PUC Chronicle

Issue date: 3/5/07 Section: Sports

Brandon Thomas

The Cubs and White Sox will be playing each other for the first time in spring training Monday. Each team has come into the last five seasons as contenders in their divisions. This year is not any different.
The questions marks are back for the Cubs. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood will assume their usual preseason role as factors (if healthy). Prior has a pretty decent shot of being a part of the starting pitching staff. Wood will either become the closer sometime during the year or he can consider himself finished in MLB.
If Prior hurts himself playing ping-pong or something, the Cubs will once again be the owners of a mediocre pitching staff unless Carlos Zambrano becomes the first, fourth and fifth starter in the rotation. Do not expect Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis to win more than 20 combined games.
The bullpen better see some work out of Wood or else they're in trouble too.
The White Sox are also a little light in the starting pitching department. Mark Buerhle and Jose Contreras both had letdown seasons after leading the White Sox to a World Series Championship in 2005. They will both need to pitch to their potential, if they have arms left to do it.
The fifth starter spot is up-for-grabs once again. Though the White Sox are in a much better position to find the best person for the job with all of their young talented arms, unlike in 2004 when they were pulling people out of the stands to man the fifth starter role.
The White Sox bullpen is shaped really nicely this year. They will put a different flame-thrower in every inning after the 7th. Mike McDougal and Bobby Jenks could pose as one of the best finishing touches in MLB.
These are two of the most potent offenses in MLB. The Cubs have added Alfonso Soriano and Cliff Floyd to an already potent middle-of-the-road order. They are without a lead-off hitter. If they expect Alfonso Soriano to take the spot, they better be prepared for him to strikeout 200 times.
The White Sox have made no changes to the starting lineup from last season, besides Darin Erstad. They need to be able to score runs without relying on the homerun ball. Sorry Joe Crede, you're going to have to let someone else win a game every once in awhile.

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