Things began innocently enough on Monday night when the Cubs held on to beat Washington 5-4. After that, things got a little crazy. We had already remarked on Montero's unusual outburst after the Tuesday night debacle which saw Arriea continue to pitch badly and the combination of Arrieta and Montero allow seven stolen bases.
Was Montero right to blow up like that publicly? Clearly not, though he is an emotional guy and has exhibited a certain frankness with the press on other occasions. He was, incidentally, right about the root cause of the failure to throw out runners. On the other hand, he hasn't had much success controlling the running game this season no matter who is pitching. His defensive skills are clearly in decline and he is a bad match for the Cubs pitchers in general, since they do not, as a rule, pay a lot of attention to baserunners.
The whole business about trying to protect the young players from the corrupting influence of such public frankness doesn't hold much water in my mind. I mean, although athletes are not the brightest bulbs, you can just tell these kids not to try the same trick. Rather I think it illustrates some dissension on the team already and probably bad blood between Maddon and Montero in the first place. I may be wrong. In any case, the Cubs pulled the trigger quickly. I had thought they would likely let Montero go after the season and might even trade him at the deadline. Now, however, they will get virtually nothing in return.
Next, of course, came the gratuitous White House visit. I suppose this goes with the territory when the majority of the team's owners are Neanderthal right-wingers. Actually, the majority of all sports team ownership falls into this category, so there is nothing new there. Still, the whole business was an unnecessary distraction which might have caused more of a stir had it not been for the Montero flap. I was really disappointed to see Maddon giving an inspirational speech to young Republicans that same day. Say it ain't so, Joe. Albert Almora became my new favorite Cub for a while when it appeared he was giving the finger to Trump in a group photo. Later he denied the intention, but I still like to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Finally, the Cubs did pull out a victory in Thursday's game, coming from behind in the ninth after appearing to blow the game earlier. Lester pitched well. I kind of question taking him out for a pinch hitter in the top of the inning. He was at 90 pitches, but he was coasting along. As it turns out, Edwards was wild and ineffective, so they almost blew the game, falling behind 4-2. Only some clutch hitting for a change and the futility of the Nationals bullpen bailed them out.
If you look at the series as a playoff preview, you have to think the Cubs came out of it looking like more than a match for Washington. After all the drama and the poor starting pitching and fielding a team of rookies and second year players, they wound up with a split.
For the Cubs, even when they get their team back intact, it's all about pitching, which is why they are a .500 team now. They are going to need to add something at the deadline. For the Nats, it's all about their bullpen, which is among the worst in baseball right now.
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