Cubs/Brewers

Actually I was out at Wrigley Wednesday night.  The shot above shows Soler batting with, I think, with Coghlan on third base and Valbuena (out of picture) at second just before Soler doubled in two runs.  I should have brought some longer glass.

Anyway, the Cubs have played well over the past few series.  They should have won three of four in St. Louis but for some sloppy play.  They swept the Brewers who are in free fall right now, having lost their ninth in a row against St. Louis on Thursday night.  Granted Milwaukee has had some injuries, but they have never impressed me as a genuinely good team.  Actually I do not think the Cards are all that great either but they will likely win the division.  All the more reason for the Cubs to double down on next year.  The Central Division is nothing to write home about.

Back to the Cubs, though, Soler continues to impress, as does Hendricks.  Actually, Watkins also seems like a changed performer in this year's callup and Alcantara seems to be coming around a bit after a rough go.  Baez, not so much.  I realize he has enormous potential and sometimes players need to fail big time in their first shot to accept the adjustments they need to make, but right now he is completely overmatched and his performance is not a whole lot different than Jackson, Lake, and Olt before him.

The papers are full of stories that Castro may have played his last game for the Cubs, given his apparently season-ending injury.  I have always waxed hot and cold on Castro, mostly cold or lukewarm.  I will grant he has matured this year as a hitter though this is probably his plateau.  He can be a useful player on a good team, though.  If the alternative to Castro is Baez, they ought to hold on to him right now.  In any case, were they to trade either, they had better get a real top-of-the-line major league pitcher in exchange.

The Cubs were smart to bring up some of these kids early, not just to give them the experience, but to provide some interest for the fans who have heretofore endured several seasons of just awful and hopeless baseball.