Is Carlos Silva really this good? I hope so. He just pitched seven shutout innings against the Cardinals to up his record to 7-0 for the year. His season ERA is a decent 3.52.
Not that I’m complaining as a Cub fan, mind you but it does rather surprise me. In his past two years, Silva was 5-18 with a 6.81 ERA. Don’t get me wrong but I just don’t think the Cubs coaching staff can work miracles like this.
Historically, Carlos Silva has had his strengths and his weaknesses. He’s had a penchant for giving up the longball even leading the AL in homers allowed in 2006 with 38. That said, he helps himself by his extremely low walk count. For his career, he has allowed only 1.7 walks per nine innings (again, he led the AL in that category with a miniscule 0.4 figure). This year, he’s right on track with that stat… he’s giving the free pass at a 1.8/9 IP pace.
But the wins.. seven wins.. Run support has been key, I suppose. The Cubs have scored 45 runs in the seven wins for an average of 6.42 runs per game. No pitcher has gotten off to such a good start for the Cubs since Illini graduate Ken Holtzman in 1967. Silva will have a couple more wins to go to match Holtzman… he started out 9-0.
The Cubs have done all right in those games that Silva had started but didn’t get the decision too. They are 2-1 in those games. Their only loss in a game which he started was his very first in April 9th in Cincinnati when they lost 5-4.
Let’s look at it from one more angle. How would the Cubs be doing without Silva and his 7-0 record? Even if we assume that his replacement won roughly half his games (I’m being generous), the Cubs would be at 21-29 instead of 24-26. That’s a wide difference this early in the season considering how much ground they would have to make up.
Whatever it is… whatever they’re doing.. let’s keep it up. It’s keeping the Cubs in it as much as they are.
Go Cubs!