By Fred Mitchell
Tribune reporter
1:47 p.m. CDT, May 2, 2014

The Chicago Cubs are hopeful that the team’s results in the first month of the season are not a portent of what’s to come the rest of the way.

The Cubs, hosting the Cardinals Friday afternoon in the first of a three-game series at Wrigley Field, jumped on ace Adam Wainwright in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.

Emilio Bonifacio sliced an opposite-field base hit to left before Luis Valbuena doubled down the right-field line. Anthony Rizzo drove in a pair of runs with a line-drive single to left.

“The record (9-17) is disappointing,” Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. “The one thing we haven’t done a good job of, obviously, is that in three consecutive years we have kind of fallen on our face right out of the gate in April. And it really has been kind of Ground Hog Day. It’s been closer issues in April, it’s been bullpen woes. And I think in all the years we’ve had a better run differential and lost a lot of one-run games early. So that’s really frustrating. We should be better than our record, but ultimately you are who you are.”

The Cubs are 5-8 at Wrigley Field and have not won a series all season.

“Obviously we are still chipping away at the little things we need to do better,” manager Rick Renteria said. “All in all, I think we’re not quitting. We keep playing. The back end of our bullpen has changed a little bit. But we need to continue to go out there and just play good baseball.”

Lefthander Travis Wood (1-3, 3.52) got the call to face Wainwright ((5-1, 1.20).

fmitchell@tribune.com

Twitter@kicker34

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Cubs are gonna pull a 2007.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

The only things that matter to me:

1) Good years out of Castro and Rizzo to affirm they are part of the solution,
2) Determine if Olt and Lake are major league quality players,
3) Getting anything of value for our veteran players like they have done in years past including Shark.

The Cubs final record means very little.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Stop defending that starry eyed bully Hoyer!

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I am on board with the plan.

Damn Castro with an error!

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I'm still annoyed they haven't addressed the bullpen better. Spend an extra $10mm (you could probably successfully argue way less) and this is a different article.

I am fuzzy on the plan thing? explain it to me again

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

The plan is quite clear:
-Improved scouting and drafting
-Better minor league player development
-Additional revenue sources at the major league level
-Build major league team from within
-Add higher priced talent to fill holes once the kids come up to the major league level

They have the number two rated farm system. I think they are progressing well.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Teaching Keyser and bigfan about baseball is the reason I still come here.

It makes me feel accomplished.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

BF is being disingenuous, but I took the bait.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

My plan would be to WIN more games next year.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Obviously, I don't want them to overspend at the major leagues just to win games. But I do think the happy medium is to go about this plan as they have, and spend more on the bullpen.

This would be correct. RPB stated similar things not too long ago (I forget which thread).

This (likely) will be 3 years out of 3 years for Theo that the Cubs are among the worst teams in all of baseball. Not just "hey we're rebuilding so we will struggle or whatever" but 90+, 100+ losses. Doormat of the National League. Its time Theo, Jed, etc put at least a competitive if not a winning team on the field while they still try and build from within. Its also time that the fans and the media really start holding their feet to the fire.

There is simply no reason the Cubs should be at 90+ losses this year. Its an utter failure. You see teams in MLB turn things around from year to year (or in 2 years) all the time. Not that they have to be a WS contender yet, but christ 85 wins at least puts you in the conversation for the play in WC. You mean to tell me Theo/Jed/Ricketts couldn't even do that in 3 years? Its pathetic. Its embarrassing. bigfan is right. Its time to start raising the W flag more and more.

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Outside of Pasta, I am probably the senior member of Cubs nation here, probably been to more games and have spent more money on this team than anyone here, live closer to ths shithole than anyone and watched way too many games. "THE PLAN" sounds great and I know whats coming . I understand why you dont spend big money and sign a CF, or a SS, or even a 3B right now.

HOWEVER, When Hoyer comes out and is bummed about too many Losses. Well, then he should do something. This is year 3 of the tryouts of filling out your roster with 25 year old underachievers hoping they turn into the #1 picks they were supposed to be or 29-32 year old pitchers on 1 year deals, coming back from various arm issues.

3 years of this shit is enough.

Next year I don't expect to see SweenyKalsihScheirhlotz as my OF. I want to see a guy like Melky! yes, he is 30, but he can still play for 3-4 years! You cant have an OF that produces nothing.

All these Scouts, systems and computers are supposed to produce the player that nobody else saw, the guy who works the count and has an impact on the game.

So here I am, full card carrying member of THE PLAN, but my membership expires this year!

LETS GO!

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

bigfan is stacking 'em up and laying 'em down in this thread.

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You are a ridiculous little man.

Let me have my fun!
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Let RPB and bigfan think what they want.

The goal is not to be competitive for a year or maybe two, Frank. It is to build a winning organization and to sustain it. I don't care about 80 losses vs. 95 losses if the team doesn't have a chance to win a World Series either way.

The Cubs had the best record in the NL in 2008, and second best in all of baseball. Yet that is never a conversation point I use when discussing Cubs success over the years. Sure, we got a playoff appearance and it was nice. But 2007 was a weak team that lucked into the playoffs, and 2009 had 83 wins and were behind 5 teams for the wild card.

Huge disappointment.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

This post brought tears to my eyes. I intentionally did not give an opinion on the article to see what others have to say. The fact that a Sux fan put how I feel into words so well makes me wonder if "I'm being to hard on the Beav"

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

You have a 0% chance at winning the World Series if you don't make the playoffs. Say what you will about the 2008 Cubs, but at least they went to the dance. The 2009 Cubs were standing outside on milk crates looking inside at everybody else.

And I cannot fathom how you can call the 2007 club a disappointment. Sure, they ended short of winning it all, but they went from last place (worst team in the entire NL) to division champion in just one offseason. That's pretty fucking cool in my book. Same thing with the '08 Sox. They only mustered 1 postseason win, but it was a hellava ride coming off of a 90 loss campaign in 2007.

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Damn, you'd make a far better Cubs fan than me. You're all about 'hope.'

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I'm sure that Epstoyer would love to improve the club but Little Tommy Fauntleroy has too much debt.

You say that because you were still satisfied by '05.

Witnessing a championship gives a fan peace. You'd love to have more but at least you saw that 1.

I thought you had a grabber, not a stroke .....

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George