It takes a lot to be a sports fan of the Bills, Cubs, Bonnies, Knicks and Sabres. I’ve been used to nothing but losing and disappointing seasons for the better part of my life and now there is finally a sense of optimism.
I’ve only seen the Cubs make the postseason five times in my life. That includes the heartbreaking NLCS loss to the Miami Marlins in 2003, a first round sweep at the hands of the Dodgers in 2008, and last season’s magical run to the NLCS in a year most people were surprised to see them even make the playoffs.
After jumping out to a 25-6 start, it was hard to think of anything other than the World Series. After all, the Cubs were in fact the favorite to win it all in the pre-season and into the regular season. But then again, they are called “the lovable losers” for a reason. We have seen in the last month that this level of success can’t sustain itself for an entire 162 game season. The drought was bound to happen eventually, but I don’t think anyone thought Chicago would close the first half going only 6-15.
It went from paradise at Wrigleyville to the sky falling in a matter of weeks ( And that is still with a 7.5 game lead in the NL Central! ). Now with the All-Star game in the rear view mirror and the second half upon us, it is time to take a look forward. As many fans know, the trade deadline is coming up in a few weeks and there is an intense amount of pressure on the organization to trade for relief pitchers.
The first move was made today when the Cubs traded with the Seattle Mariners for left-handed relief pitcher Mike Montgomery. They gave up their best Triple A prospect in first baseman Dan Vogelbach, but the move makes sense because he was never going to get playing time with Rizzo manning that position. According to team President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer, the Cubs might not be done making moves before the August 1 deadline.
The big names that virtually all other 29 teams want come from a certain team in the Bronx that still hasn’t figured out if they are buying or selling. “The Big Three” of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman, have been untouchable at the back end of that Yankees pen. The Cubs will be asked to give up a ton in order to obtain one of them and frankly, it is NOT worth it.
With relief pitchers Joe Nathan and Brian Matusz working their way up in the minor leagues, Chicago should have enough in place to piece together a playoff caliber bullpen come October. And if they don’t, getting one more lefty arm in that pen could be very beneficial for the playoffs as well to face the powerful lefty hitters like Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper.
Cubs fans will also be thrilled to hear that outfielders Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler are close to coming back. Once they get their complete starting line-up, I fully expect the Cubbies to run away with this division.
However, it should be very interesting to see how the rest of the National League stacks up. Both Washington and San Francisco have comfortable leads in their respective divisions and both hover right around the same record as Chicago. If all three hold on to win these divisions, it’ll be interesting to see who ends up having the best record and gets home field until the World Series.
Then you look at the Wild Card spots and there are five realistic teams who have a chance other than the division leaders. Right now, the Los Angeles Dodgers hold the first spot, with the Miami Marlins and New York Mets tied for the final playoff spot. NL Central foes, St. Louis and Pittsburgh, sit just a few games behind them.
With about 70 games left in the season, a lot can happen and it should be noted that all of these teams have issues of their own to deal with. Kershaw is hurt for the Dodgers, Harvey is out for the season in New York, the Marlins are the cinderella team no one expects to be here come late September, and the Cardinals and Pirates have had to deal with a number of issues in its starting rotations.
It’s a very wide open National League in the months that lie ahead. My question is who will seize control of it? Chicago has the pitching, hitting, defense, depth and closer all squared away. As long as they touch up the bullpen come playoff time, then a magical October run might be in the forecast.
And if the unthinkable happens? If they reverse the curse? Expect to see me taking off from work with a spot on Addison Street in a parade that will surely make Cleveland’s celebration look like a small family gathering.
No comments:
Post a Comment