5 First Game Thoughts

1. Zambrano looked pretty good. His pitches had good movement and he hit his spots. If the Cubs are going to win the division, they need Carlos. So far so good.

2. Alfonso Soriano usually starts out slow, so his 2 hits, including his lead off homerun, are a good sign. Last year he hit .192 in April with only 2 homeruns. Halfway there in that regard.

3. Marmol came in and faced the first four Astros hitters including Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee. He got two groundouts and a pop out. His lone baserunner was Lance Berkman with a walk. Kevin Gregg came in to close the game and quickly gave up two singles. He retired the next three hitters, so maybe it was just first game nerves. Either way, Marmol came in and faced the tough hitters which is exactly what Piniella was thinking when he named Marmol the set up man.

4. Mike Fontenot showed why the signing of Aaron Miles was a waste of $4.7M. He had three hits, including a double in the fourth inning. He also had no problems defensively. Miles has no reason to throw the fit he did in St. Louis when he was benched. He should take his money and enjoy the ride.

5. Speaking of wastes, Fukudome did nothing to change anyone's mind tonight.