Mainly, I guess, because they have had two plus starts from their two best pitchers, which has given the bullpen some respite. Arrieta looked really good on Tuesday after he settled in, and Lester looked good as well before he ran out of gas in the sixth inning on Monday. If the Cubs get seven innings from Hammel tomorrow, they have a shot at sweeping the series even though Wood is scheduled to start Thursday afternoon.
Kris Bryant has homered in consecutive games. More importantly, he has just been having quality at-bats lately and has hustled out several infield hits, etc. Maddon had all he could do in the post-game interview to avoid gushing comparisons to Roy Hobbs.
On the trade front, rumors are swirling again about a possible trade of Castro or another infielder to the Mets for a pitching prospect, presumably Syndergaard or the lefty Steven Matz. Syndergaard looked pretty good in his debut Tuesday night, and Matz is thought by some to be even better. While the teams do match up pretty well in terms of needs and strengths, I wonder how real some of the talk is right now, especially as both teams are major market clubs that are assessing their chances of winning now as opposed to the near future. They are likely to wait a bit before they pull the trigger on anything, and that strikes me as the right course for both teams.
I have a couple of thoughts on a potential deal. The Mets want a shortstop who can hit now, and that means Castro or Russell. Russell is probably untouchable now, or at least an asset the Cubs are not thinking of moving near term. I have always had mixed feelings about Castro, and, at one time, I was one of his harsher critics. I have come around lately to seeing his value, especially given the less than stellar debut of Javier Baez, at one time the heir apparent.
Castro has matured into a pretty decent shortstop and also a pretty decent hitter. Dropped down to the sixth slot in the order, Castro has developed a little more patience and pitch recognition at the plate. Now that he is part of a team that gets on base a lot more than in the past, he is getting a lot of RBI chances. So far, he has driven in 20 runs, which leads the team. I would not want to move a guy who is having a good year unless I were sure he could be replaced with an equally productive bat and glove. Right now, that replacement is certainly not Baez. Given Castro's performance so far, I think the Cubs are looking at matters in the same way. Barring a trade, it is likely the Cubs will have Russell and Castro swap positions when the season is over.
I can see the Cubs packaging Baez and some other prospects who are blocked in a trade for an established starting pitcher. I think the Cubs are looking more or less for more established players unless they fall so far behind the Cards that the season is a loss. Neither Syndergaard nor Matz really match this need. Hamels does, and I would not be surprised to see the Cubs take a shot at him later this year, especially if they stay close and the Phillies are still in sell mode.
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