“By Any Means Necessary” was scrawled in Magic Marker at the top of the bulletin board in the Cubs’ clubhouse last Friday, along with batting practice and stretching times.
Malcolm X’s quotation refers to the pursuit of freedom, justice and equality. The Cubs’ coach who decided to include the words on the daily schedule board was only hoping his players could scratch out any kind of a win.
They lost Friday’s game on a two-run sacrifice fly, which was typical of their play during a 7-22 May in which they managed to lose by every means imaginable, including a popup that conked off the head of third baseman Aramis Ramirez.
Now they’re searching for a way to ensure that June will spark a revival. While some are clamoring for a proper burial of a team that is 131/2 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs head into the new Busch Stadium on Friday with a different agenda.
“We’ve lost some ballgames we should have won, no way around it,” General Manager Jim Hendry said. “We played some bad baseball in May and collectively had one of the worst stretches I’ve seen as far as [not] hitting with men on base and not getting the clutch hit, with guys that really have a good track record of doing it.
The Cubs hit .248 in May and averaged 3.2 runs per game, second worst among National League teams. Their pitching staff put up a 4.96 ERA to rank 13th in the league.
Overall, they’re hitting .237 with runners in scoring position, down 21 percentage points from last year, and .157 with runners in scoring position and two outs, even lower than last year’s .228.
With Derrek Lee, Mark Prior and Wade Miller expected back sometime during June, the Cubs may finally get a chance to see if things would have been different without the loss of their big guns.
Lee had his cast removed Wednesday and is hoping to get back in the lineup in 2 to 3 weeks. His wrist is sore, but he said he doesn’t want to waste any time doing minor-league rehab, and Hendry said Lee won’t have to go if he doesn’t need it.
As for the Cubs’ starters, who are a combined 14-23 with a 5.38 ERA, June should tell if the time has come to break up a rotation once mentioned as the best in baseball. Carlos Zambrano had a 1.90 ERA in May, third lowest in the league, but Greg Maddux’s 7.29 ERA for the month was the NL’s third highest.
Kerry Wood looked like the Wood of old in his last start, but Prior still is a mystery and will likely need three more minor-league starts before reclaiming his spot in the rotation. He will make his second rehab start Saturday at Class A Peoria.
Hendry insisted the Cubs will not be sellers in the immediate future, hoping the addition of Lee and Prior in June will alter the direction of the team.
“We’ve got to really put a dent in it. We’ve got a tough stretch coming ahead and a lot of division games, and you can make up a lot of ground.”
