6/1 May days

It’s June 1. What did we learn about the Cubs in May?

* They don’t have a closer. Carlos Marmol had the job, then lost it to rookie Rafael Dolis, who is now at Triple-A Iowa trying to find his command. James Russell, Shawn Camp and even Casey Coleman will take turns saving games as Dale Sveum goes with the best matchup.

* Bryan LaHair is not Babe Ruth. The first baseman hit .390 in April with five homers, eight doubles and 14 RBIs, then cooled off in May.

* Starlin Castro may not be a No. 3 hitter.

* They survived a 12-game losing streak, and won three in a row earlier than last year’s team did. Give credit to even keel Sveum and his staff.

* They need more catchers. Geovany Soto, Steve Clevenger, and Welington Castillo went on DL in a matter of days.

* Kerry Wood’s career ended perfectly with one last strikeout May 18, and he can now focus on 6-year-old son Justin’s Little League games.

Numbers game:

Team batting

April (23 games): .237 BA; .294 OBP; .339 slugging; .633 OPS; 9 homers, 75 RBIs

May (27 games): .259 BA; .320 OBP; .429 slugging; .748 OPS; 30 homers; 96 RBIs

Team pitching

April: 8-15; 4.21 ERA; 2-for-5 save opportunities

May: 10-17; 4.47 ERA; 5-for-10 save opportunities

May showers

Ryan Dempster: 0-2, 3.72 ERA, 6 starts

Matt Garza: 0-2, 6.86 ERA, 4 starts

Bryan LaHair: .253 BA; .343 OBP; .448 slugging; .792 OPS; 2 doubles, 5 HR, 8 RBIs

May flowers

Darwin Barney .284 BA; .344 OBP; .489 slugging; .832 OPS; 2 HR, 10 doubles, 8 RBIs

Starlin Castro .304 BA; .311 OBP; .452 slugging; .763 OPS; 4 HR, 1 double, 18 RBIs

David DeJesus .317 BA; .400 OBP; .495 slugging; .895 OPS; 7 doubles, 4 triples, 1 HR, 8 RBIs

Alfonso Soriano, .290 BA; .353 OBP; .591 slugging; .944 OPS; 7 HRs, 7 doubles, 17 RBIs

Shawn Camp 2-1, 13 games, 1.35 ERA

Paul Maholm 2-1, 3.56 ERA, 5 starts

Jeff Samardzija 3-2, 2.48 ERA, 6 starts

– Carrie Muskat