April is the cruelest month, T.S. Eliot wrote, breeding “lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.”
Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry puts is this way: Things will be fine once they stop playing like crap.
For every team that has rocketed to No. 1, there are plenty of clubs and players whose season has amounted to the B-side of a hit record. The numbers are sobering. Six weeks into the season, not even mom can make this better. Chicken soup is not a remedy when too many teams are working with chicken feathers.
It’s probably unfair to pass judgment after six weeks – remember how the Astros rescued their season last year? – but there are plenty of candidates whose seasons have been more disappointing than the final episode of “Seinfeld.” A peek:
The Twins head the list. They were supposed to threaten the White Sox for the division crown. Torii Hunter appears to have lost a step, third baseman Tony Batista was a miscalculation by usually shrewd GM Terry Ryan and Kyle Lohse can’t get anybody out. If they don’t veer back on track soon, outfielder Shannon Stewart could become prime trade bait.
If only the Royals could make deals to improve their roster. Owner David Glass has promised changes, with speculation he’s waiting to fire GM Allard Baird as soon as he first settles on his replacement. The Royals’ problems are easy to figure out. They don’t have a margin for error, so they can’t whiff on big trades. That has become a real possibility in the Carlos Beltran transaction. Third baseman Mark Teahen and catcher John Buck were the critical components. Teahen was mercifully shipped to the minors last week with two home runs in 77 at-bats and Buck is hitting .258with little power.
Speaking of which, the Pirates are generating all the electricity of a 10-watt bulb these days. Shaping up as awkward hosts of the All-Star Game, Pittsburgh is a mess. Offseason upgrades have failed, with Jeromy Bur- nitz struggling and Sean Casey hurting. And Oliver Perez, who has mysteriously lost his velocity, was recently skipped in the rotation.
The rotation is at the center of the Cubs’ slump. Hendry expects Kerry Wood to return Thursday, with Wade Miller and Mark Prior back sometime around the first of June. Hopefully, they will have a season to save. Fire Dusty Baker rumblings are growing and outfielder Juan Pierre, a key acquisition, has been unable to function as a catalyst in Derrek Lee’s absence.
“I have been through this before. It’s just a funk. I don’t think I am putting too much pressure on myself,” Pierre said. “We have dreams of the World Series around here and we need to get it going before it’s too late.”
Shifting trade winds
It would be surprising if Wood were the only player the Cubs had their eyes fixated on during his Triple-A start Friday in Des Moines, Iowa, against the Sky Sox. Chicago is seeking a right-handed bat to ease the sting of Lee’s absence, and Colorado Springs first baseman Ryan Shealy is available for the right price.
The Cubs have expressed interest in Baltimore’s Jeff Conine, but have cooled on Kevin Millar because of his inability to play the outfield. Whether the Cubs like Shealy, his name will continue to surface in trade rumors. The Rockies have Shealy, Jeff Baker and Jorge Piedra as chips to make a move for starting pitching or bullpen depth if necessary.
Surprise, surprise
Let’s be selfish for a second. Add an I to team, if you will. Taking nothing away from the surprising starts of the Reds, Tigers and Rockies, there is a handful of players who wake up every morning and pinch themselves, too.
Some of the most unexpected first-quarter earning stars: Atlanta catcher Brian McCann is hitting .347 and progressing defensively, gifted Toronto outfielder Alex Rios entered the weekend with an AL-best .374 average with seven home runs, Tampa Bay’s Scott Kazmir ranks among the league leaders in strikeouts (pause for Mets fans to grind teeth) and Houston’s Wandy Rodriguez has more wins (five) than Matt Morris, A.J. Burnett, Josh Towers and Jon Lieber combined.
Footnotes
Rockies owner Dick Monfort admitted it was reassuring to see Todd Helton back on the field after he was hospitalized with an intestinal infection. “You are always going to worry in a situation like that. But he appears to be progressing fine.” … Larry Walker was in a Cardinals uniform recently. He rejoined the team briefly to throw batting practice after one of the coaches blew out his arm. … Attention fantasy league owners: Brandon McCarthy, late of Colorado Springs high school fame, will start Monday at Minnesota. McCarthy is the best big-league pitcher not in a rotation. … Talk about hitting a home run with a name. Diamondbacks pitcher Casey Daigle and softball legend Jennie Finch named their first son Ace. … Brad Lidge isn’t the only high-profile closer who has been roughed up. Seattle’s “Everyday” Eddie Guardado has gone to “Not Today” Eddie after losing his job. … Selective memory was on display in Philadelphia. After chanting “Ste-roids!” at Barry Bonds all weekend, there was not a peep when the Phillies’ Ryan Franklin finished a game. Franklin tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs last season. … Texas’ Brad Wilkerson, hardly a power hitter, is on pace to finish with a single-season record of 226 strikeouts. … A nice gesture by a veteran when Kevin Appier paid the fines for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers after a bench-clearing incident. … Padres catcher Mike Piazza has reinvented himself. He has become a tutor to pitchers, focusing much more on a leadership role. “Earlier in my career the teams depended on me so much to hit,” he said. “I know I am not that player anymore. I have refocused on calling a good game, concentrating more on the little things.” … Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins on former UCLA teammate Chase Utley: “Even when he was in college at 160 pounds, he had great pop,” Atkins said of his offseason training partner in California.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5447 or trenck@denverpost.com.
