The Cubs played a good game for a change and beat Cincinnati 7-3 behind a dominating start from Jake Arrieta. I'd be remiss in not crediting Epstein and Hoyer for recognizing the potential of Arrieta and Travis Wood, as well as Rizzo, and trading real players for them.
The thing is, these guys were close to major league ready. There is a big difference between those deals, and even the Garza deal, and the sort of trades we are hearing about now involving Samardzija. From what I have read, the Toronto players being eyed by the Cubs are AA and high A prospects with the exception of the right-handed pitcher Sanchez who has flopped at AAA. That's a real problem and something that, for me, at least, tips the scale toward retaining Samardzija more or less whatever the cost.
Before last night, the Cubs turned in some pretty lackluster efforts to finish off the Pirates series and begin the one with the Reds. Once again, no hitting and some spotty bullpen work. I have observed before that the Cubs right-handed heavy lineup is just more effective that the left-handed platoon even against same-sided pitchers.
One reason, I suppose, is that the Cubs left-handed hitters with the exception of Rizzo, and sometimes Valbuena when he is hot, completely stink all the time. It's not that the replacements - Lake, Olt, Barney - are exactly tearing things up. Olt, especially, rarely even puts the ball in play. However, they do require some pitching to or at least some attention on the part of the opposing pitcher and they do provide superior defense. Who knows?
Another reason they seem to win with this setup is possibly that Renteria is freer with the bench or so-called bench when it is left-handed. This makes him a little more flexible with the bullpen. Last night, for example, he used four pitchers to get out of the eighth inning. Usually he just throws out someone and if he doesn't have it, there goes the ballgame as there is no one warming up.
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