Chicago, IL

The Chicago Cubs are in desperate need of a win after losing their second game in a row to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division series last night. Starter Ted Lilly got shelled early and the Cubs lost 8-4.

Although there were some good offensive highlights, like the two-run homer by rookie catcher Geovany Soto, the veteran players did not come through at crunch time. The Cubs left an unacceptable 9 men on base, which shows that they are not getting hits and driving in runs when they need to.

Lilly, who is normally a steady pitcher out on the mound and can be relied on to pitch well following a Cubs loss, lost his composure early after giving up a home run to the D-backs. Lilly threw his mitt to the ground in a show of anger and frustration. After that he never really got back on track and was taken out later in the game after giving up a two-run triple.

What I think is wrong with the Cubs is all mental. They obviously have strong enough pitching and hitting to have won at least won out of two from the D-Backs. I think what is happening is that the Cubs are over-thinking, over-trying, and putting too much pressure on themselves.

One look at the box scores of the first two games shows that players like Soto, Matt Murton, and Ryan Theriot are getting hits, while stars Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee have not been very successful. I think it is because Theriot and the others do not feel that they have pressure on them to hit homeruns and drive in a lot of runs, so they are more relaxed at the plate.

It could also be that the more veteran players realize the significance of the play-offs more and what it means for the Cubs to be in the play-offs and all of the history and years of anguish that are on their shoulders. This is preventing them from relaxing at the plate and causing them to swing at bad pitches. The rookies on the other hand appear to be playing it like it is any other game. Maybe that is the right mentality.

The Cubs play for their right to stay in the play-offs this Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Game time is 5:00 p.m. central time.

Photo: Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Cubs, Ted Lilly, Geovany Soto, Arizona Diamondbacks, NLDS