Remember not too long ago when Rich Hill (1.73) was leading MLB starters in earned run average? Now he doesn't even lead the Cubs, though his numbers remain stellar.
Now at 1.70, Jason Marquis' three-hit shutout last night gives the Cubs two starting pitchers with ERAs below 1.80 (and three below 2.80 with Ted Lilly).
A gander through the bullpen stats shows some stellar numbers as well - Neal Cotts 0.77, Michael Wuertz 1.84, Angel Guzman 2.19, Ryan Dempster 2.50, Bobby Howry 2.60 - and Will Ohman (3.86) would be right there with them except for one ineffective mid-April outing. Despite a poor record in extra innings, you can't reach the 14th inning stretch on multiple occasions without several innings of superior clutch relief work when a single hanging breaking ball can give you the L.
Despite the league's second-best batting average to back it up, who would have figured the Cubs' problem would be scoring runs in tight games?
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