The Quick and The Ted

After everything I've said about Alfonso Soriano, maybe he'll be chasing ME into Lake Michigan.

Soriano continued his torrid start, helping lead the way to an 11-6 win that saw five Cubs finish the game with multiple hits. Kosuke Fukudome turned in an All-Star performance as well with a 4-for-5 showing that included a home run and a double.

The win clinched the series victory for the Cubs. After an off day, they'll continue their season in Milwaukee where Rich Harden faces off against Braden Looper [who miraculously appears to be pitching for the Brewers now; who knew?].

What was good: Soriano's ballerina act in left field still terrifies me, and I still feel it could jeopardize what he does at the plate, but this is the best start he's gotten off to as a Cub. Brilliant.

Aramis Ramirez also appears to want MVP consideration. His laser off the scoreboard in left took out a tile. He also drove in four runs. Not a bad night. Little Mike Fontenot added a three-run moon shot, and his cajun counterpart continued to get on base at an alraming clip. As Len and Bob noted during the telecast, the bullpen issues become a lot less prevalent when you put 11 runs on the board. Bravo gentlemen, bravo.

Speaking of the bullpen, after allowing a home run, David Patton put it into cruise control and breezed through two innings of work. Angel Guzman turned in another quality performance, and Carlos Marmol appears to have put his WBC meltdown behind him. We're going to need these three throughout the season, and tonight was a solid indicator of just how valuable they are.

And now, the bad: Ted Lilly not only had trouble keeping the ball down, he had trouble keeping it in the park. Unfortunately, those two are often related. Maybe it was the early lead, or maybe it was just a typical early season stammer; whatever the case, it does raise the question of the WBC: are players getting enough time to get themselves into MLB shape, and is the WBC a mischeduled hindrance that's going to haunt ball clubs across the board?

And now more bad news: last year's club MVP [at least in this kid's eyes] Geovany Soto was sent back to Chicago to have his shoulder examined. Soto points to an instance in the minor leagues where he felt a similar unexplained discomfort, and that case was resolved without issue in a week. Hopefully we'll see similar results, if not better. Soto was so valuable, not just for his bat, but because of the way he handled the pitching staff. We need that back in the lineup and behind the plate. Additionally, we're only carring one healthy catcher in Koyie Hill. That's a recipe for disaster should something happen to him.

I can't end on that sad note though. Check out this video of Billy Bob Thorton that's circling the web. Absolutely hi-lar-ious.