i have made posts in regaurds to what i expected out of the Cubs starters and want to clarify on how i figure a starters win total.. for example i mentioned marquis winning 15 games as a 5th starter is acceptable to me.. i know you dont get many if at all 15 wins from a 5th starter, i should have clarified that i meant 15 wins out of that 5th spot team wise would be acceptable. not the actual 5th starter getting 15 wins..
i should have have clarified it by starts, not necessaruly the staring pitchers W but the team wins in their starts and heres how i break it down.. i know certain rotation spots get skipped during the year for rainouts and days off. so the no.1 and/ or 2 starter may get extra starts. but heres how i expect each starters spot wins total should be team wise..
no.1 spot.. 33 starts- the ace pitcher of a staff should have at least 23-25 team wins..
no.2 spot.. 33 starts- the teams second best starter should post 20-22 team wins..
no.3 spot.. 32 starts- the teams third guy should be above average and post 18-20 team wins.
no.4 spot..32 starts- the teams 4th guy should be above the .500 mark and post at least 17-19 team wins..
no.5 spot..32 starts- this guy on a good offensive team should at the very least be able to have half of his starts won and should post at least 15-17 team wins..
so as you see anywhere from 93-103 wins is what i expect from a very good team to a great team..
so as i look at this cubs starting rotation as of now i see zambrano as the no.1 , lilly is the no.2, dempster is no.3, marquis is no.4, and as of now unknown is no.5..
as of now i see zambrano and lilly (as of late) are able to help their team win between 43-47 games in their 66 starts..
dempster is on his way to help his team post between 18-20 wins in his 32 starts..
marquis as of now has a 3-3 team record in his 6 starts, thanks mainly to the offense.. can we trust that he will pick up his game and help his team win at least 14 of his final 26 starts.. it doesnt seem like much but if he continues to struggle to go 5 or 6 thats asking alot out of the bullpen to hold the load for him every time out and obviously the offense would need to carry him through alot if he cant make it 6 innings..
the 5th slot is unknown right now.. now that hill is in the minors and leiber got tattooed his only start we may see a revolving door until someone takes that spot over..
so, i hope this clarifies and help you all understand what i expect out of my starters and why i get a bit aggravated.. this offense will carry this team in the long run, i just hope when they ggo into a funk that we have the right guys on the mound to carry them for awhile til they get the bats going again..
