Stats pack: Cubs taking their walks

Had a chance to pore over the stats today. Here’s one you may have missed from last night’s game: Alfonso Soriano had 3 walks. Looking at the day by days, it’s the first time Sori has done that since…drum roll…May 22, 2007 at San Diego. It all goes to a larger point that the Cubs are creeping up in some of the key offensive categories. After floundering around the bottom of the NL over the first couple of weeks of the season, the Cubs are now fifth in walks, fifth in on-base percentage and seventh in runs scored. Their run differential also is a plus-10, and if those things keep up, they should portend well. Here are some hitting lines and walks totals: Theriot .333/.374/.393 and 6 walks Soriano .295/.362/.525 and 7 walks Soto .349/.517/.512 and 15 walks Lee .214/.360/.400 and 15 walks Byrd .355/.375/.579 and 2 walks Colvin .333/.415/.722 and 5 walks Fukudome .327/.393/.577 and 7 walks Ramirez .145/.214/.303 and 7 walks Fontenot .295/.333/.341 and 3 walks Baker .214/.267/.429 and 3 walks The Cubs have averaged 5 walks per game in their last six games after averaging 3.4 in their first 14 games. In their last six games, the Cubs have hit .326 (73-for-224) with a .399 OBP. Theriot enters tonight’s game against the Nats with six straight multihit games while Byrd has five multihit games in a row. Here is the quality-start update: The Cubs have 14 quality starts in their first 20 games. They are 8-6 in those games, and the starters have an ERA of 1.57 in their quality starts. When the Cubs don’t get a quality start, their record is 2-4, and the starters’ ERA is 7.81. Quality starts by starter: Silva 4 Wells 3 Dempster 3 Zambrano 2 Gorzelanny 1 Lilly 1 The bullpen has a 1.54 ERA in the last five games following a stretch of five games where it had an ERA of 6.46. Cubs outfielders have driven in 42 runs, second to Dodgers outfielders, who have 48 RBI. On the minor-league front, Iowa (AAA) outfielder Brad Snyder was named the Pacific Coast League player of the week for April 19-25. He hit .480 (12-for-25) with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 5 runs and 7 RBI in six games. At Class AA Tennessee, Ryan Flaherty, a second baseman, had a season-high 3 hits last night in a 9-5 win over Birmingham. He was 3-for-5 with a double, a run and 3 RBI. Catcher Robinson Chirinos has a line of .346/.410/.731 for an OPS of 1.141. He’s 18-for-52 with 5 doubles, 5 homers and 18 RBI. Back later with lineups and pregame stuff.