Cubs Series Recap: Houston, We Are Back to .500

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Houston, we are back to .500 on Blogcritics.

First, the city of Houston was left out of the NASA Shuttle giveaway, and the bad news continued as the slumping Astros (4-9) dropped two of three to the Chicago Cubs (6-6) in this early season series. The two wins evened up the Cubs on the road trip and for the season.

Cubs Series Recap: Win 2 of 3 Games, Lose 2 of 3 Pitchers

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Win 2 of 3 Games, Lose 2 of 3 Pitchers on Blogcritics.

Series two is in the books, and although the Chicago Cubs (3-3) did take 2 of 3 from the Arizona Diamondbacks (2-3) with the possibility of a sweep, the team placed two starting pitchers on the disabled list, both of whom had solid starts during the series.

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.