Game 20- Hanging Tough

First of all, let's get this out of the way. Baez is having a HELL of year. Not only in this game where he hit a triple and was responsible for the only run in 8 innings but he was the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

Not only that but let's pull out for a second. He is hitting .302 with 6 home runs and 17 RBIs. It just isn't hits as Javy's OBP is .333

Even better is Chatwood having 6 shutout innings and then everyone was on pins and needles about what would happen with the bullpen. Predictably a winning score became a tied score with the 'Pen giving up a home run but Baez had a great heads up running and Bote was a hero again bringing the Cubs level again on the season.

Despite the terrible bullpen I am so glad to see the Cubs battle back and take the meatloaf. They gotta keep grinding and winning the grind and then we might actually be getting somewhere.

Cubs Games Watched: 4.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 11.5
Gave Up: 4.0

Spring Training Blowout

Welp, I said I was interested in what the Cubs would do against the Reds given the increase in competitiveness in the NL Central and such. I say a lot of things but I didn't think the Cubs would get blown out 12-3.

Chatwood was...a disaster no two ways about it. The thing about him isn't how many runs he does or doesn't give up on a day, or the amount of walks or strikeouts. The thing is, he is inconsistent. That is the biggest strike against him, you never know what you will get and in an era where certainty backed by statistics is everything, Chatwood can't be relied upon.

Sure other Cubs pitches (looking at you Rosario and Ryan) gave up multiple runs and it is not all on Tyler but it is not NOT on him either.

Otherwise the replacements hit pretty well last night. Starters went 2-22 but the bench went 6-13. Again the bright spot of the preseason is that there is offensive depth in the minors which hopefully the Cubs lean upon with the Iowa shuttle this year.

Onward we go with games the rest of the week, which hopefully don't go as poorly as Tuesday's game.

Spring Training- The Last Few Days

So the Cubs beat the Royals, lost to the Rockies and beat the Mariners. Here are a few takeaways from the last few days.

The Cubs Are Hitting! 

In the last 3 games, the Cubs have 32 hits. For a team that was primarily manufacturing runs via the homer last year this is a great development. The Brewers hit early and often in their games and I am all about the Cubs hitting, hitting and hitting some more.

The Pipeline Has Some Juice Still

The common wisdom is that the Cubs have sacrificed their minor league pipeline for the win-now window. Still though, there is some real talent in the minors that I am excited about. Including Trent Giambrone. Trent is absolutely raking it in spring training and is leading a trio of offensive talent that is looking better and better.

https://www.cubsinsider.com/2019/03/06/cubs-prospects-mark-zagunis-trent-giambrone-jared-young-making-major-noise-this-spring/

Pitching Is Meh? 

There isn't much you can tease out of Spring Training when it comes to pitching. Maddon has a strict pitch count, pitchers can't really get into a rhythm and the starters might look sharp one game and rusty the next. One seeming bright spot is the "righting of the ship" of Chatwood.

So far he is pitched in 8 innings sporting a 2.35 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Solid numbers which I will take in a heartbeat given the absolute train wreck the second half of the season was with Tyler. Not sure what portends for Chatwood this season but at least this Spring he looks like a major league pitcher which could be a game changer for the Cubs this year. Time will tell.

Spring Training Games 2-3

Whew, only 3 days into spring training and already 2 games behind! Life comes at you pretty fast as F. Bueller used to say so let's dig right into this!

Game 2 vs. San Fran

While there are a few minor leaguers in this lineup, this game definitely has more of the major league team seeing action today than game 1. The less said about Russell the better. For me it is all about Happ and Bote, two key role players I think for this season and seasons to come (unless Theo trades em). Do how did it turn out?

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-giants/2019/02/24/566453/final/video

Well, another day another win!  Chatwood improbably picks up the W (pitching 2 innings) which the Cubs have to be happy with. The more arms they can throw at opposing teams this year with good results, the better for the team, they need to take some of the pressure off the offense.

It is tough to read much into any spring training game but it is good to see Almora, Rizzo and Schwaber picking up RBIs.

Game 3 (Split Squad) vs. Dodgers/Padres:

The Cubs got their heads bashed in by the Dodgers (11-2!) and salvaged some dignity with a win over the Padres (6-4).

Bergman and Clarkin got hit hard and often giving up 3 runs each. The fun thing about the box score for the Dodgers game? 3, yes 3 Cubs pitches had a ERA of 13.50 after the game, so good!

Lester looked good in his side of the split with 3 Ks and my boy KB scored a run.

Contreras had 3 RBIs which is awesome. Word on the street from Ivy Envy was that he ran out of gas last season (which seems plausible looking at his All Star game splits) and man, catcher is a tough position to play. Hopefully he has enough gas in the tank come September this year.

 I also can't wait to see what Amaya brings to the table. He is only 20 but could be bringing a lot to the table in a year or 2.

Ok that's it for the night, more soon as the games keep on coming !