Bats are Back

Looks like the slump has ended.  The Cubs scored twelve runs on Tuesday and nine more Wednesday against the Cards to take that series.  Friday they pounded out a bunch of home runs to top the Phils 6-2.  There is no doubt this team is built to score a lot of runs and that their pitching is quite good.  So barring some catastrophic injuries, they are definitely headed to good things.  Just based on head-to-head encounters, you'd have to say the Cardinals have given the Cubs some anxious moments though the Cubs have won four of six anyway.  The team that matches up best with the Cubs is the Giants.  So far I'd have to say they are the most likely contenders, along with the Cubs, for the NL pennant.

A little over a fourth of the way into the season, the Cubs have far and away the best record in baseball, eighteen games over .500 and playing nearly .700 ball.  As far as their off-season acquisitions, they seem to have hit the mark.  Lackey has pitched quite well.  Zobrist has been a revelation.  He can't keep up this pace, but he is a decided improvement over Castro who, after a hot start, has come back to his usual production, which is pretty ordinary.  The Cubs picked up Warren in exchange.  Warren has been pretty good in a relief role and he may have a starting role in his future.

The third big pickup was Heyward.  In my mind, the jury is still out there.  He is likely to come back to form as the season progresses.  There is no doubt he is a terrific defensive outfielder, but so far the bat has not been there.  Even if he pans out, they probably still overpaid, though his addition in sum makes the Cubs a better team.

The Slump Continues

The Cubs have now lost eight of their last twelve and three in a row including Monday night's loss to the Cardinals.  Most of these are games they would have won easily earlier in the year, so there is definitely some sort of malaise.  Perhaps there is a sense of complacency there.  Hard to figure.

Lots of the woes are the result of lack of hitting in the clutch.  On Monday they did their usual bit of grinding out at-bats and driving up the pitch count on Wainwright, but they could not add on in the late innings despite some opportunities.  The top of the ninth showed a serious lack of execution.  They had the Cards closer Rosenthal on the ropes after two solid hits, but the Rizzo play killed off their chances.  In that situation, Rizzo has to hit the ball in the air.  Right now he is just not driving the ball and just chipping a little flare toward left field isn't going to cut it.  Also, you have to question Fowler's read of that ball.  There is no way that ball gets through the infield.  Either it is caught, as turned out to be the case, or it is a little one-hopper.  Either way, Fowler is out if he tries to advance.  I haven't seen any criticism of Fowler in that situation, but it seems to be a case of poor judgment at best.

A Bit of a Slimp

The Cubs are in a bit of a slump lately, having lost 4 of their last 6 games.  The games they have lost were mainly because they haven't been hitting.  Maybe Joe should let them take batting practice after all.

Last night's game was a puzzler, as they figured to hammer a pretty mediocre pitcher with control problems.  However, they have a tendency to perform poorly against pitchers who throw a lot of change-ups, at least the first time they face off.  Hopefully tonight will be a different story.

Tough Losses

The Cubs suffered a bit of a letdown on Wednesday, losing both ends of a split double-header to the lowly Padres after winning eight games in a row.  The main culprit in the first game was the bullpen.  Actually, the bullpen woes began on Tuesday night when the team almost blew a big lead in the late innings.

I have to say that sometimes managers lose games when they over-manage and this seemed to be the case in the afternoon game.  Kyle Hendricks was sailing along with two outs in the seventh inning, in complete control and holding a 4-2 lead.  Then the Padres got a bunt single.  Maddon replaced Hendricks with Pedro Strop, who proceeded to blow the game.

In the evening rematch, Lackey pitched a superb game, allowing only a solo home run to to Bettancourt, the Padres reserve catcher.  The Cubs showed a certain vulnerability to left-handers who rely on changing speeds and throwing big breaking balls.  They had their chances, but could not cash in, falling 1-0.  Well, they are still seven games up on the Pirates and playing better than .750 ball.  The Pirates come in for a three game series beginning Friday.

Cubs Keep Winning

The Cubs added a four-game sweep of the Nationals at home to their three-game sweep of the Pirates on the road.  Seven straight and playing .800 ball.  What can you say?

Which does bring up a problem for the inveterate baseball blogger.  What, indeed, can you say?  Even when they play sloppy baseball, as they did in the early stages of Sunday's game, they seem to right the ship.  On Sunday, it took thirteen innings, including eight stellar innings of relief work from the bullpen, but they got it done thanks to a walk-off home run by Javier Baez.

Some people, including the Nationals players, have criticized Maddon's strategy of just walking or pitching around Bryce Harper.  It is certainly not brave and maybe a bit too conservative.  But look at it this way.  Through the early season, the Nats have had an offense that has consisted mainly of Harper with an occasional dose of Murphy thrown in.  The other strength of the team had been its pitching.

The Cubs managed to neutralize the pitching aspect by playing the waiting game, rolling up the pitch count, etc.  That worked.  So the only way I expect Maddon thought his team could lose is by giving Harper a chance to get hot and drive in runs.  Take that away and your chances of victory are certainly enhanced.  The strategy serves to expose the Nats weakness right now as a team.  Give the Cubs coaches and scouts credit for this analysis and setting up the team to continue winning.  And, hey, they did pitch to Murphy.  He was six for fourteen, but did not drive in a single run.

So, anyway, seven straight against the two best teams in the NL makes a statement of sorts.  It used to be thought that getting twenty games over .500 by the All-Star break guaranteed a playoff berth and likely a division championship.  This team is eighteen games over .500 after only thirty games played.

What can you say?

Complete Control

I have to say there is very little you can say about Jake Arrieta's total command right now.  He is pretty much invicilble and, so, also, are the Cubs.  Last year, the Cubs clawed their way from obscurity to contention.  They had to win a do or die wild card game on the road in Pittsburgh to advance.  This season there seems little doubt they are far and away the best in their division and probably the league.

It is interesting to see how they are learning and gaining confidence as well.  Gerritt Cole had dominated the Cubs througout his career until the elimination game last fall.  In that game, the Cubs figured out that they could beat him with an almost relentless patience.  On Monday night, they used the same approach and they again ran up his pitch count to over 100 by the fifth inning.  These guys are really good and they are really well coached.

Injuries are affecting the team for sure, but it certainly pays to have all that depth to fall back upon.  Szczur was placed on the DL after a hamstring injury and Heyward is day to day with a sore wrist, but so far thry have not missed a beat, nor have they needed to dip down to AAA to call up their best prospects Candelario and Contreras.

I have to mention also how impressive Javier Baez has been in the fielud.  I have been critical of his approach at the plate, though that is much improved this year, but, were it not for all the hype about his prodigious power and offensive potential, people would be talking about him as a future gold glover who could stay in the majors if he could hit .250.