Three Observations from the Cubs' 2011 Opening Weekend

Article first published as Three Observations from the Cubs' 2011 Opening Weekend on Blogcritics.

Well, opening weekend has come and gone, and the Chicago Cubs managed to play to most critics' expectations by dropping the first series to their recently established nemesis, the Pittsburgh Pirates. No longer the team's go-to for easy wins, the Pirates showed resilience by coming back in the ninth of Sunday's rubber game against what many had assumed was the Cubs greatest strength in closer, Carlos Marmol. A look at what was learned in games one, two, and three.