Hey Chicago, what do you say?

I am a loyal Chicago Cubs fan, and I?m disappointed to see the team get off to a rough start. We are a little more than one quarter through the season and the Cubs sit at 18-23. Early in the season, they accomplished something no other team had ever done. The Cubs lost their first game of the year and won their second, making them 1-1. The Cubs more or less alternated wins and losses for the next three weeks. Their record was 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and finally 10-10. The 2011 Chicago Cubs are the only team in history to have an equal number of wins and losses at every number from one through 10.

The Cubs have since slipped from mediocrity to bottom feeding. They are six games back of the Cincinnati Reds and in fifth place in their division. What?s odd is that the Cubs are a good hitting team. They have a .279 team average, which is second best in the majors. Unfortunately, they can?t deliver with the ?ducks on the pond.? They are among the worst teams in the league at hitting with runners in scoring position, batting in the .220s.

The success, and struggles, of third baseman Aramis Ramirez epitomizes the Cubs? season thus far. Ramirez is hitting a respectable .290 on the season but is an inexplicable 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

The Cubs? bright spots are their two middle infielders, shortstop Starlin Castro and second baseman Darwin Barney. Both are products of the Cubs? farm system and both have hit the cover off the ball. Barney is batting .333 and Castro is right behind him at .329. Rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome has maintained a .330 average even after missing a few weeks in April because of an injury. Centerfielder Marlon Byrd is batting a solid .307 and hit a decisive home run against the Florida Marlins in the Cubs 7-5 win Wednesday.

In the early going, everyone in Cubs? nation was scratching their head about what to do with first baseman Carlos Peña. Peña was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the off-season and was supposed to provide some pop in the line-up to make up for the absence of long-time first baseman Derrek Lee, who is now with the Baltimore Orioles. Peña struggled mightily in the first month of the season, hitting well below the Mendoza line of .200 without a single long ball. Peña has become a much better hitter in May, raising his average to .232, and has blasted five dingers this month.

No starter on the team feels secure with the reserves the Cubs have. Their bench is nothing short of spectacular. Platoon outfielder Reed Johnson is batting .400 in limited action and has hit two home runs, including a game-winner against the San Diego Padres. Jeff Baker is hitting .347 but only gets spot starts against left-handed pitchers.

The Cubs had few bright spots on their pitching staff in the first few weeks of the season, but that has begun to change. Matt Garza, another pick-up from the Rays, is the team?s best starter with a 3.72 earned run average (ERA). The usually dependable Ryan Dempster has a gigantic 6.91 ERA. He had a start in Arizona in which he gave up seven runs and left after recording just one out. That was painful to watch.

The bullpen is superb. Carlos Marmol is the closer and has a sparkling 1.42 ERA, thanks in large part to his unhittable slider. Set-up man Sean Marshall boasts a high arching curveball and a 1.53 ERA. Kerry Wood, who is back with the club after a few years in the American League, has a 2.25 ERA and now throws almost exclusively cut fastballs. Even the wild and ulcer-inducing Jeff Samardzija has an ERA of just 2.96.

The Cubs are a below average fielding team. A couple of errant throws cost them five runs and a win against the Reds on Tuesday night. Castro went through a rough patch when he made several errors, including three in one inning, but has been good as of late. Soriano is a defensive liability in left field, but thankfully he has ended his annoying habit of hopping before catching a fly ball.

The Cubs have never been a speedy team in their whole history. They have the second fewest stolen bases in the majors with nine. Fortunately, they just called up from the minors a young speedster named Tony Campana. Campana stole a base and scored a run on what looked like a sure out at the plate in Wednesday?s win over the Marlins.

The north-siders have a long way to go before they?re back in contention. If they can continue hitting at their current rate, and get quality starts from their rotation, I think we could see post-season baseball in Chicago.