Cubs Love Home Cooking White Sox Fall Flat

July 23, 2019

When you struggle on the road it is imperative that you win a vast majority of your home games. The Cubs began a 9 game home stand after the all-star break. They compiled a very good 7-2 record. They have 36 home wins. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have more.

 At Wrigley, the Cubs swept a 3 game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In game 1, Pedro Strop coughed up a three run lead but the Cubs scored one run in the 8^th inning to win 4-3. The next two games they pounded Pirate pitching, scoring double digit runs in both games.

Next up were the Cincinnati Reds. In the first game, all-star pitcher Luis Castillo, struck out 10 Cubs as the pesky Reds won 6-3. In his first start in game 2, Alec Mills gave up 3 runs in the first inning. Mills followed with five scoreless innings allowing the Cubs to overcome the deficit.  Kris Bryant’s homer tied the game. Kyle Schwarber’s walk-off homer won the game. Six scoreless innings by Yu Darvish led the Cubs to a 5-2 victory in game 3. The Reds and the Pirates don’t have enough pitching and won’t be a factor in the N.L. Central.

I guess that winning never mattered to Manny Machado when he was a free agent. He chose the last place San Diego Padres. In game 1, even with Anthony Rizzo’s grand slam and a couple of highlight catches by Bryant in left field, the Cubs needed a Padre error to win this game 6-5.  Following this was another 6-5 victory. The best pitched game of the series was from Kyle Hendricks, who left game 3 trailing 2-1. The Cubs never got the chance to bring the tying run up to the plate. The bullpen, especially demoted Carl Edwards Jr., gave up 3 runs in the top of the 9th. Well, you can’t win ‘em all; Cubs lose 5-1.

The key to the Cubs success is there are different heroes every game. The Cubs have 4 players with at least 20 homers.  Three of them are Bryant, Rizzo and Schwarber. Leading the way is Javier Baez who continues to torment pitchers while playing great defense. Speaking of defense, I can’t see a better center-right field combination than Albert Almora Jr. and Heyward. Who would have thought that the Cubs best pitcher would be Yu Darvish? During the home stand he didn’t allow a run in 12 innings. Of the eighteen outs per start, over a third were strike outs.

The Cubs start a crucial road trip against the red hot San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers and St.  Louis Cardinals. The road woes continued on Monday in San Francisco when Pedro Strop coughed up a two run lead in a 5-4 loss.

Before Christopher Columbus set sail, people argued whether the world was round or flat. There is no doubt that the White Sox came out flat after the all-star break. Any momentum generated prior to the break, dissipated with a 7 game losing streak including 4 to the last place Kansas City Royals. There was not much energy. All their hitters went cold at the same time

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They traveled to Tampa Bay to play the Rays. It seemed they were going to start hitting with 9 runs in the first of a three game series. Although they didn’t hit in game 2, they won in thrilling fashion. Trailing 1-0 with two outs in the 9^th inning, James McCann tied it with a homer. Yoan Moncada scored from first base on a Jose Abreu single to win the game in extra innings. The Sox lost game 3 but won the series. The only positives were the two consecutive good outings from pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito’s last start and Moncada’s bat. Things could get better with 3 home games against the Miami Marlins. In the first game, Abreu, Moncada and McCann homers and a complete game by Ivan Nova resulted in a 9-1 win Monday night.

The slump also displayed the shortcomings of Manager Ricky Renteria. Things that should have been taught in spring training are mid-season problems. Rundowns are a nightmare, and the Sox must lead the league in pop-ups falling between 2 to 4 players. I won’t get into it but there is priority system in the infield and outfield. You have to shout out loud enough so everyone knows it’s your play.  I’ve mentioned Renteria’s poor handling of the pitching staff. It seems that the only time he pulls a pitcher, the horses have already left the barn. A good team needs a competent manager and good coaching.

As the trade deadlines loom, I hope General Manager Rick Hahn doesn’t make the mistake of trading closer Alex Colome. You would get a good return. However, if you plan on contending next year, you need a good bullpen. Aaron Bummer should also be retained. If anyone is interested in Evan Marshall, Jace Fry or stupid enough to want Dylan Covey, see what you can get. It’s too bad Abreu is a free agent after this season. If not, he would command a lot on the trade market. The only other reason to keep him is they have no immediate replacement. He is also a mentor to Moncada and Luis Robert. Hahn said don’t expect Robert to be called up this year. Why not get your top prospect some experience?

Baseball After the All-Star Break

July 11, 2019

The all-star break is over and baseball can get back to games that matter. The two things I can guarantee are that you will continue to see more home runs and strike outs. There should some exciting division and wild card races.

A.L. West – The Oakland Athletics have been playing good baseball as of late. They have moved past the Texas Rangers into second place. However, they are not in the same class of the division leading Houston Astros. The Astros have a star studded line-up and pitching staff. They are one of the best teams in the league. The Athletics are 7.5 games back and have an outside chance of being a wild card playoff team. Mike Trout is without a doubt the best player in the game. He currently leads the league in homers, RBI, slugging percentage, on base percentage and is second in runs scored. Because he signed a long term contract extension with the Los Angeles Angels he may be the best player never to appear in a World Series.

A.L. East – The Tampa Bay Rays are 13 games over .500; the Boston Red Sox are 8. The Rays trail the New York Yankees by 6.5 games and the Red Sox trail by 9.  Despite injuries to key players, the Yankees are probably going to win this division. They are third in the league in home runs and runs scored. They only have one stud starting pitcher, Domingo German, who is 10-2 with 3.67 ERA, which is real good when your team averages over 5 runs per game. With Zach Britton’s 2.43 ERA, Adam Ottavino’s 1.80 and closer extraordinaire Aroldis Chapman’s 1.82 in your bullpen, the starters only have to last 5 innings.

A.L. Central – The first place Minnesota Twins may be hearing the sound of moccasins. The Cleveland Indians have cut their lead from 12 to 5.5 games. After a slow start the Indians are showing why they were the favorites to win this division. I previously thought both wild card teams would come from the A.L. East. With the return of Mike Clevinger, the Indians should hold on to their lead in the wild card race. Two-time Cy Young Award winner, Corey Kluber, would help but he may not come back this year. The Twins lead the league in home runs and runs scored. The pitching has been excellent. They also will play in the post-season.

N.L. East – The Atlanta Braves have taken command of this division and I’m not sure how they do it. Aside from Mike Soroka, 9-1, 2.42, their other starters aren’t that impressive. Opening day starter Julio Teheran is 5-6 with a 3.79 ERA. The closer has 14 saves. They did sign Dallas Keuchel to hopefully bolster the pitching staff. Offensively they do have one of the best hitters in the game, first baseman Freddie Freeman. They have all-star outfielders Ronald Acuna Jr. and Nick Markakis. No one else in the line-up is hitting over .270. It helps that even with Bryce Harper, the Philadelphia Phillies aren’t much better than last year. The Mets must hold some record for injured pitchers. The Florida Marlins just suck. The Braves may get a challenge from the not so good Washington Nationals.

N.L. Central – People talk about this being the most competitive division in baseball. All teams are within 5 games of the lead. The reason for this is most of these teams are lousy. The last place Cincinnati Reds are 4.5 games out with a 41-46 record. In fact, only two teams have .500 records. This could change if the Chicago Cubs or Brewers get hot. I don’t think the other teams can go on a winning streak. Most of the other teams in the division have no pitching. I feel sorry for the Cardinals. Free agent signee Paul Goldschmidt is having an awful year and what was supposed to be an improved team is 44-44.

Dylan Cease Shines for Sox While Cubs rDread Road Games

July 3, 2019

Just watched White Sox pitcher, Dylan Cease, make his much anticipated pitching debut. He had a horrible start with three walks, one hit batter and two runs. In spite of this, you could see he has the “stuff” to be something special. Over the next four innings he gave up a wind-blown homer, struck out six and walked only one, notching up his first big league win.

The Sox have been playing well as of late. They survived a grueling schedule of 15 games against some of    the best teams. The White Sox split a 4 game home series against the New York Yankees. The Yankees have the best record in baseball but the Sox won the season series 4-3. Next up was a brief two game series against what was a first place Cubs team. They split that series as well. Then they traveled to meet the Texas Rangers, who would be a wild-card playoff team if the season ended today.  By throwing second tier starters they lost two of three. They went to Boston and lost two of three. These losses didn’t hurt as much as losing Tim Anderson. He is the heart and soul of this team. He’ll miss 4-6 weeks. The Sox returned home to face first place Minnesota. They held this hot hitting team in check and won two of three.

All in all they finished 7-8, which is pretty remarkable with a three man starting rotation. This young team has to play clean, error free baseball to win games. This, and some bullpen breakdowns cost them a couple of wins in Texas and Boston. The schedule gets a little easier and who knows: they may be .500 heading into the all-star break.

White Sox all-star pitcher, Lucas Giolito has gone from the worst to one of the best starters in the American League. However, he is not the only white Sox contender for comeback player of the year. Yoan Moncada continues to have an excellent season. He has 14 home runs and has broken into the top ten with a .304 batting average.  All-star James McCann has come out of nowhere to solve the catching problem.  No one could have predicted he would hit over .320. He also drives in big runs.

Things are not running smoothly on the north side of town. The Cubs seem unable to hit with runners in scoring position. Cub wins usually come when they hit homers. The Cubs have to learn how to manufacture runs. They have to improve on their situational hitting. They keep changing hitting coaches but this problem hasn’t gone away. I am at a loss for why this is when you have a line-up with Anthony Rizzo and all stars Kris Bryant, Wilson Contreras, Jason Heyward and Javier Baez.

Previously I’ve discussed how important it is to win home games when struggling on the road. On their last home stand they went 5-5. This is not acceptable for a team with playoff aspirations. Their road woes (16-25) continue. They have lost four of five in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. They no longer are in first place. They are tied with Philadelphia for wild card spots, with Colorado a half game back. The Central Division is still up for grabs.

The Cubs are in the latter stages of the window for success. However, like last year, injuries are

hindering their chances. It gets harder when you suffer major injuries. Cub starter Kyle Hendricks missed three starts. In his return he only lasted 3 innings. Their best starter, Cole Hamels, is out through July. The starting rotation is down to Jon Lester, Jose Quintana and Hendricks. How much confidence do Cub fans have in Yu Darvish and most likely Tyler Chatwood as the fourth and fifth starters?

Things aren’t pointing up but there is still a half season to go. It’s not time to panic. However, if the pattern continues then come September it may be panic time.