June 2, 2021
The Chicago White Sox (33-22) continue to lead the American
League Central by 2.5 games, ahead of the Cleveland Indians. If Eloy Jimenez
and Luis Robert had not been injured, they would be running away in this
division. Like last year, the White Sox are clobbering inferior opponents,
which is why they are 11 games over .500.
What’s surprising is they’re winning games with only a few
players who aren’t automatic outs. Tim Anderson is still the catalyst and is
playing great defense. Nick Madrigal is not going to get you any power but will
give you quality at-bats. Yoan Moncada is looking like the player he was in
2019. The only thing left is to add more power. Jose Abreu usually has a bad April and this
year was excruciatingly painful. However, he has bounced back and once again
leads the majors in RBI. The magic of Yermin Mercedes seems to be wearing off.
Even so, think back to last year with Edwin Encarnacion batting .150 as the DH.
Occasionally they get some help from others but these players make up most of
the offense. They also have a major problem with their catchers. I know hitting
is down but Yasmani Grandal is hitting .131. He gets on base a lot with walks
but was brought in as a run producer. The Sox keep insisting Zach Collins is
getting better. The only thing he has proved is that he can’t hit, as his .187
average attests to.
The strength of the Sox is their starting pitching. Lucas Giolito is coming back after struggling
early. Carlos Rodon has had a few bumps but is still third in ERA. Lance Lynn leads the league in ERA and was an
excellent pick-up. I expect Dylan Cease to get better and Dallas Keuchel to get
in the groove and induce more ground ball outs. Liam Hendriks is finally
becoming the closer he was projected to be. The Sox have a bunch of good arms
to bridge the starter to closer gap. One problem is Aaron Bummer, who is having difficulties.
The Sox should get some help with the return of Adam Engel. And
they need to play better defensively. However, the major problem is the manager
who keeps proving he was a bad choice.
The Chicago Cubs (31-23) are also in first place by the
slimmest of margins. They are one of the hottest teams around. After a terrible
start they have turned their season around. With the exception of two losses to
Cleveland they have won every series in May and just got done sweeping the San
Diego Padres.
Entering the season, the biggest question revolved around
the pitching. After getting off to a shaky start, Kyle Hendricks is proving
once again he is an elite pitcher. Zach Davies may not be Yu Darvish but he’s
pretty darn good. The Cubs finally have developed a pitcher, Adbert Alzolay who
keeps getting better and better. In two years he could be the ace of the staff.
Questions still surround how good Jake Arrieta will be. He started off well but
hasn’t been very good as of late. Trevor Williams had his best start before
going on the IL. Out of nowhere Kohl Stewart gave them a solid start in a Cub
victory. Ryan Tepera and Andrew Chafin lead a group of set-up men to get the
ball to Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel has regained the form that made him one the best
closers.
Kris Bryant is having an MVP season. He is hitting .317 and
has an incredible .996 OPS. Javier Baez leads the team with13 homers. His
average may not be spectacular however, He has a .508 slugging percentage.
Anthony Rizzo, who is coming back from injury, will add more pop to the line-up.
The Cubs have also been hit by the injury bug. Next men up Eric Sogard, Patrick
Wisdom and Matt Duffy have all contributed to help the Cubs’ cause.
Prior to this stretch, fans may have been wondering who was
going to be traded at the deadline. As of now Cub fans would be up in arms if
any of the core are let go. Jed Hoyer should go after another starter to help
the Cubs reach the playoffs. The other key is avoiding injuries.
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