The Cubs took the weekend series from the Cardinals two games to one. As Maddon stated after the game, they proved they could play with these guys. They might easily have swept had Hayward's throw to just nip Rizzo at home in the eighth inning been a little off-line. Then again, had Russell not made a spectacular play to get the last out in Saturday's game, the Cards might have taken the series, not the Cubs. As we noted earlier on this blog, right now there is not a lot of difference between the top three in the NL Central and they are clearly the best teams in the National League. Too bad one of them will sit out the playoffs.
Hard to realize the Cubs have only seven more home games remaining and only thirteen left in the regular season. The Pirates series ought to be something next weekend and it will probably determine who has home field advantage in the one game wild card playoff. I like the Cubs chances here, as the Cubs get to go head-to-head at home with Pittsburgh and the Pirates have the tougher schedule remaining.
The Cubs play a three game series with the Brewers to begin the week. Logically, they ought to sweep, but, of course, the Cubs have historically played sloppy baseball against the Brewers. The Brewers have always played sloppy ball against the Cubs as well, but, then, this year they have played badly against everyone. This is a nice series to get Hammel and Hendricks some confidence going into the stretch run.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Quite a Road Trip
The Cubs won a slugfest Thursday afternoon to complete a 3-1 series sweep in Pittsburgh. The victory followed a really exciting extra-inning win Wednesday night. All in all, the Cubs finished up 7-4 on the trip, which is, I think, rather more than they expected when they set off. More significantly, the team actually had a chance to win all of the games they dropped.
It will be interesting to see how things play out from here. The Cubs certainly have a shot at overtaking the Pirates and a long shot at besting the Cards. Looking at the Pirates, I would have to conclude that the Cubs have a certain advantage in a short series mainly because their starting pitching, as unreliable as the back end has proved through the month of September so far, is superior in that they have two lights-out aces in Arrieta and Lester, whereas the Pirates, as consistent as they may be, have only Gerrit Cole who approaches that level.
It will be interesting to see how things play out from here. The Cubs certainly have a shot at overtaking the Pirates and a long shot at besting the Cards. Looking at the Pirates, I would have to conclude that the Cubs have a certain advantage in a short series mainly because their starting pitching, as unreliable as the back end has proved through the month of September so far, is superior in that they have two lights-out aces in Arrieta and Lester, whereas the Pirates, as consistent as they may be, have only Gerrit Cole who approaches that level.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Cubs Split Double-Header
The Cubs split a double-header with the Pirates on Tuesday, avoiding a complete disaster and snapping a three game losing streak of games they possibly and probably could have won. The first game was a bit of a nightmare. The Cubs managed to work up the pitch count on Cole and give themselves a chance, tying the game at 4. Then they turned the ball over to Justin Grimm, which turned out to be a big mistake. Not that he was super-awful, but this guy has apparently taken a vow never to throw strikes. He walked the first batter, which is pretty much what he always does lately. The pinch runner promptly stole second base and, owing to Castro's failure to block the throw from Montero, wound up at third with nobody out. So much for that one.
The truth is there is very little difference between the top three teams in the NL Central in terms of talent and ability, so most of the contests from here on out are going to turn on breaks and mistakes as well as dominant or heroic performances. The Cubs salvaged the nightcap mainly on the strength of a superb complete game from Lester, who, I suppose, demonstrated why the team is paying him a gazillion dollars. Some guys are money players and Lester seems to be one for sure. I was glad to see Maddon forego the chance to call on the bullpen in yet another pressure spot. The Cubs did not cash in on a lot of scoring chances in Game 2, but they played stellar defense and that, coupled with Lester's dominance, won the day.
As an aside, everybody is talking about the question marks in terms of the fifth starter in the Cubs rotation, but the real problem since the All-Star Break has been Hammel, who, since his hamstring strain or for whatever reason, has been more than iffy as their #3. You can advance in post-season with two really good starters and a couple of reliable bullpen arms, but it is a lot easier with a third starter who can at least get you into the seventh inning. Right now, Hammel is not that guy by a long shot.
The Cubs have Arrieta going on Wednesday night, so the odds are they can at least split the Pirates series and come back with a winning road trip heading into their final homestand.
The truth is there is very little difference between the top three teams in the NL Central in terms of talent and ability, so most of the contests from here on out are going to turn on breaks and mistakes as well as dominant or heroic performances. The Cubs salvaged the nightcap mainly on the strength of a superb complete game from Lester, who, I suppose, demonstrated why the team is paying him a gazillion dollars. Some guys are money players and Lester seems to be one for sure. I was glad to see Maddon forego the chance to call on the bullpen in yet another pressure spot. The Cubs did not cash in on a lot of scoring chances in Game 2, but they played stellar defense and that, coupled with Lester's dominance, won the day.
As an aside, everybody is talking about the question marks in terms of the fifth starter in the Cubs rotation, but the real problem since the All-Star Break has been Hammel, who, since his hamstring strain or for whatever reason, has been more than iffy as their #3. You can advance in post-season with two really good starters and a couple of reliable bullpen arms, but it is a lot easier with a third starter who can at least get you into the seventh inning. Right now, Hammel is not that guy by a long shot.
The Cubs have Arrieta going on Wednesday night, so the odds are they can at least split the Pirates series and come back with a winning road trip heading into their final homestand.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
A Disappointing Series
The Cubs split the four game series with Philadelphia, a series one would have expected them to sweep or at least win three of the four games. After winning the double-header on Friday, the Cubs lost the next two, thanks largely to bullpen meltdowns. There were also some questionable managerial decisions involved as well. Clayton Richard pitched pretty well for three innings, got in trouble in his fourth inning, eventually throwing a wild pitch to allow the lead run to score. Watching the replay, although the ball was in the dirt, it is a ball that Montero has to block.
A sloppy play by Rizzo opened the door Saturday night as well. Still, Maddon has shown a lot of confidence in Justin Grimm even though lately there seems precious little reason to do so. Grimm has an ERA over 10 in his last seven appearances and his numbers have been going south for the past month.
There is little doubt the bullpen is the team's Achilles heel right now. Although they have a bunch of guys out there, it is pretty clear the only guy who pitches with any confidence is Rondon, and probably the only guys who can be counted on in a pinch more often than not are Rondon and Strop, maybe Wood and Richard and Cahill with the right match-ups.
Anything less than a split in the Pittsburgh series is going to put the team's wild card position in some jeopardy coming into the Cardinals series. They have an off-day to regroup, but that double-header Tuesday could be a big problem. They can pretty well count on getting seven innings from Lester and the same from Arrieta on Wednesday, but Hammel, of course, is pretty iffy.
A sloppy play by Rizzo opened the door Saturday night as well. Still, Maddon has shown a lot of confidence in Justin Grimm even though lately there seems precious little reason to do so. Grimm has an ERA over 10 in his last seven appearances and his numbers have been going south for the past month.
There is little doubt the bullpen is the team's Achilles heel right now. Although they have a bunch of guys out there, it is pretty clear the only guy who pitches with any confidence is Rondon, and probably the only guys who can be counted on in a pinch more often than not are Rondon and Strop, maybe Wood and Richard and Cahill with the right match-ups.
Anything less than a split in the Pittsburgh series is going to put the team's wild card position in some jeopardy coming into the Cardinals series. They have an off-day to regroup, but that double-header Tuesday could be a big problem. They can pretty well count on getting seven innings from Lester and the same from Arrieta on Wednesday, but Hammel, of course, is pretty iffy.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Good Series, Tough Loss
The Cubs won the Cardinals series 2-1 and came within 2/3 of an inning of a sweep. After Wednesday's game, Maddon was looking for lessons and sort of came to the conclusion the loss would toughen the team up and that they had to execute, meaning, I suppose, that Strop should not have walked that guy and the Richard and Rodney messed up as well. Also that the team was upset and disheartened not to have swept the series and that was a good thing.
Actually, you can make a case that this one, and likely most of the bullpen meltdowns over the course of the season, come about as a natural consequence of Maddon's style of handling the bullpen and his starting pitchers. I'm not saying that style is indefensible, just that there are some drawbacks in going to the pen in the fifth or sixth inning a lot, namely that sooner or later, these guys, unless they are really, really good, are going to get tired or choke or both.
Maddon has relied on Grimm, Strop, and Rondon for most of the pressure spots this year, and it is pretty clear that Rondon is the only guy he can really count on to get crucial outs or shut down the opposing team. That's not to say these guys cannot come back. Arrieta pitches tomorrow, so that probably means the pen will get a respite. But the thing is that the bullpen is by no means comparable to, say, the Royals last year, so you are going to get these situations every now and again.
Also, there really was an alternative to calling on Strop to start the eighth inning and that, of course, was to leave Lester in the game. Lester had pitched seven scoreless innings after a shaky first and had allowed only one base-runner all that time. Granted he had thrown around 100 pitches, and granted we don't know whether he was out of gas or what, but he seemed to be in complete command to that point.
Actually, you can make a case that this one, and likely most of the bullpen meltdowns over the course of the season, come about as a natural consequence of Maddon's style of handling the bullpen and his starting pitchers. I'm not saying that style is indefensible, just that there are some drawbacks in going to the pen in the fifth or sixth inning a lot, namely that sooner or later, these guys, unless they are really, really good, are going to get tired or choke or both.
Maddon has relied on Grimm, Strop, and Rondon for most of the pressure spots this year, and it is pretty clear that Rondon is the only guy he can really count on to get crucial outs or shut down the opposing team. That's not to say these guys cannot come back. Arrieta pitches tomorrow, so that probably means the pen will get a respite. But the thing is that the bullpen is by no means comparable to, say, the Royals last year, so you are going to get these situations every now and again.
Also, there really was an alternative to calling on Strop to start the eighth inning and that, of course, was to leave Lester in the game. Lester had pitched seven scoreless innings after a shaky first and had allowed only one base-runner all that time. Granted he had thrown around 100 pitches, and granted we don't know whether he was out of gas or what, but he seemed to be in complete command to that point.
Monday, September 7, 2015
A Great Start
The Cubs managed to rout the Cardinals on Labor Day 9-0 behind a terrific performance from Dan Haren who gave them seven shutout innings. I had expected Haren to find some kind of groove before the season ended - he has been just too consistent a pitcher not to do so - but he was really good on Monday. Granted he was staked to an eight run lead after three innings, but the Cubs have blown a couple of big leads in St. Louis this season, so this was big.
Anyway, the team is off on another high after sweeping Arizona to close out the homestand. Make no mistake, though, this is going to be a tough road trip, what with two more games against the Cards and a four game series with the Phillies sandwiched between the Cards and four games in Pittsburgh. Right now the Cubs look certain to be the second wildcard team. The Nationals and the Giants are eight games or so behind them. They have easier schedules than the Cubs, but they still have key late series against their principal division rivals, the Mets and the Dodgers respectively. In addition, the Giants have been pretty much in free fall since they took the Cubs series 2-1.
As we noted before, the Cubs are playing really well by and large as a team. It's not just Rizzo and Bryant and Schwarber, but actually Fowler and Russell have been carrying the team of late as well. We got a look at C.J. Edwards who, until this season was thought of as the best Cubs starting prospect. This year he has switched to relief, maybe not permanently. He pitched only one inning yesterday, but his stuff looked good and he was helped immensely by a great double play.
Anyway, the team is off on another high after sweeping Arizona to close out the homestand. Make no mistake, though, this is going to be a tough road trip, what with two more games against the Cards and a four game series with the Phillies sandwiched between the Cards and four games in Pittsburgh. Right now the Cubs look certain to be the second wildcard team. The Nationals and the Giants are eight games or so behind them. They have easier schedules than the Cubs, but they still have key late series against their principal division rivals, the Mets and the Dodgers respectively. In addition, the Giants have been pretty much in free fall since they took the Cubs series 2-1.
As we noted before, the Cubs are playing really well by and large as a team. It's not just Rizzo and Bryant and Schwarber, but actually Fowler and Russell have been carrying the team of late as well. We got a look at C.J. Edwards who, until this season was thought of as the best Cubs starting prospect. This year he has switched to relief, maybe not permanently. He pitched only one inning yesterday, but his stuff looked good and he was helped immensely by a great double play.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Another Series Loss
The Cubs dropped the Reds series two games to one, a pretty ugly scene and one that is hard to understand given just how bad a team the Reds have become these days. Wednesday's loss was especially brutal given that Bryant had just tied the game on a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth only to open the floodgates with an error in the top of the ninth. Rondon was really unlucky there giving up the scratch hit and then the error with two outs. Not to second guess Maddon again, but you have to wonder why they are giving Votto, possibly the hottest hitter in baseball since the All-Star break, anything to hit in that situation, especially going 2-0 to start him out.
As far as the last minute pickups go, Austin Jackson has been pretty solid thus far and Fernando Rodney has looked pretty good as well. Javier Baez looks a lot slimmer than last year, but the jury still has to be out on him. Granted he has been a little more under control so far, but his swing still seems a little too big and a lot more violent than it needs to be. I suppose he has more potential now than Castro who has really worn out his welcome fast.
Arizona comes to town Friday. This is another mediocre team the Cubs need to sweep if only to demonstrate they are legitimate contenders, especially with the pitching matchups that are likely for the series.
As far as the last minute pickups go, Austin Jackson has been pretty solid thus far and Fernando Rodney has looked pretty good as well. Javier Baez looks a lot slimmer than last year, but the jury still has to be out on him. Granted he has been a little more under control so far, but his swing still seems a little too big and a lot more violent than it needs to be. I suppose he has more potential now than Castro who has really worn out his welcome fast.
Arizona comes to town Friday. This is another mediocre team the Cubs need to sweep if only to demonstrate they are legitimate contenders, especially with the pitching matchups that are likely for the series.
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