Wade Davis

Cubs Down 2-0 in NLCS. Head Back To Wrigley

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

If the Chicago Cubs go on to lose the NLCS then it’ll be on Joe Maddon’s shoulders. There I said it. I say this after the Cubs were downed by the Dodgers 4-1 and now the Dodgers have a two game lead going to Chicago on Tuesday.

Sure, Kris Bryant‘s bat has gone silent, in fact, the rest of the team has been quiet in this series. Nobody can blame it on stellar pitching because both rotations have been in a state of flux. The fact is that Jon Lester should have stayed in for another inning or even a couple more outs. Carl Edwards was good for another few outs and well, Brian Deunsing was pitching really well, so I don’t quite understand what went wrong there? Oh wait, I’m sure everyone’s scratching their heads over the use of John Lackey. The guy has never pitched back to back games in his life.

“I really just needed him for the save tonight,” Joe Maddon said. “He had limited pitches. It was one inning only, and in these circumstances, you don’t get him up and then don’t get him in. So if we had caught the lead, he would have pitched. That’s it.”

Now, I’m glad Wade Davis wasn’t used, he’ll be fresh for Tuesday at Wrigley Field. Here’s hoping it’s cold in Chicago and Yasul Puig’s tongue sticks to the bat. Any recommendations of a rule change to aluminum?

“It’s their guys versus our guys,” Addison Russell said. “We’re playing to win. I feel like the competition just steps up a little bit because each pitch is more crucial, each swing, each play. An error can be the deciding factor of winning or losing. A bad pitch can be the decision of winning or losing. That’s really what I like about it.”

It’s really going to come down to the Cubs scoring more runs and Maddon not playing hot potato with his bullpen. Kyle Hendricks gets the start on Tuesday. He’s well rested and he needs to put up a performance for the ages, at least seven innings. Carl Edwards Jr relieves him and then it’s Wade Davis’ turn to shine.

“All you’re focused on is making pitches,” Hendricks said recently. “That’s my job and it never changes — no matter regular-season game, postseason game, no matter who you are facing on the other side of the mound. My focus is to go out there, make good pitches, rely on my preparation which I’ve done all year long. But when it comes down to it, when those lights turn on, you just have to execute pitches better than the other guy.”

The Cubs have been down in a series before and fought back, we know this and we know the results. They needed that win in LA, but not all is lost. They win three at Wrigley and take one back in LA. Easy Peasy, right? Bill Murray will be there to cheer them on and the momentum is clearly in the Cubs corner.

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Cubs Split With Rays

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

Jon Jay

Yesterday’s game continued to show the good and the bad of this year’s Cubs. In their 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, it was the Cubs rookie Ian Happ hitting a two run single that boosted the Cubs past a tie.

“It was a more complete game,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “We were down 3-0, but I felt good about it. It’s just that things weren’t going our way. That batted-ball-in-play statistic has to come back to us at some point. The ball’s been hit hard but at people. We’ve got to keep fighting through it.”

Then along comes Jon Jay with his second home run in, well, a long time. The Cubs have struggled all year for reasons that have become perennial head scratchers after the success last year. The two things that haven’t been struggling is Happ and Jay. Now, I’ve got this theory that it has something to do with Joe Maddon. He’s been great with the young guys, especially last season but this year the team isn’t quite so young. They’re veterans now and perhaps that’s Maddon’s achilles; he’s not as good with veterans. Perhaps the Cubs shouldn’t have won last season.

So the All Star break is coming up and unlike last season, the Cubs are kinda watching from the dugout. Wade Davis the only representation besides Joe Maddon and Kris Bryant might get the vote in but in reality the Cubs haven’t deserved the right to appear in the annual classic and I’m all right with that. It’s not as much a popularity contest as it is showcasing the best of the best. While Anthony Rizzo is putting up decent numbers, the Cubs just aren’t there this season.

“I cannot dispute that,” Maddon said. “So many went last year. The last two years have been long years. Our guys have been going after it pretty hard. I’m not disappointed in regards to that.”

The Cubs had seven players in the classic last year. So maybe this is a good thing that will build momentum in the second half. There’ll be some key players returning from injuries, Jason Heyward is back and Kyle Hendricks is poised for a return soon. Whatever happens to the Cubs in the second half, the results will be good. This year is kind of like a team building season. How would they deal with a championship or is this the beginning of another century drought?

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Cubs Trying To Get Losing Streak Done Early

Posted on by Mark Gauthier

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a losing streak as they dropped their fourth straight yesterday 6-3 in the series opener to the Brewers. The good news is that last year, the Cubs longest losing streak was five games. That didn’t occur until July, so if baseball is a superstitious game and, well, you know the Cubs are no stranger to superstition and freaky things, then this could be a good sign to get it out of the way early.

“I don’t remember what our record was at the beginning of last year. People are going to come here gunning for us, for sure. We’re the world champs, and people want to come here and play well. We’ll have to match that intensity and play better.” said John Lackey.

While Kyle Schwarber lays down some pretty impressive bunting skills, it’s good to see that Joe Maddon’s creativity is still intact. It was the first bunt that Schwarber hit in the majors.

“The situation dictated it right there,” Schwarber said. “We’re down two runs and I needed to get on base. If it’s wide open in that spot, I’m going to take it.”

What’s pretty unique about the situation the Cubs are finding themselves in is that once upon a time, fans didn’t expect much from the North Siders but now that there’s a World Championship under their belts, well that’s different. The Cubs are playing .500 ball and although players are trying to keep their heads about it, I can’t help but sense an undercurrent shifting and a little bit of worrying.

“It happened to us last year right before the All-Star break,” Schwarber said. “We hit the skids. Hopefully, maybe we’re hitting it early. We’re super-early in the season still. Like I said, no panic.”

It’s the back end of the game where the Cubs find themselves struggling. Closing out games and their bullpen needs to get caught up with the rest of the team. Here’s the thing though, Wade Davis and Kojii Uehara are new additions to the squad that last year featured Aroldis Chapman after the All Star break. So, like it or not the Cubs are a much different team than last season.

On an up note, three former Cubs received their rings yesterday. Travis Wood, Jorge Soler and Jason Hammel all had a chance to bask in the limelight again and visit with their former team.

“Travis walked in, and it’s like, ‘OK, how do you feel for today?'” Maddon said. “It’s just very, very normal. … The weird thing about that is it’s like he belongs here. It’s not even weird — there’s nothing awkward about it. That’s not normal. When a guy from another team walks in your locker room, even though he may have been with you in the past, it’s still awkward.”

Yes, the awkwardness is there but in the end, the Cubs have to find a way to move past the jewelry, pageantry and those banners out beside the scoreboards and get back to what made them great.

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