Arrieta Pitches No-Hitter

Jake Arrieta has flirted with no-hitters this year and last, but he finally got one Sunday night in LA.  Arrieta was in command throughout, striking out twelve Dodgers and pretty much coasting most of the way.  I can't remember watching a no-hitter with fewer stellar defensive plays.  Castro's catch of a relatively soft line drive and Russell's play on a grounder behind second base being the only really memorable gems, which is probably a real compliment to his dominant performance.

The Cubs went 2-4 on the west coast trip, with Arrieta being the winner of both games.  I rather thought the Cubs would split the trip, but that obviously did not happen.  I figured they would lose to Bumgarner and Kershaw, but I also thought the Peavy and Latos games were winnable contests, so there has to be some disappointment there.  After the first night in SF, the Cubs didn't do much scoring and they sure had a lost of chances on Sunday, so there is room for improvement there.

Still, they have to be coming home on a high note and they get to play the Reds and D-backs, pretty mediocre opponents on the home stand.  It will be interesting to see who the Cubs promote starting September 1.  Word is Berry and Bonifacio will be in the first wave, no great shakes there, also Baez, who will be interesting to observe if he gets some playing time.

Two Straight Losses in SF

The Cubs lost two of three in San Francisco this week.  I figured they would lose the Bumgarner game, but the middle game loss was a tough one.  That one has to be on the defense and not really on Hendricks who pitched quite well after the first inning.  I suppose that is what comes of playing guys out of position, but Denorfia really screwed up the leadoff triple which was a clean single that he should have played on the hop.  Coghlan then took a bad route to Posey's flyball, turning what should have been an out into a double.  Anyway, the Cubs are comfortably ensconced in second place in the wild card race, though they have to be frustrated to be playing so well and not gaining ground.  The Pirates and the Cards never seem to play any solid opponents these days.

The Cubs picked up Fernando Rodney from the Mariners for cash considerations.  They seem bent on a never-ending quest to resurrect any closer who ever pitched for Joe Maddon in the past.  Rodney is getting a little long in the tooth, though he still throws hard.  He was quite a force last year, but, this year, as they say, not so much.  Well, the good news is we won't be seeing Schlitter again, nor Rosscup until the September callups.

With Ross off on family leave and Soler and Fowler hurt, the Cubs backup issues are rather exposed.  The improvised lineup on Thursday looked pretty much like a concession to me.  Likely September cannot come any too soon for this team.

Six and Counting

The Cubs won their sixth game in a row last night behind Jake Arrieta.  I'm sure Maddon did not want to use Strop or Rondon in what until the eighth inning was pretty much a laugher.  Still, they got it done.  The Cubs missed Motte in that one, or at least an effective Motte.  Motte has been pretty awful for the week or two leading up to the DL stint.  The guy they are really going to miss for the next month is Soler, who was getting close to being the player everyone thought he could be since his return from the DL.

For some reason the Cubs seem to be stockpiling pinch runners back in the minors for the September run.  First Berry, now Bonifacio.  I suppose it may be helpful, but it hardly seems a priority.

Hendricks pitches tonight against Peavy.  This matchup favors the Cubs if Hendricks pitches back to form.

Back on Track

The Cubs got back in the win column Thursday night with a 7-1 win over the Braves behind Jake Arrietta, who won his 15th game.  They scored big again, although how they managed to score 8 runs in each of the games against Detroit and still lose them both, I do not understand.  Well, bad starting pitching from Hammel and Lester had a lot to do with it.

Lots of the sportswriters seem to be all bothered about the weakness being shown by the Cubs starters lately, but they certainly had a great record during the winning streak, so I would not be overly concerned at this point.  Hammel's performance since his injury before the break, though, is a little worrisome.

Ben Lindbergh at Grantland published an interesting piece comparing the records of the Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs this year.  As I understand it in a nutshell is that statistically the teams are not that different.  The big difference seems to be in baseball luck or anomalous results.  The Cardinals have been really lucky or achieved a record that statistical analysis does not support, the Pirates have done about what is to be expected, and the Cubs have been rather unlucky or have not achieved the results one would have supposed.

These things have a way of evening out over the long haul, so I hope the guy is right.

All things Must End

The Cubs winning streak ended on Sunday at nine, but what a nice run.  The team has played stellar ball since the awful Phillies series.  I kind of figured that when the streak ended it would be against a guy like Sale and a team like the Sox.  Sale is one of the best pitchers in the American League and just the sort of guy who gives this team fits.

Anyway, through the streak, it is a shame they have not made up more ground, though they have picked up four games on the Cards since their lowest point and the same amount or one fewer against the Pirates.  They have also pretty much put the Giants in the rear-view mirror for the time being in the race for the second wild card spot.  It is an oddity of the way the NL divisions are structured that the three best teams are part of the same division and that any of the three would be in first place in the East or West.

Monday is a day off, but the Cubs have seven more games at home against mediocre rivals, the Tigers, Braves, and a makeup game against the Indians.  They should be able to dominate these clubs unless there is some terrible letdown.  After that there is a tough West Cost trip against the Giants and Dodgers and a pretty tough September schedule that features many games against the Pirates and Cardinals before they finish off the year on the road against Cincinnati and Milwaukee.  Of course, that is what you want if you are in contention.  You want to be up against the strongest division rivals.

There are still persistent rumors the Cubs are seeking a deal for Chase Utley of the Phillies.  I sure hope they forget this.  Utley's contract is a bit of an albatross and he seems to want to play every day and play on the West Coast.  Just let this one go, guys.  Castro and Coghlan are not the ideal combination defensively at second base, but LaStella seems to be coming along pretty nicely in his rehab, and the team has been winning despite that weakness, so just let it go.

Cubs Sweep

I noted in my last post that the Giants series would tell us a lot.  So it really did.  The Cubs played great baseball throughout, winning all four games and putting 3 1/2 games between themselves and the nearest rival for the second wild card slot.

There are really good signs all around that indicate the team is a legitimate contender.  One of the more interesting signs they are for real or are all-in or whatever you want to call it is the way Maddon is managing, which is more or less like you are playing playoff games in August.  I'm not sure how long one can maintain that intensity, but it is kind of refreshing.

One sign some commentators see is that Maddon is pretty quick to pull pitchers who are not getting it done or are showing weakness.  I'm not sure that is entirely new.  He has had a pretty quick hook for starters all year and sometimes that has come back to hurt him, but it is the case with the bullpen, especially when he is using secondary assets.

One of the biggest signs is benching Castro, which I think is something that had to be done.  Castro had become an almost automatic out and was becoming increasingly erratic in the field.  Similarly playing Schwarber somewhere every day is a good move.  I'm not sure Coghlan is the answer at second, and in this respect I can see why they might want to kick the tires on Utley.  I still think Utley is a longshot and not necessarily a smart move.

The Cubs are encountering something of a logjam in the next week with players coming off the DL and other leave status.  My guess is that when Ross returns, probably on Thursday to catch Lester, they will send Sczcur down and when LaStella is ready, Herrera will go.  Herrera is versatile and has done OK for stretches of time, but he is a utility guy, whereas LaStella can play second base more or less on a regular basis or at least every day against righties.

Cubs News

The Cubs lost a tough one last night.  Haren was not exactly impressive, but he did not pitch that badly.  They lost basically because they played a really sloppy game defensively and because Travis Wood, who is showing clear signs of overuse, could not get anybody out after the Cubs tied the game at 4 with homers by Scwarber and Rizzo.

Other notable news:

The Cubs resigned Clayton Richard after deciding to put Rafael Soriano, a useless veteran pickup if ever there was one, on th DL with shoulder problems.  The downside of this is they are kind of locked into the eight man bullpen through August unless they dump somebody else.

Gordon Wittenmeyer essentially asked Starlin Castro whether he had considered seeing a shrink for ADHD in light of his frequent and unaccountable defensive blunders. An impertinent question no doubt, but maybe he is on to something and just maybe some higher-up planted the question.  Lots of major leaguers are on Ritalin these days.

Six in a Row

The Cubs notched their sixth straight win and seventh in eight games following the awful Phillies series.  They are back in the second slot for the wild card and have actually picked up ground on the Pirates for the first slot, though they are still three games out.  The Giants series coming up this weekend will tell a lot, but right now they are rolling along, and that despite Bryant's being mired in a terrible slump.

There was a lot of talk about playing stupid, which seems to translate into playing as if you were better than you were expected to be.  The thought has some merit.  This team has its weaknesses, as do all the contenders right now, but it is pretty good all the same.  I'd like to see this team make a run at the Pirates for sure.  Pittsburgh is dealing with a lot of injuries now, both position players and pitching, so there is every chance they will start to come back a bit.

There was a weird rumor the Cubs were interested in acquiring Chase Utley from the Phils.  Lets hope not as this guy has been pretty brutal lately.  Utley's skills peaked a few years ago and even though he put up decent numbers as late as last year, one has to figure the handwriting is on the wall for him.  Besides, who would he replace?  I suppose you can make a case that he slots in as a replacement for Herrera, but it's not like he is Mr. Versatility.  Basically he plays second base.

Another impending roster move is activating Montero.  Maddon has made it pretty clear he wants to keep Schwarber on the major league roster, so that does leave a bit of a problem.  The obvious move is to send down Szczur.  I'm not that much in love with Szczur as a fifth outfielder, but the Cubs could use that spot for another bat in addition to Montero.  I've always felt that carrying thirteen pitchers is wrong.  Now that the team has added Hunter and straightened out the rotation with Haren, I honestly think they can gain some flexibility by dropping a bullpen guy.  The guy who has not pitched that well is obviously Soriano.  It is possible he will turn it around, but it might take a while to do so and the odds are against him.  Also, when you think about it, he doesn't really have a role right now.