcher, Miguel Montero, caught on with the Toronto Blue Jays. That should help Miguel's throws to second. Miguel's throws to second usually went about 110 feet in Chicago. That's about 120 feet Canadian. Good move Blue Jays.

He went that way

One starting pitcher the Cubs missed out on is Bartolo Colon. The Atlanta Braves signed Bartolo as a free agent but he was ineffective this season. Big Sexy's ERA was big at 8.16, but not sexy. Bartolo signed with the Twins. He'll be an interesting story to watch during the second half of the season.

Dance Fever:  Catch it!

So not to be entirely negative about the Cubs, there is one thing I've enjoyed about them the first half of their season. I'm kind of an old school guy, but I enjoy the Cubs bullpen dancing. When things are going well, those guys have some pretty good moves. I hope they get to dance a lot more the second half of the season.

More next time.