A veteran major-league scout opens his book on the Cubs:
“The Cubs have a very experienced team, a lot of veteran players who have been in the postseason. They’re a station-to-station team that relies on home runs, but they do have table-setters in [Ryan] Theriot and [Mark] DeRosa. The way they play is as different as the age disparity between the teams.”
Key player: “Derrek Lee will have to have a big series to protect Aramis Ramirez. Another one would be [Alfonso] Soriano, because if he strikes out twice a game, that will definitely hurt the Cubs. But I would say Lee is the key.”
Key starting pitcher: “[Carlos] Zambrano has to keep within himself. I think he has the edge over [Brandon] Webb if he controls his emotions and keeps himself in check. He has very good stuff, but you don’t always know what you get.”
The closer: “We could have some very long ninth innings with [Ryan] Dempster and [Jose] Valverde. Dempster has had control problems, and a key for him is getting the first hitter out.”
The crowd: “It will be a huge advantage at Wrigley Field. It will be an absolute zoo and definitely could make a difference.”
