The Starting Rotation

Perspective is a funny thing. Never would I have thought having a 13-14 record for a calendar month would be a good thing. Alright, maybe not good, but an ok thing. In that 27-game, overall losing record stretch, the Cubs managed to outscore their opponents 129-99. That's right. One game below .500 but with a +30 run differential. It's a step in the right direction.

A lot of the credit goes to the Cubs starting pitchers, but not how you might think. The rotation was only 8-10 for the month but they also managed to drive in a National League-record breaking 19 runs themselves at the plate.

Recently returing to the rotation after a DL stint, Matt Garza hit a two run double in his season debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unfortunately, the Cubs squandered the lead, losing 5-4, in a no-decision for Garza. I haven't had a chance to make a card for Garza yet but it's coming.

Edwin Jackson contributed two RBIs with a double to get the ball rolling in an 8-2 blowout against the Washington Nationals (a game that I attended).

Jeff Samardzija broke a 1-1 tie against the Colorado Rockies with a two-run home run, the second of his career. The Cubs held on for a 6-3 victory.

Add up Garza, Jackson and Samardzija's RBI total for May and you'll come up with six, equal to what Scott Feldman drove in himself. Spread out over 4 games, Feldman's four hits included two doubles and a home run.

That brings us to Travis Wood, whose grand slam against the White Sox brought his May (and season) total up to seven RBIs. Additionally, he had a two-run homer earlier in the month.

With that kind of run production, it comes as no surprise that Wood and Feldman are the only Cubs with a winning record. Although, the way Garza has been pitching, he could be joining them soon. Yes, I know he's 1-0, but let's get him a few more starts and we can talk again.

Let's keep it going into June!

2013 Topps Scott Feldman Cubs Factory Team Set

The 2013 Cubs Factory Team set I picked up a little bit ago brought me Scott Feldman's first Cubs card. Along with fellow offseason acquisition Edwin Jackson, they have yet to earn a victory, combining for a 0-6 record. Meanwhile, Carlos Marmol has 2 wins, including being the pitcher of record in last night's extra inning debacle of a win. But I digress.

I don't know the exact timeline on when these team sets were produced and released but this one is definitely a photoshop job. I'm not as much of a uniform aficionado as Wrigley Wax is, but I think it looks pretty good. They even got his number right as he switched from 39 is Texas to 46 in Chicago. I don't think they should necessarily retire Ryan Dempster's old number but it is a little sad to see it move on so quickly. (And Tony Campana's #1 is now worn by Cody Ransom.)

Photo by Michael Zagaris (Courtesy of Getty Images)

When this photo was taken on June 4, 2012, Feldman was in the midst of a 1.2 inning shellacking at the hands of the Oakland Athletics. Whoops. In addition to adjusting the uniform, you'll note that Topps removed the logo from the outfield wall as well.

As I mentioned, this is Feldman's first official Cubs card. But it's not his first card of 2013. He was also given a regular card in Series 1, while still affiliated with the Rangers.

This game wasn't much better for Feldman although he did make it further, as the Rangers fell 6-5 to the Twins on August 26, 2012.

Photo by John Williamson (Courtesy of Getty Images)

The backs are nearly identical with only changes made to the team and the blurb. Apparently, the Cubs and Rangers have the same color scheme. I never really thought about it before, but I guess I associate them more with red.

The blurb on the back of the Rangers card talks about his rough start to 2012 and then his impressive comeback to even out his record. What it fails to mention is that he didn't pick up another win all season and rattled off another five more losses.