How Sweep it Can Be

While both the club and the fans are in a deep funk right now, there is good news on the horizon: The next opponents are the Washington Nationals who the Cubs can plausibly sweep in a 3-game series.

Consider:

The Nationals have a 10-15 road record and will be playing at Wrigley.

The Nationals offense is largely dependent on just 3 players, Johnson, Soriano & Vidro. If the Cubs pitching/defense can contain this trio, then the Nationals will be hard pressed to score anything.

The Nationals starting pitching is suspect with the likes of Livan Hernandez and his 6.52 ERA.

Kerry Wood is due to pitch on the 17th and if his minor league showings are any indication, then he should be able to wreak havoc on the Nationals.

The Cub players no doubt would prefer to keep Dusty and his Papa Bear personality rather than risk having a rougher sort of manager lord over them for the remainder of the season. Being under the gun from the Wrigley Field boo birds should give them added incentive.

Finally, guys like Juan Pierre & ARam are due for a turnaround since its inconceivable that they will remain where they are statistically for the rest of the season, if previous performance is any guide.

This is not to mean that a sweep of the Nationals will be easy, and its conceivable that all 3 of these games will be decided by only 1 run. However, it can be accomplished and help put the team on a path towards a turnaround.