Opening Series Preview: Brewers @ Cubs

And it's time. The time to stop making excuses. The time where guys stop just working on their fundamentals and start applying them. The time to prove what you're really made of. And for the Brewers, it's the time to defy every expert, whom all seem to say 89 wins and second in the NL Central. And for me, it's time to be more efficient with this thing. For the next two months, I will be doing everything I can to watch and analyze every game, while giving you a preview before every series. It's a daunting task, but hopefully you will all appreciate the effort. Please pass along the blog to your friends and please feel free to comment and/or ask questions. The more I go through the motions, the more knowledgeable I become, and the more capable I will be as a fan and as a blogger. On to the series preview...

March 31sth - April 3rd
Match-up: Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Location: Wrigley Field

Who's on tap?
March 31st Ben Sheets vs. Carlos Zambrano
April 2nd Jeff Suppan vs. Ted Lilly
April 3rd Dave Bush vs. Ryan Dempster

Who should you watch?
Everybody and their mother will say Ben Sheets, Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder for the Brewers and Carlos Zambrano for the Cubs. Well, they're fun to watch, but you really should watch Kosuke Fukudome and Rickie Weeks. You may not know it yet, but it's likely that these teams; seasons are hinged on the performances of these two potential superstars. Fukudome has a ton to prove about his power and his ability to hit major league pitching. He raked in Spring Training, but the regular season is a whole other cup of tea. Rickie Weeks stumbled mightily this spring, leading the Brewers with the most errors and failing to show the power he had last September. Nevertheless, Weeks and Fukudome and both poised to help carry their respective teams over the top. If either struggles, expect the rest of their team to do the same.

What are the keys to victory?
For the Brewers it's going to be quality ABs. Zambrano has a ridiculous problem with command, but when he's on, he's absolutely lights out. If he's in between, it's your job to wait for your pitch. When he gets behind, you know he's going to try for that inside fastball. If he gets it over the plate, you're in. Walks will be important this series. Let's hope the Brewers realize that. For the Cubs, it's pitching. Those guys are going to hit. Very few people understand the potential the Cubs lineup has. With the exception of Ryan Theriot, Mark DeRosa and Felix Pie, the Cubs have homerun and quality AB potential all over the place. But if their pitchers have a problem keeping their guys on the field for the long periods of time, the psyche of their players will dwindle greatly. A mysterious bullpen filled with Marmol, Sean Marshall, Bob Howry, Michael Wuertz and Kerry Wood, leaves many questions. If their starters can get them through seven innings, they should be solid with Marmol and Wood at the back end. Marshall and Wuertz are a little suspect though, and may be vulnerable, but looking at their numbers, they could be the strongest part of this team with the rest of their middle relief core. Let's just hope they fall apart this season.

Predictions
It's hard to say this, but the Brewers will not win this series. I fully expect them to take at least one game and that's going to be the opener today or tomorrow, pending the weather. The second game will be a battle between Suppan and Lilly, but I think the Brewers will struggle at the plate in a tight and low scoring game. And in the final game, I think it's going to be a bloodbath. Dempster and Bush are going to get lit up. There's definite potential for Brewers to win this game, and take the series, but Bush needs to pitch reasonable and not give up the big inning, that being four runs in the first. This teams confidence is fragile, no matter what they say. When they get down, they get down on themselves. If they can stay away from that, it's going to be an exciting season.

LET'S GO CREW!