I don't know that one can reach any great conclusions thus far based on this and earlier series wins. One thing is the Cubs are far and away the best team in the division. Another is the Cubs starting pitching is by no means as dominant as last year. When they have lost, with few exceptions, though, the bullpen has been more blameworthy. That may be because the call to the pen is going out in the sixth, not the seventh or eighth. In the Reds series, however, the bullpen was good.
The Cubs offense has been on the upswing. Playing in Cincinnati doesn't hurt. Actually, I hate to watch games there. The place is a bandbox at best. Nice to see the Cubs smash out home runs all night long, but the stadium is a joke.
Back to pitching, it seems Hendricks is a different player right now. He has lost about 2 mph on his fastball, which means his offspeed stuff doesn't have as much of a differential, so it becomes rather more hitable. Hope he straightens this out.
On the roster front, the Cubs optioned LaStella to Iowa. Not that I like the whole business of eight relievers, but the move was inevitable. I wonder if LaStella has lost his penchant for being a Cub or bust. He could certainly be a productive bench player elsewhere or even a starting infielder on a weaker team. He has no real future in the Cubs organization with all the infield talent on the current roster and moving up through the system. With the continued development of Happ, one wonders if even Baez has a future here, especially if he keeps swinging at sliders a foot outside.
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