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.