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Can the Green Bay Packers break their losing streak?

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Aaron Rodgers Green Bay on the Weekend Sports Report with Packer Dave and Steve Leventhal

….Cheryl Raye-Stout @Crayestout from WBEZ in Chicago joins us for a discussion of the Bears’ resurgence this season. A long time journalist in Chicagoland, Cheryl also recounts her experiences covering the Bulls during their championship run. Jeff Rich and Dave talk about how can the Green Bay Packers break their losing streak, and other key NFL games. Jeff and Steve highlight the top college football contests. Lastly, John Poulter updates the hockey season and gives his thoughts on the baseball postseason awards.

Hear interviews with Mike McCarthy, Julius Peppers, Adrian Peterson, Vikes Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner, John Fox, Jay Cutler, Brock Osweiler of the Broncos, Larry Fitzgerald, and Bengals coach Marvin Lewis.

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Cubs: The Future is Bright

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Mets Sweep Cubs in NLDS
Mets Sweep Cubs in 2015 NLDS

The clock struck midnight on the Cubs season as the Mets swept them out of the playoffs in the NLCS. While the 27th out was being recorded, the fiancé and I turned to the DVR to catch up on a past NCIS episodes from the previous week. After the episode was done, she turned to me and simply stated:

“Well, you are taking this Cubs thing well.”

I understood her confusion considering the emotional toll the Blackhawks loss to the Kings in the 7th game of the conference final had on me two years ago or the Bulls giving up against the Cavs last year in the playoffs… and not to mention the Bears every week of my life.

I imagined she was expecting an exhale of unsuitable language, followed by me stomping around the apartment with smoke coming out of my ears but that was simply not the case with the Cubs this post season. I was fully content with how this year went for the Cubs and was not going to tarnish a brilliant campaign by dwelling on the most recent loss.

In 2007 and 2008 the Cubs were swept in back-to-back post seasons by the Diamondbacks and Dodgers. Whether the Cubs were a better team than their opponents is beside the point, those Cubs teams were under so much pressure to win it all, that they fell victim the pressure from a fan base that was looking to forget a 100+ years of bad baseball. That pressure forced those teams to lose sight of the fact that they were just playing baseball which paralyzed those players when it came time to perform.

Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon
Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon

“Don’t ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure.” – Joe Maddon

Joe Maddon has a cornucopia of great quotes from his brief time as Cubs skipper but the above one is his best. Many people think that he was only directing this quote to his players and coaches but it was also for Cubs Nation. As a fan of the Cubs, one should enjoy Maddon’s outlook as he has been laying a foundation of confidence for his team so when there are bumps in the road they can overlook them and move on to the next step.

The next step is developing a core of young players for the future while adding pitching depth to bolster a mediocre starting rotation. Thanks to some great drafting by Theo and Jed, the Cubs future is just getting started thanks to the talents of Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Solar, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo.

Just getting started? At worst, the Cubs will have the services of Bryant, Schwarber, Russell, Baez and Rizzo for the next 6 years. Oh, and Solar for 5.

Anthony Rizzo GW Home Run
Anthony Rizzo GW Home Run

This team is primed for multiple trips to the playoffs as they arrived on the scene a year early and making the “final four” in their first year is a great start.

Stay tuned Cubs fans… there is more to come.

On a side note, Cubs fans should be unfazed by other team’s fans “trolling” them on social media or in person because it’s not worth their time. Any baseball fan worth their salt can see what the Cubs are building and know that winning is in their future.

@WesEvans12

Arrieta is the Cubs’ Guy to Lean On

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Arrieta on his body of work "it's good."
Arrieta on his body of work “it’s good.”

Jake Arrieta’s walkup song is Lean On by Major Lazer and DJ Snake. Listen above.

“Do you recall, not long ago
We would walk on the sidewalk Innocent, remember?
All we did was care for each other
But the night was warm
We were bold and young
All around the wind blows
We would only hold on to let go
Blow a kiss, fire a gun
We need someone to lean on
Blow a kiss, fire a gun
All we need is somebody to lean on
Blow a kiss, fire a gun
We need someone to lean on
Blow a kiss, fire a gun
All we need is somebody to lean on”

That’s who Jake Arrieta is.  He is the guy the Cubs can lean on.  And they need it.  A squad filled with youth, full of life and energy needs that guy.  The guys who can keep it all together.  The guy who is unfazed by the past and is able to step into the present.  The guy who sets the mental and physical fitness standard on the club.  The guy who focuses on his swing too. The guy who doesn’t let the Windy City and the Cubbie Blue get to him. The guy who shows up early on days he’s not pitching. The guy who insists on having his wife and children accept his honors with him at Wrigley following his no-hitter. The guy who takes things seriously, but not too seriously.  His teammates love him for it, his manager loves him for it, the fans love him for it.  He has been the guy for all of them to lean on.

Jake Arrieta’s season, first half, and especially his second half has been one of dominance.  He put up very good numbers in 2014, numbers that most said he wouldn’t be able to replicate. After proving them wrong, getting off to a good start in the first half of the season, he was snubbed at the all-star break, though it should be noted that the competition for all-star pitching was of high and contentious quality.  Proving a majority wrong once again, Arrieta posted the best ERA in baseball in the second half of the season, an incredible .75. In addition, he has ended the season with 12 consecutive wins.

Arrieta has a remarkable stat sheet. The wins: he is 22-6, with the most wins in all of baseball.  Twenty wins is a feat, one he graciously completed under the home lights and vibrant crowd of Wrigley.  Not phoning in two subsequent starts and getting to the 22 number is just exceptional.  The ERA: 1.77.  This is not only second-best in the league this year to Greinke’s 1.68, but like Greinke’s, it is one of the lowest in the last 25 years. The strikeouts: 236.  Arrieta is second in the National League to Clayton Kershaw’s outrageous 294 strikeouts.  Other stats: He and Kershaw lead the National League and are second only to Dallas Keuchel in innings pitched with 229 over 32 starts.  He has the second highest (to Greinke) winning percentage, of .786 in the majors-but Arrieta has two more starts and 7 more decisions.  He has four complete game shutouts, the most in the majors.  He’s only given up 5.9 hits over nine innings, the best in the majors.  He and Greinke have the most quality starts over the season.  However, he does have the longest streak of quality starts this year, at 20, edging Kershaw’s total last year.  Oh, and Arrieta has a no-hitter against the team Greinke and Kershaw play for by the way.  Don’t forget that one on the resume.

The marquee stats are impressive.  The ERA, the wins, the strikeouts, the ones that are really used to determine the Cy Young award are quality.  However in a race as close as this one, see below,

Kershaw: ERA 2.16, W/L 16-7, SO 294
Greinke: ERA 1.68, W/L 18-3, 192
Arrieta: ERA 1.77, W/L 22-6, 236

a couple things happen.  First, the question as to who is best all around and dominant is asked.  Arrieta is either first or second in the NL in all three categories.  Both the Dodgers making bids are third or worse in one of the three major categories.  The question that follows is as to what the award, in this case, the Cy Young, is supposed to represent.  It is defined many ways, but one definition applicable for the voters is the “annual award given to the most outstanding pitcher in each of the major leagues.” Now Arrieta is arguably the best/most well-rounded, and also arguably the most outstanding, just see the paragraph above.  There are a great deal of categories, almost all of them, in which Arrieta stands at or above the two Dodgers as well.  There are a number of “league bests” and “majors bests” that he has that the other two don’t.  These just pad his bid for the Cy Young for voters looking for some other deciding factors.  

Arrieta is a large reason for the Cubs success this season, and not just in the 22 wins he has accumulated.  In addition, Arrieta is also a large reason for the Cubs never hitting any slumps or prolonged speed bumps.  The Cubs never dropped more than five in a row this season, and allowed themselves to be swept in a series only twice.  Arrieta stands as a bright spot every five starts, regardless of what else is going on around him and the club.  This is evident in his ability to go 10-1 after a Cubs loss over the 2015 regular season.  So not only is he good, but he is consistently good under pressure, when he is the only thing stopping a young, mentally green, potentially vulnerable squad from spiraling into a tailspin of a losing streak, one that certainly can’t be afforded in a powerhouse of a division like that of the NL Central.

Though, it is all but announced to most that Bryce Harper will be named NL MVP with his impressive offensive stat line.  The all-star and young-blood, new, attractive face of baseball carries a .331 average (2nd in the NL), 42 home runs (tied for first in the NL), 99 RBIs (tied for fourth), and 117 runs.  However, again, if one thinks about how “MVP” is defined, what is often used in interpretation is the value, hence most valuable part of MVP, but how much value can you possess when your team doesn’t make it to the playoffs?  Not that Harper isn’t incredibly dominant, talented, or even the “best player” in the national league at this given moment, but rather, even with his talent, has he been as vital and successful in contributing to his team’s success as Arrieta has and is (and there still is an is because his team is headed to the playoffs)?  Single-handedly fighting off slumps, responsible, at least half responsible for 22 of his club’s 96 wins, and just out-pitching batters and situations he faces in the most high-stakes, pressurized time (down the stretch), in the toughest division (NL Central), and uplifting, a “cursed” (durn billy goat be damned) team, all sound like very, very, valuable things to me. It’s up to the voters, again, to decide if he is the most valuable in the National League.

Two things are for sure:

It is sure as hell nice to see good things happening to good people.  Good fathers and good husbands and good teammates with good work ethic and discipline don’t always see the success Arrieta is seeing.

Regardless of his ability to claim one or two regular season awards, Arrieta has been everything for the Cubs.  The epitome of a “rock.”  No matter if it is someone blowing a kiss, or firing a gun, Arrieta is the Cubs’ some one to lean on.  

 

It’s (Un)official: Cubs Season a Success

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It is, unofficially, safe to say that regardless as to how the rest of the season goes, the Cubs have had a successful season.  With the understanding that the team was built for success further down the road, most likely in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the Cubs have done enough to garner such an evaluation.  However, with the overwhelming success the Cubs have had this summer, it appears that everyone from fan to front-office man for the Cubs could not have projected this level of success.

JoeMaddonTheoEpsteinFirst, one can take a glimpse at the roster. The big names most expected to be everyday contributors surprised many by not being there, due to injury or other extenuating circumstances.  Baez has been in triple-A most of the year and upon being called up in early September, has done well, but still lacks a robust home run line many thought would accompany him on his trip from Iowa. Luckily, his strikeout totals have not followed him either.  Soler has been hurt and is questionable to return for the playoffs.  His season also has been overshadowed by the shocking success of the rest of the roster.  Though the belief in Starlin Castro had begun to wane in the minds of fans, usually due to a citation of the lack of discipline he has displayed at times throughout his career, few thought he would struggle as much as he has.  However, the unexpected success on both sides of the ball from Addison Russell has picked up the slack, allowing a motivated Castro to step up in pinch-hitting and second base spots.  Though many were excited about Rizzo, few thought his strikeout totals would be so much lower, his RBI counts would be so much higher, and his physicality would improve at such a clip, as evident from his increase in stolen bases and growing defensive prowess. Chris Coghlan’s resurgence since his rookie of the year performance in 2009, along with his positional flexibility has pleasantly surprised many as well. To the surprise of many fans who knew nothing but the name “Bryant” for the first half of the season, whom also, without a doubt, has made big-time plays in big-time moments, Kyle Schwarber has impressed, heavily.  His maturity at the plate combined with his willingness to play a new position, Schwarber has blown away many Northsiders of both the devout and casual persuasions. The biggest shocker though, has been of course, Jake Arrieta.  Lester was supposed to be the ace.  Arrieta was supposed to be good, but most students of the game and of the Cubs, thought that he could still be good but it would be nearly impossible to continue his success from last season. The fact that he has thrown a no-hitter is a(n amazing) thing in itself.   The fact that he has the most wins in the National League and has a sub-two ERA are things of a different type, a Cy Young (at least conversationally) type.  

When looking for other reasons as to how the Cubs have recorded success, you can look at the schedule.  The team has won almost twice as many series as they have lost. In addition, they have swept seven opponents including the likes of potential playoff squad, the New York Mets (swept them twice, once in a four-game series), their divisional rival Milwaukee Brewers (twice, once in a four-game sweep), and defending World Series champs, the San Francisco Giants (four-game sweep), four times in which they completed a four-game sweep. But equally impressive is the fact that they have only been swept twice all season.  Furthermore the Cubs have had many little win-streaks of anywhere from four to nine games throughout the season with their longest losing streak totalling five.  Despite their ability to stack wins, the Cubs really haven’t been streaky in their losses.  The boys in blue haven’t collectively been in a legitimate slump this season, despite a roster filled with relative inexperience.  A testament to Joe Maddon’s managerial talent, the Cubs resistance to stringing losses together is an especially impressive feat due to fact that the pressure is always on in the NL Central.   

This aversion to spiraling out of control could help them weather any storms that come their way in the playoffs. The problem presumably will be winning the one-game playoff. The hope is that Arrieta will make that if not easy, at least a little easier. If the Cubs do fall short though, that’s what it will be called, “falling short.”  Things will have “gotten in the way” of their success.  The Cubs overachieving narrative, juxtaposed with the youth of their roster makes them a squad with potential, which is why this year has been and will continue to be identified as a successful one, regardless of the final outcome.  Because this is a team with “potential.” People weren’t expecting this, so the pleasant surprise is enough success to appease most involved parties.  The unfortunate flipsides of potential, prospects, and unexpected success are the expectations that accompany them.  With the pressure on from defending World Series champs, good teams like the Nationals, and divisional monsters like Pittsburg and St. Louis, the Cubs know something about stress.  But the stress of being booed for flyouts, one-run innings, and being on the other side of all those one-run, or walk-off decisions, might be a different kind of pressure than the Cubs are used to, one from an expecting fanbase.   So for now, the Cubs will bask in their success this season, but one hopes that Maddon, Epstein, and Hoyer continue to be as savvy as they have been, as they have their biggest season in at least a decade coming up next year, one characterized by expectations galore.  

Inexperience At Its Best….and Its Worst: The Cubs Down the Stretch

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The perfect example of the culture change in Chicago came on a Monday evening.  The Cubs gave up their three run lead to fall behind the Rockies one run, 8-7 in the top of the ninth.  With Dexter Fowler on first, two outs, up came Kris Bryant to bat.  For everyone working in the ballpark, who pined for their beds after the boys in blue gave up a 3-run lead in the top of the 9th, rather than those enjoying or playing the game, there were no thoughts of a walk, single, or even double.  KB’s at-bat was either going to be tallied as a K or a HR.  When Axford dealt a poorly placed breaking ball for his second pitch to Bryant, the recently struggling rookie third basemen teed off.  His shot to just right of center led to a lemon lime gatorade bath (which one can be nearly sure he much preferred over fellow Vegas native and blossoming talent, Bryce Harper’s chocolate sauce fate).

That’s what youth is, that’s what the Cubs are and are going to be in the playoffs.  Either a strikeout or a home run in the bottom of the ninth, two outs, winning run at the plate.  The Cubs have the potential to knock this roster experiment out of the park or watch it pass by and try again, next game, next season.  

Inexperience is not an excuse.  Or rather,  it’s the wrong articulation. “Inexperience” is a way of explaining a youthful group’s inability to perform in higher pressure situations.

Kris Bryant hasn’t been in high pressure situations before, at least not on this stage.  Kyle Schwarber is good, but he’s never felt this kind of pressure before.  Russell is a fielding maven and has been getting significantly better in his low pressure slot at the plate, but he has never been on the big stage either. Soler’s new to the scene. Rizzo, he’s killing it but he’s never been to the playoffs, which have a totally different feel.  Neither have Castro or Arrieta.  There are veterans there, who have been on that stage, including Lester, Ross, Motte, and Heron. There are veteran journeymen like Montero, Coghlan, Denorfia, Fowler, and Hammel. The vets, in theory, bolster the youthful squad with “experience” and “wisdom.”  In reality though, it all comes down to the ability to perform.  

Rookies and prospects are given the benefit of the doubt when they fail in new, big-time scenarios, veterans choke.  The point is, anyone can fail or succeed in such scenarios.  While experience may be an asset for veterans in those situations, at the same time, young players go to the plate with a sense of not knowing any better. They get behind the plate and just battle or in the field and just play. They hear things about the pressure or the situation or the stage but don’t really know what to do with it and so just go out and do what they do. Either way, its about either using the pressure to one’s advantage or not letting it get to them in order to perform.  Thus, if the Cubs fail in this postseason, it won’t be termed as that, it will be rather that something got in the way of their success.  The club is too young to have failed, they just don’t have all the pieces in play yet.  

Furthermore, with the exodus of the era of players highlighted by names like Derek Jeter, baseball in general, this season, with the exceptions of AJ Burnett, pre-injury, Mark Buehrle, Alex Rodriguez, and Albert Pujols, is more focused on the youth. Almost every other big name is 25 years old or younger.  Joc Pederson, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, Manny Machado, Sonny Gray, Noah Syndergaard, Gerrit Cole, and those like them.  In a period where baseball loves young stars, it appears that the Cubs may be both born under and uplifted by a constellation of them.  

From their young Starlins and starlets, the Cubs have their ups like Kyle Schwarber hitting both game tying and eventual game winning home runs in his hometown of Cincinnati within his first couple days up in the bigs.  Anthony Rizzo, after weathering a rough patch, blasts home runs in four consecutive games or climbing the biggest roll of tinfoil ever made, over a wall and making arguably the best defensive play to grace SCTop10 all season long.  Starlin Castro walking off with a hit at home in extras on back to back nights in Ohio after being demoted to the 7-hole.  Addison Russell compiling a highlight reel of web gems at short while also boosting his batting average in the second half. There’s a 1.02 combined ERA in 10 consecutive starts from Jake Arrieta who is putting up video game numbers as of late.  

And they also have their lows.  Starlin Castro is seriously struggling at the plate, so much so that he has been demoted to the bench, batting sub .240 for the majority of the season.  Kris Bryant, appearing to fall back into habits of his first game up in the majors, is swinging at a lot, a lot of pitches he shouldn’t.  The club, getting swept by the league worst Phillies immediately following the All-Star Break.  They go through bouts of bad or no hitting, lackluster pitching, and unfortunate fielding.  

Joe Maddon is playing a major role, a fun uncle or cool dad figure, mentoring them through their ups and downs, always cool, calm, collected, and focusing on the positives or constructively assessing the areas for improvement.  Pensive, laid-back, and detail-oriented, Maddon plays a tremendous role in their previous and potential success.  

In addition to the somewhat surprising fact that the Cubs have the fourth best record in baseball, their ability throughout this season to come back, close, and simply not gift wrap wins to other teams has been tremendous compared to years past. They lead the league in one-run decisions and walk-off wins. But beyond that, to put it in a metric that Chicagoans can better understand: fewer people, much fewer people leave when the score is 3-2, 6-5,  9-8 or even 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth, god forbid. It’s finally exciting baseball in the Cubbie blue pinstripes.  

What will surely be determined either down the stretch or in the playoffs, is whether or not the Cubs will realize their potential or learn from their insufficiencies.  And essentially, what will eventually lead to the possible faltering of the Cubs is their inability to be consistently good.  They might have great moments and they might have bad moments but being consistently good may be the issue.  They have the talent to stick with anybody through 8 ½ innings, but down the stretch, when it counts, really counts, at the bottom of the ninth with two outs, for the win, will they belt a home run or just strike out?

Crosstown Classic Preview: A Clash of Strategies

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As the South Siders head to 1060 W Addison this weekend, with them comes a clash of expectations.  Both teams pursued roster overhauls in the winter, both teams adding new starting pitching as well as some much-needed sources of run support. The Cubs focused their free agency search on a catcher and a starting pitcher. Securing the lefty batting Montero, the second-best pitch framer on the market, and a lefty ace in Lester, as well as re-signing Jason Hammel, the club felt that they had navigated the FA market well. As has been preached and preached though, throughout the Cubs organization, the primary source for talent for the North Siders would be through the farm system.  Bringing Kris Bryant up along with defensive specialist, Addison Russell, and relying on the likes of other young talents like Jorge Soler, Starlin Castro, and an improved Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs appear to be exponentially better a couple weeks into the season, at least, that is how it appeared on paper.  Fans were citing Back to the Future, and this time, letting themselves maybe, just maybe, believe that they wouldn’t have to say “next year” in September.  The White Sox, very busy themselves in the offseason, looked as though they too, would be much better on paper.  Adding the former Cub, Jeff Samardzija to beef up the starting rotation, as well as signing the big bats of Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera while also trying to address their greatest weakness, the bullpen, with the additions of Zach Duke and David Robertson, the White Sox appeared to be all-in on spending and winning.  The potential addition of rookie promising prospect hoping to become an ace, Carlos Rodon, tied the picture together with a pretty bow that made fans think…“the ten-year anniversary of their last World Series! It makes nothing but beautiful, poetic sense!”

And now, in perfect dramatic fashion, the two clubs face off immediately prior to the mid-point of the season and the all-star break.  Speaking of, the Cubs will have two members playing, Anthony Rizzo as a first base reserve, and Kris Bryant, starting in the place of Giancarlo Stanton, both of whom will also be competing in the home run Derby the evening prior.  The two young big-batted stars could likely face the White Sox only representative for the game: Chris Sale.  All three selections are well deserving. Sale tied the major league record for eight consecutive starts with double digits strikeouts, and holds a 2.80 ERA and a 7-4 record.  Bryant and Rizzo are the heart of the offensive power in the Cubs lineup.  Bryant, batting .275 has an on base percentage of .381 with 12 HRs and 50 RBIs. Rizzo is threat at every at-bat, with an average .296 and an OBP of .401 with 16 HRs and 48 RBIs.

But at the midpoint, the records and standings reflect the reality of both clubs’ expectations.  The North Siders, at 46-38, are 3rd in the NL Central, the best division in the National League, and hold the second wild card spot by a 3-game lead on the Mets.  Though the team has struggled against the major-league leading and long-time rival Cardinals this season, it appears as though Maddon’s team has a real chance to compete against any team, any given day.  However, the White Sox, with a record of 39-44 are last in the AL Central and third worst in the American League.  Some blame the lack of clarity in the dual leadership front-office, others blame the big, brand new roster, that at times, appears they do all they can to give away close games, and others call for the head of “reluctant manager,” Robin Ventura.

Both offenses struggling as of late, it appears that the series will be a battle of arms.   The matchups are listed below:
Friday 3:05—–Hendricks (3.82, 4-4) v Rodon (4.18, 3-2)

Saturday 3:05-Lester (3.48, 4-7) v Sale (2.8, 7-4)

Sunday 1:20—Arrieta (2.8, 9-5) v Quintana (3.69, 4-8)

It feels as though Sale, when and if he pitches a complete game is unstoppable, and that the White Sox can beat just about anyone, while Lester who started the season struggling, has started to find his stuff for about 5-6 innings an outing.  While Quintana has been decent throughout the season, still battling the lack of run support, his opponent on Sunday, Arrieta, has proven to be the Cubs’ true ace.  So it appears, that if the last two games split, the series will come down to the two young guns in Hendricks and Rodon.  Game 1 would also likely be the day that big bats come into play.  Beyond that, the Cubs have an edge in their bullpen.  The White Sox have struggled in the category for the past two years, while the Cubs have surprised everyone, having one of the best in the game in the first half of the season.

With the reality of the MLB being a near total lack of dominant teams, outside of the Cardinals, and a plethora of fun, exciting baseball thanks to the likes of a crop of young, talented players flowing into the ranks and succeeding, and high-scoring, divisional races throughout both leagues, one could argue that the series is of importance for more than just pride and bar-bragging rights within the city limits for the first season in a number of years.  The South Siders, coming off a surprisingly successful trio of series against the Cardinals, Oriole, and Blue Jays, the White Sox could be beginning to turn things around pre-break in the league while only 5.5 games back of the second wild card spot.  The Cubs however, are looking to gain ground on both the Pirates and Cardinals going into the break, hoping to prove that indeed, “they can only get better.”

Though records and narrative point in opposite directions, the two clubs and their different strategies to overhauls could both still succeed.  Either way, one can be sure that this weekend will be one of the best Crosstown Classics in quite some time.

The Washington Nationals and Last Week in Baseball

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ianIt isn’t always good to be the king, or in the case of the Washington Nationals, maybe the media can lay a little low, when it comes to how easy it is supposed to be for them in 2015. The first week of their season stunk of ‘meh’, and things went from blah to bad in Boston, where the Red Sox took the first two and the Nats took the getaway game on Wednesday. It was back home for Matt Williams and company to get their pound of flesh from the Phillies, after the Phils took two of three in Philly the week before last. Nobody is popping champagne in the DC Metro area, even with Washington taking three of four from a division rival and finishing the week at 4 wins and 3 losses.

You have to start with Monday, because that was rock-bottom. It was all Red Sox from the word go, and the thin line that may not exist between winners winning and losers losing, the Red Sox got to win this game in the court of public opinion in their Fenway opener, thanks largely in part to the play of one Mookie Betts. The box score won’t tell you this, but the tone was set when Betts, starting in center field, denied the Nats the early lead off Bryce Harper’s shot to straight-away center, which the Sox rookie brought back from the land of home runs and turned into a long out. The next time Harper came to the plate, his team was down 8-0.

You have to talk about that third inning, and if you didn’t see it with your own eyes, you’ll have a hard time believing there’s truth to any of it. Yes, we’re glancing past the fact that the aforementioned Betts has stolen two bases, scored two runs, and collected three RBI on a 2nd inning home run over the left field wall. It was only 4-0 Boston when Jordan Zimmerman took the ball to start his third inning of work. He yields a baserunner by hitting Hanley Ramirez with a 2-2 pitch. Not to be outdone, Pablo Sandoval also gets hit with a 2-2 offering from Zimmerman, and it hasn’t even gotten weird yet.

Good times for Michael A Taylor in center field, they were not. With two runners on and nobody out in the frame, Mike Napoli sent a long, but catchable ball to left center, right between Taylor and Jayson Werth, and I guess nobody called for it. It dropped for a single and the runners just went station to station. Boston shortstop Zander Bogaerts singled to Taylor for the first legitimate hit of the inning, scoring a run, and Taylor got busy again after Sandy Leon sent one to right-center field, which he and Harper each stood and stared at a ball that dropped no further than 5 feet from either of them. Zimmerman gave up a hit to Betts, and Matt Williams decided he’d seen enough. Dustin Pedroia hit a sacrifice fly, bringing home Boston’s fourth run of the inning and eighth of the day.

The visiting team salvaged some offense and made it look better with a 9-4 final, but it was viewed by many as one of the worst losses in franchise history. A day later, they couldn’t convert their 6-run fifth inning to a victory. At stretch time, they held a 7-5 lead, but it was more what we saw on Monday, a couple of hit by pitches and three errors that gave Boston three runs, without the benefit of a hit in the seventh inning, that led to an 8-7 defeat.

The return of the real Ian Desmond began on Wednesday. He found himself below the Mendoza line after an 0-for-4 performance on Monday, but has hit in every game since. It was Desmond’s 3rd inning home run, his first of the year, that sparked a 6-run frame for the Nats, en route to a 10-5 victory. It was nice to get in the win column, but there was nothing inspiring about Gio Gonzalez’s 4 earned runs over 6 inning outing, despite the nice amount of run support in that one. Desmond was 13-for-29 at the plate throughout the week, good for a .448 clip in the batting average column.

In the series with Philadelphia, starting pitching took over. Doug Fister has looked as good as anyone in baseball, and it was more of the same on Thursday. Another former Tiger and perhaps the most notable uniform change headed into 2015, Max Scherzer picked up his first win as a National on Friday. Zimmerman slipped a bit on Saturday, but they could have used a little more offense against Aaron Harang in a 5-3 loss Saturday, though Harper did tag him for a moon-shot to center field, but that wouldn’t be enough.

The nearly forgotten Stephen Strasburg picked up his first win on Sunday, pitching 7 plus. By all accounts, he pitched well, but the story, especially after Monday, was Denard Span’s return to the leadoff spot in the order. In the fifth inning, he reminded everyone of why he’s been missed so much, scoring from first on Ian Desmond’s double. The Nationals won 4-1, going 4-3 on the week and 6-4 on the year, which puts them 4 games behind the first place(holding) Mets in the National League East.

Last Week in Baseball

  • Kris Bryant, the top prospect in the Cubs organization made his Major League debut on Friday to much fanfare, but was not able to reciporcate the hype, striking out three times and going 0-for-4 in a 5-4 loss to San Diego. Things got better when he wasn’t facing James Shields; in the Cubs’ next two games, he reached in 6 out of 10 plate appearances, including a first inning double off of Andrew Cashner on Sunday.
  • Good work from the big righty in the Baltimore bullpen, Brad Brach, on Saturday in Boston. I was watching the Boston feed, so it was Don Orsillo introducing the pitching change, in what was a 1-run game at the time. The line on Brach early in the season was that he’d inherited three runners and they’d all scored. Protecting a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning, with runners on first and second, he got Daniel Nava to hit into a 4-6-3 double play. He also notched two strikeouts in a scoreless 7th, and the Orioles went on to win 4-1 on Saturday.
  • If you have any interest in the Seattle Mariners, you have to happy, at least for a day, about the Nelson Cruz signing this off-season. Forget the fact that former Ranger and Oriole is hitting .354 with 8 home runs and an OPS of 1.258, just look at what he did on Sunday. First and third inning home runs kept it close, making the Rangers’ 7-run third inning survivable. He got his chance to win the game altogether with two out and the bases loaded in a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, and put it through the hole between third base and short, for the win.
  • What’s wrong with the Giants? Odd year jokes aside, how does this team drop 8 straight to San Diego, Colorado, and Arizona? At least they found a way to win on the night they got their rings, a 4-1 win over Arizona at home Saturday, but one win so far on a 7-game homestand, with the Dodgers coming in for three. If they don’t right the ship soon, 2015 will be over for San Francisco, before we really get going.
  • Matt Holliday has hit safely in all 11 of the St Louis Cardinals games in 2015. He was 1-for-3 in the Cardinals nationally televised 2-1 win over Cincinnati Sunday night. The real story of that game was that it ended in 2 hours and 2 minutes. The losing pitcher of record Mike Leake combined with Adam Wainwright, who notched the win, and Jordan Walden for exactly 200 pitches. Now, I’m not sure I’m one to fuss and fight about how long it takes to watch a ball game, but there are worse things than being able to do whatever you want 7:07 PM on Sunday night out west.

What if the Cubs and White Sox combined forces?

by

Cubs GM Theo Epstein and White Sox GM Rick Hahn
Cubs GM Theo Epstein and White Sox GM Rick Hahn

It’s that time of year again… spring is in the air, the weather is changing and baseball is right around to corner. But more importantly… it is time to unveil the roster for the 2015 SCUBS!

Unlike previous years, the 2015 SCUBS had position battles across the board, which was not the case last year. Neither the Sox (73-89) nor the Cubs (73-89) were a contender in their divisions last year but Rick Hahn and Theo Epstein have made key additions this offseason that have their respective fan bases buzzing.

The past couple rosters were put together to try and compete for a Wild Card spot in either league but with the surplus of current talent, the below roster would not only compete for a division title but would make a serious run for a World Series ring.

Batters were selected based on how they performed at the dish, as well as in the field. There are some young players selected for the SCUBS and those decisions were based off of 2015 projections and the potential ceiling for that respective player.

2001 Seattle Marines
2001 Seattle Marines

The San Francisco total regular season total WAR numbers for their top 10 hitters and top 7 pitchers are given below to compare against the 2015 projected SCUBS stats. The Giants may not have been the best team when considering the WAR statistic during the 2014 season but they did win the World Series with solid postseason defense and pitching. In comparison, the 2001 Seattle Mariners (116-46) total regular season total WAR numbers are also provided below to show how the SCUBS would compare against one of the best regular season teams of all time… despite the amazing regular season, the Mariners lost in the ALCS to the New York Yankees.

Manager: Joe Maddon (781 – 729, 2x AL Manager of the Year)

Projected Stats by www.FanGraphs.com

Catcher: Miguel Montero (.258/12 HR/57 RBI/2.7 WAR)

First: Anthony Rizzo (.280/34 HR/112 RBI/5.6 WAR)

Second: Arismendy Alcantara (.256/14 HR/20 SB/2.2 WAR)

Short Stop: Starlin Castro (.290/16 HR/75 RBI/3.9 WAR)

Third: Kris Bryant (.264/23 HR/80 RBI/3.9 WAR)

Left Field: Jorge Soler (.278/26 HR/92 RBI/3.5 WAR)

Center Field: Adam Eaton (.292/84 R/18 SB/3.6 WAR)

Right Field: Melky Cabrera (.296/13 HR/64 RBI/2.0 WAR)

DH: Jose Abreu (.300/36 HR/115 RBI/5.0 WAR)

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2015 Chicago SCUBS Batters Total WAR: 32.4

2001 Seattle Mariners Batters Total WAR: 40.1

2014 San Francisco Batters Total WAR: 24.7

White Sox SP Chris Sale
White Sox SP Chris Sale

The 2015 SCUBS starting rotation would be the best in the MLB if they were actually teammates… 4 of the starters remain on the list from last year (Samardzija switched jerseys) and with the addition of Jon Lester, this rotation is formidable. The rotation consist of 3 LHP, 2 RHP and is projected to win 68 games, which is 6 more wins than the top 5 starters of the 2001 Mariners. Even though Rondon had a better WAR in 2014, I took my chances with the veteran Robertson, who converted 39/44 saves last year and has proven he can close out games on a consistent basis.

1st: Chris Sale (210 IP/15 W/2.67 ERA/1.03 WHIP/6.1 WAR)

2nd: Jon Lester (214 IP/15 W/3.07 ERA/1.15 WHIP/4.2 WAR)

3rd: Jeff Samardzija (215 IP/13 W/3.36 ERA/1.18 WHIP/3.7 WAR)

4th: Jose Quintana (204 IP/12 W/3.46 ERA/1.19 WHIP/ 4.1 WAR)

5th: Jake Arrieta (185 IP/13 W/3.17 ERA/1.15 WHIP/3.3 WAR)

Set up: Hector Rondon (61 IP/34 SV/2.68 ERA/1.11 WHIP/0.9 WAR)

Closer: David Robertson (67 IP/40 SV/2.80 ERA/1.07 WHIP/1.1 WAR)

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2015 Chicago SCUBS Pitchers Total WAR: 23.4

2001 Seattle Mariners Pitchers Total WAR: 18.2

2014 San Francisco Pitchers Total WAR: 12.2

Cubs/Sox fans will never see eye to eye on anything and I would imagine that each one will feel slighted by this roster. Whether it is Castro vs Ramirez or Alcantara vs Johnson, there are positions that can be argued up and down the line up. At least there are “arguments” this year… enjoy your summer, enjoy your team because baseball is finally relevant in Chicago again. GO SCUBS!!!!

@WesEvans24