Two big mistakes by the Chicago Cubs in the 8th inning proved to be too much for them to overcome.  An error to lead off the inning my Mark DeRosa, and then a misplay in left field by Alfonso Soriano allowed the Astros to score two runs in the 8th inning and go on for the the 4-3 win.

The team isn’t hitting the ball that much, so they can’t be making these kind of mistakes on the defensive side of the ball.  They need to make these easy plays that are routine.

On the offensive side, the Cubs struggled for the most part. Geovany Soto did have a two RBI single in the 7th inning and Mark DeRosa hit a solo homerun in the 9th inning.  If the Cubs want to win these games however, they need to score some runs earlier in the ballgame and get into the opposing teams bullpen sooner.

Starting pitcher Rich Hill pitched pretty good for the most part on Friday.  Hill did make a  mistake with two outs in the 4th inning when he walked a batter and then gave up a homerun.  All Hill needs to do is finish off batters, and he would be a very good pitcher.  I look for him to have a good outing in his next performance.

The Cubs record is now 1-3 and will play the Houston Astros again on Saturday.