Same Old Stuff

I haven't written on the blog lately, mainly because there is not much to say.  Although the Cubs broke out with 11 runs yesterday, it should be noted that 10 of them were the result of home runs.  Home runs alone are not an offense.  Also, one game means very little.  Of more significance is the fact they were shut out five times in the month of August, all at home, and on two other occasions, scored only a single run.

Some encouraging notes:

• Maybe the Feldman trade was a clear plus for the Cubs.  Arrieta has pitched well in two starts and Strop has pitched creditably in relief.  Feldman, on the other hand, has been so-so with the Orioles, 3-3, ERA 1.4 more than with the Cubs.

• Castillo has been impressive since the All-Star break and looks like he is developing into a pretty good catcher.  Junior Lake also looks like he has some potential as well, but, in his case, this must be tempered with the realization that this is his first time through the league.  He is maybe not quite the hacker one was led to believe from his minor league stats, although he is not exactly a patient hitter.  Schierholtz has been looking very good lately and has even picked it up somewhat against left-handed pitching.

• Chris Rusin has pitched quite well since his call-up from AAA.

 Some discouraging notes:

• Castro is still an awful player and his mental lapses continue to cause concern.

• Rizzo's numbers continue to slide and he doesn't look like he knows what he is doing at the plate.

• Jackson is just plain inconsistent bordering on awful.

• Samardzija has been inconsistent as well, although he pitched very well last night.

On a final note, maybe someone can explain the DeJesus "trade", at least from the Nationals point-of-view.  For the Cubs, it is simple.  They dump an aging player whose skills are clearly heading downhill and who is a weak defender in CF, the only position his offensive stats entitle him to play.  DeJesus has become almost entirely a platoon player, and notwithstanding the consensus that he is a professional hitter, he is basically a .260 hitter who does not get on base enough to bat leadoff anymore.

Plus the Cubs save a bundle of money in terms of this year's remaining salary and the team buyout of his option.  Lets face it, nobody is going to pay DeJesus $6.5MM next year.  Now the Cubs save the $1.5MM they would have had to shell out to be rid of him.  The scary thing is the Cubs are willing to consider bringing him back at a discount in 2014.  Time to move on from this placeholder.  The Cubs have the worst outfield, defensively and offensively, that I can remember.  One of the reasons they do not score runs.

But for the Nats, you wonder what this buys them.  They are not going to reach the playoffs by any realistic conjecture.  So what do they want with a fourth outfielder this year when they have a solid starting three and some decent prospects in reserve?

I suppose the Nats answered that question by immediately putting DeJesus back on waivers.  Perhaps they are looking to flip him right away.  Maybe DeJesus is the player to be named later.  This one is a puzzler.