The 2017 Chicago Cubs season is officially over, and it was a season to remember. From being extremely mediocre for the first half of the season, to a surprise acquisition of Jose Quintana during the All-Star break, to overcoming a 5.5 game deficit to win the NL Central for the second year in a row and making it to the NLCS for the third consecutive year, we won’t forget this season anytime soon. Barring any trades in the offseason, which very well could be occurring, our everyday core of young players will be back and ready to compete for a third straight NL Central title. However, of the biggest pieces of this team for the past four seasons is probably not coming back and I just want to take this time to relive some of his greatest moments while thanking him for his heroics. Jake Arrieta, this is for you.
Thank you, Jake Arrieta. Thank you for coming over in 2013 and immediately being a solid pitcher. Once 2014 came, your potential started to shine as you posted a 10-5 record and 2.53 ERA on a 73-89 Cubs team. Starlin Castro, the rise of Anthony Rizzo and the arrival of Jorge Soler and Javier Baez were reasons to be excited about the Cubs that season, but you were easily the best part of that entire season. You were four outs away from tossing a no-hitter in Fenway Park and it was clear that you were going to eventually get the no hitter you deserve. 2015 arrived with great expectations for the north side. Rizzo and Castro were already All-Stars, Jon Lester inked a 6-year contract with the Cubs, and young prospects like Kris Bryant, Addison Russel and Kyle Schwarber were all on the rise. Once again, you were the best part of that season—especially the second half. What you did the second half of the season was unlike anything I’ve ever seen and probably ever will see. You were virtually unhittable, posting a 0.75 second-half ERA, the lowest in the history of professional baseball. Opposing hitters put up a pitiful .148/.204/.205 in the 107 1/3 innings you tossed after the All-Star break and the only game you lost was a 1-0 defeat to the Phillies July 25th, in which the Cubs were no-hit. If the Cubs scored an early run, I automatically felt comfortable about the outcome of the game. The only way you could get out-pitched is if someone threw a no-hitter, but once again, we all knew that was coming. August 30th, on Sunday night baseball versus the Dodgers, you did it. It was the moment you had coming and all but cemented yourself as the Cy Young frontrunner over Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. During the second half of 2015, teams were getting baptized at the Church of Jake every five days and #JakeDay became a weekly celebration and there was nothing anybody can do about it—ask the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 2015 NL Wildcard was an electric game. Schwarber hit a ball into the Alleghany River and you pitched a complete game shutout, but my favorite memory from that night came in the 7th inning. You just got hit by a pitch, which was a clear retaliation for some of the events that occurred during the game. Then, you stole second base. A starting pitcher, need I remind you, stole second base immediately after getting hit by a pitch in a do-or-die game. It was glorious and one of the coolest thing I’ve seen an athlete do given the circumstances. You came back down to Earth over the next two seasons, but you still had incredible moments. Thank you for throwing a no-hitter on my 21st birthday, that was a very generous gift from you. You hit a three-run home run off Madison Bumgarner in the NLDS and collected two victories in the World Series. You always seemed to be at your best when we needed it most, and you proved it in your last start of 2017. On what very well might be the last #JakeDay I celebrate, you pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run baseball while striking out nine in an elimination game. It was a perfect exclamation point on a phenomenal four-year run.
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The Cubs defeated the Nationals in yet another thrilling post season game, something that has become a norm on the north side. With their victory Thursday night, they secured their third consecutive LCS appearance. They will throw down with the Dodgers, which will be the first LCS rematch since 2008 and 2009. The Dodgers were the best team in baseball during the regular season, and things will be tough for the defending world champs. Here are a few things that should be noted heading into this series: Game 1 definitely favors the Dodgers In games 4 and 5 of the division series, manger Joe Maddon was forced to use almost every single arm on the roster including, Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, and Kyle Hendricks. Although Quintana may be starting game 1, there is a very good chance John Lackey will have to eat some innings. More so, closer, Wade Davis is most likely not available after throwing 44 pitches in the clincher. Overall, everyone except Lackey is going to be a little fatigued on the Chicago pitching staff entering game 1. Maddon has more to worry about than just how taxed his guys are though. Top setup man, Carl Edwards was money during the regular season, but had a very rough NLDS surrendering six runs in 2.2 innings of work. In the past, Maddon has consistently showed confidence in him, but in game 5 Edwards walked the first batter he faced and was immediately replaced. Also, in game 4 Maddon went to Jon Lester for 3.2 innings, showing his lack of confidence in the bullpen. If the Cubs hope to snake out of L.A. with at least one win names like Brian Duensing, Pedro Strop, and Justin Wilson will have to step up big time. Clayton Kershaw Clayton Kershaw’s post season woes have been well documented and discussed, more specifically his struggles in the seventh inning. In fact, in game 1 against the Diamondbacks, Kershaw had a 7-2 lead going into the seventh and allowed back to back home runs (his third and fourth in the game no less). Kershaw may be the best pitcher in the game, but it will be shocking if manager Dave Roberts trots him back out for the seventh again. Entering the game as part of the best team in baseball, Kershaw may be pitching with a little extra pressure. If he’s been keeping up with the rest of the series around the league, he will know that fellow big-time aces have struggled a bit. Aside from Stephen Strasburg, pitcher like Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, and Max Scherzer have faltered at least once this post season. Kershaw certainly knows what it takes, but October baseball is a completely different animal. Which Cub will break out? Last year during the NLCS Addison Russell broke out in a big way for the Cubs, and provided a spark that would propel them through the rest of the series. Not only are the Cubs in desperate need of some consistent offense, but they need to find this year's Addison Russell. So far Anthony Rizzo has somewhat been that guy for the Cubs, but he will need to put together some good at bats against the Dodgers lefties. Since Rizzo doesn’t share time with anyone, he will be forced into some tough at bats, and will need to continue his "don’t do too much approach". Although, he does have 10 left on left home runs, so he may cheat a little for a pitch he can drive. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Javier Baez will get, and what he will do with it. He is an obvious candidate to ignite this Cubs team, with his flashy glove work and dangerous bat. However, Baez was simply not good in the NLDS and is going to need to show something quick because of Joe Maddon’s love affair with Ben Zobrist. Willson Contreras is very much a human spark plug because of the intensity he brings to the field everyday. The offensive explosion hasn’t really happened for him yet, but if he can regain even a fraction of what he was before his hamstring injury, look out. Late in the regular season Contreras carried the Cubs offense and seemed to hit a home run every day. If that Contreras shows up against the Dodgers, it will be exactly what the Cubs have been lacking and may be enough to get the rest of the offense going. There will be no easy out for the Cubs When the Dodgers offense is locked in there may not be a more disciplined team in the entire league. That discipline was on display when they defeated Zack Greinke who makes his living at getting batters to chase out of the zone. The Dodgers led the majors with the lowest chase rate in the entire MLB, and proved it further by taking pitches that weren’t strikes, and hitting 21 foul balls. They ran up Greinke’s pitch count and blasted home runs when he was up around and above 100 pitches. Young stars Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager have been impressive, but Justin Turner is the heart beat that makes the Dodgers line up go, very similar to Anthony Rizzo for the Cubs. Turner has cut down his strikeouts and become a top offensive threat in the league. In the NLDS he went 7 for 13 with a home run and five RBIs. In addition, Yasiel Puig had a great NLDS as well, going 5 for 11 with four RBIs and just one strikeout. If he can keep that up the Cubs will have their work cut out for them. That being said they did just defeat a Nationals line up that is arguably the best overall in baseball. The Cubs cannot afford to play bad defense So far this postseason defense has been atrocious between the two leagues. Both the Indians and Nationals shot themselves in the foot with bad defense facing elimination in Game 5. Thankfully, the Cubs were able to eek out a win in a game where they committed four errors. The Cubs are usually very sound defensively, and need to reach deep to shake their recent struggles, or else it may cost them the series. More specifically, the catchers on each team will play an important role in this series. Willson Contreras for the Cubs is well known for his massive arm and uncanny ability to throw behind and pick off runners. On the other side, the Dodgers play with two catchers, Yasmani Grandall and Austin Barnes. Grandall is regarded as one of the top pitch framers in all of baseball, but has had a rough go at the plate, slashing .187/.281/.403 in the last two months. Albert Almora and Yasiel Puig Each of these players could be put in multiple positions to swing the series, but in many different ways. If Yasiel Puig stays hot and can phase out his mental mistakes, it will be a huge boost for the Dodgers and make it even more difficult for the Cubs to navigate through their lineup. In addition, Puig’s arm can be a game changer in the outfield and his legs a factor on the base paths. It is almost a certainty that Albert Almora is going to have a chance to be an impact player in this series. With the Dodgers trio of lefty starters (Kershaw, Hill, Wood), Almora should get multiple starts and find himself in the box during a crucial moment. In 125 plate appearances this year, Almora has dominated lefties by hitting .342/.411/.486. He has never been scared off by the big stage, but is definitely going to need to step up. Also, his defensive abilities are top tier and will be a much needed boost. My Prediction Kershaw may have let up four homers in his last start, but that shouldn’t concern Dodger fans too much because he’s Clayton Kershaw. That and the fact that the entire Cubs pitching staff is fatigued, and will be counting on Quintana to go deep. The Cubs will have it rough in L.A. and should be happy if they roll into Wrigley with a 1-1 split. Back home, the Cubs will hit back hard firing on all cylinders, winning two of three and eventually taking the series in seven games. The Cubs bullpen will bounce back from their NLDS struggles, but many of these games will be in typical Cubs fashion; long, nerve wrecking, nail bitters decided by the play of key individuals defined throughout the course of the series. By Christian Otteman ---- It’s early October and once again the wonderful smell of playoff baseball is in the air. With business taken care of in the regular season, the Cubs find themselves a couple days away from the hot seat as the baseball world turns their attention to the Wild-Card games. With a couple days to prepare ourselves as fans, let’s take a look at everything from pitching matchups to potential lineups in the Cubs’ NLDS matchup. First inning: 2017 season series. Now, obviously, the results between two teams in the regular season have absolutely no bearing on how the teams will fare against each other in the playoffs—a thing the Cubs know all too well based on 2015’s matchups with the Mets—but it’s still fun to look at. The Cubs hold a 3-4 record against the Nats in 2017, including a four-game series split in Washington. The two teams haven’t played each other since early August, back in the days where the Cubs really hadn’t figured everything out yet, so it will definitely be interesting to see how things will change. With the Cubs riding a hot streak nearly the entire month of September, things might play out a little differently than they did in the heat of the summer. Second: Injuries to Aces. The Cubs and Nats have a lot in common in terms of their starting rotations, and it’s not just the depth of talent—both teams have a question mark surrounding one of their best pitchers due to a hamstring strain. In the Nationals’ case, Cy Young hopeful Max Scherzer tweaked his hamstring in his final regular-season start and was then lifted for precautionary reasons. There’s probably not much to worry about in his case, as the guy is a machine and insists he’ll be playing in the series, so it’s more of a when-not-if question in his case. In Arrieta’s case, the Cubs announced their rotation on Wednesday with Arrieta lined up to pitch in Game 4. Some might question this decision, as Arrieta is as good as anybody when healthy, but that’s the exact issue here. While we’ve seen Arrieta steamroll powerful lineups in the playoffs, it’s likely Maddon wants to give Jake enough time to recover so that he might be able to use him to his full potential. And let’s not forget, with a best-case scenario in this rotation, that could mean saving him until the NLCS. Third: Bullpen woes overcome. Starting pitching isn’t the only similarity these two teams have shared on the mound. Both teams struggled early to put together an effective bullpen, with the only constant on either side seeming to be the dominance of Wade Davis. However, as contenders tend to do in mid-July, both teams made moves to strengthen their pens, with Washington making huge moves with the additions of Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. The Cubs also acquired Justin Wilson from the Tigers, and while he seemed out of his groove at first, he has seemed to settle into his rhythm, along with the rest of the Cubs pen. As Tuesday’s AL Wild-Card game showed, relievers are among the most important assets a team can have. What these teams did around the deadline helped strengthen their playoff push, and may also be the difference in what is shaping up to be a dynamite series. Fourth: Potential lineup. Let’s cut to the chase on this one. With how the team’s been performing down the stretch, here’s what I’d like to see on the lineup card come Friday night: Jay CF Bryant 3B Rizzo 1B Contreras C Schwarber LF Russell SS Heyward RF Baez 2B Pitcher While the infield is mostly squared away, there’s still a lot of speculation as to how the outfield could shape up. I’m a big Schwarber guy, so I’m going to want to see Kyle in the lineup whenever possible, but I can see Maddon moving Zobrist into left and potentially using Schwarber off the bench, especially when Gio Gonzales (a lefty) is starting. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Ian Happ leading off and playing center, as his power and aggressiveness, especially on the first pitch, are both valuable traits, but I like Jay in the leadoff spot just a little bit more—for now, at least. Fifth: Dominance at the hot corner. The Cubs and Nationals have also had the luxury of owning two of the best third basemen, if not two of the best players, in the National League: Kris Bryant and Anthony Rendon. With fWARs of 6.7 and 6.9 respectively (two of the top three in the entire NL!), these players have dominated both sides of the ball to lead their teams to the playoffs and enter their names in the MVP discussion. While the media might be quick to compare Bryce Harper to Bryant due to their longstanding friendship and the fact that they’re the faces of their respective franchises, it will be Anthony Rendon leading the Nationals into battle against the Cubs. Sixth: Nationals Vs. the NLDS. It’s no secret that the Nationals have struggled in the postseason despite having some pretty loaded rosters in the past few years. In the three trips to the postseason in franchise history, the Nationals have failed to make it out of the divisional round, losing to the Dodgers in 2016, the Giants in 2014, and the *shudders* Cardinals in 2012. As Cubs fans, it’s pretty easy to spin this either way—“They always choke! We have nothing to worry about!” or “They always choke! …Which means they’re probably due against us this year.”—but as Ben Zobrist has said, the ball is in the Nationals’ court—er, field at this point. The Nationals have a lot to prove to the fans and to themselves in this aspect, so it’s up to the Cubs to come out of the gates swinging and crush their hopes early. Seventh: Underdogs yet again. Remember, in 2015, when the Cubs weren’t the undisputed best team in baseball and really had to prove to everyone that they were the real deal, and then Kyle Schwarber obliterated a couple homeruns into the Allegheny and on top of the Wrigley scoreboard? Good times. The Cubs find themselves as underdogs once again this year, essentially the “3” seed in the National League. While they don’t have the benefit of a home field advantage to help carry them through the playoffs, they do have the advantage of being an underdog once again. With criticism being tossed their way since the beginning of the season, the Cubs aren't the outright favorites the Dodgers and Indians have been throughout the season. So let’s buckle in and enjoy the ride as these Cubs once again remind the world who they are—and that they’re here to stay. Eighth: Game one matchup. The Nationals haven’t announced their playoff rotation at the quite yet, but let’s assume that Scherzer makes the start barring a significant health setback. That puts Kyle Hendricks on the mound against the reigning Cy Young winner in Nationals Park. The Proffesor Vs. Mad Max. Two of baseball’s best over the past two years squaring off in October. Almost feels like shades of Lester Vs. Cueto, doesn’t it? If both pitchers bring their A-game, we might be seeing a similar box score to game 1 of 2016’s NLDS, as well—a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Ninth: Bold series predictions. With all of the formalities out of the way, let’s finish things off by throwing all objectivity out the window and having some fun. Here’s a few predictions for the Cubs' first postseason series:
Less than two days until showtime. Let’s do this, guys. By Mike McFarland ----------------- When the Cubs officially clinched the division on Sept. 27 in St. Louis, the team achieved another feat that the franchise had not seen in more than 100 years. The Cubs have now made it to the postseason in three consecutive seasons, the first of any set of Cub squads since the 1906-1908 teams. These early 20th century Cubs played in three consecutive World Series, winning in both 1907 and 1908. The dominance began to take form in 1906, when the Cubs won 116 games and lost just 36, the greatest winning percentage in major league history. They also called the second West Side Park home, a wooden ballpark that originally seated 12,500. The names on these teams alone are woven into the fabric of myth within baseball history. Chicago had a terrific pitching staff led by the legendary Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, whose right index finger was chopped down to a stump in a farming accident when he was five. He broke his other fingers in a later accident, leaving his them stuck in strange angles even after healing. These injuries aided Brown in throwing a devastating curveball, however, and he became a Hall of Fame pitcher. The other immortal names on these Cubs teams were those of shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman Johnny Evers, and first baseman/manager Frank Chance. History's most famous double play combination turned the third most double plays in the National League from 1906-1910. The combo was made famous when columnist Franklin Pierce Adams published a poem in 1910 from the perspective of a Giants fan watching the players turn a double play against his team. The 1906 team boasted two 20-game winners; Brown and Jack Pfiester, as well as 19-game winner Ed Reulbach. Each had an ERA well under 2.00. This Cubs team was so dominant that they won the pennant by 20 games over the second-place New York Giants. The team played in the first, and so far only, crosstown World Series against the White Sox. Despite being heavily favored, the Cubs lost in six games. But the Cubs kept rolling in 1907 to take the pennant again. Four Cubs pitchers had an ERA under 2.00, with Pfiester leading the team at a 1.15 clip. Orvall Overall led the team with 23 victories and Chicago finished with 107 wins, 17 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates to go to the World Series. This time the Cubs faced the Detroit Tigers, led by Hall of Fame outfielders Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford. But neither star found much success at the plate and Chicago took the series in five games (the first game was a tie called because it got to dark to play on). 1908 proved to be far more difficult for Chicago. The Cubs were locked in a three-horse race with the Giants and Pirates for the pennant. They would soon find themselves in the midst of one of the most infamous plays in baseball history. On September 23, the Cubs and Giants were tied in the standings when they met for an afternoon game at the Polo Grounds. With the game knotted up at one in the bottom of the ninth. With Moose McCormick on first, Fred Merkle knocked a single to right field to put runners at the corners. Al Bridwell then knocked what looked like a single to center field, presumably winning the ballgame. Fans started to storm the field while Merkle was advancing from first base, so he started to head to the Giants locker room beyond the outfield. Johnny Evers noticed that Merkle hadn't touched second and (apparently) got the ball via center fielder Solly Hofman. Evers touched second and the umpires ruled that Merkle was out, and the run didn't score. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. The two teams were still tied at the end of the season and had to play a game to decide the pennant winner. The Cubs won 4-2 to move on to the World Series. 1908's Fall Classic was far less dramatic, as Chicago trounced the Tigers for the second straight year, this time four games to one. The Cubs won the pennant again in 1910, but lost to Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. These teams give us not only a glimpse into the lore of the Cubs rich history, but also should provide us with an appreciation for what the current franchise is doing. As the NLDS approaches, one of the main topics discussed is who is going to pitch game one for the Cubs (as well as the Nationals now that Scherzer has a tweaked hamstring). While I’m very interested to see who the Cubs decide to take to the mound for game one, I’m just as interested to see who will be the 8 position players to go along with the pitcher.
The Cubs have the luxury of having a very deep bench. Players that would start almost anywhere, such as Ben Zobrist, Ian Happ, Albert Almora Jr, Kyle Schwarber, Tommy La Stella and Jon Jay are far from locks to be everyday starters in the playoffs. While the majority of these players will likely come off the bench a solid amount of the playoffs, I think some of them deserve to start every game if we want our best chance to win. The lineup that I believe gives the Cubs the greatest chance of beating the Nationals is Rizzo at first, Javy at second, Russell at shortstop, Bryant at third, Contreras at Catcher, Schwarber in left field, Almora in centerfield and Happ in right field. There are some notable names left off this list, such as Jason Heyward, who is expected to start in right field. While Heyward has improved at the plate compared to 2016, the only reason why he’s an everyday starter is for his defense. While Heyward (.326 OBP) and Happ (.328 OBP) get on base at nearly an identical rate, Happ is much more dangerous as his slugging percentage (.514) is significantly higher than Heyward’s (.389). Heyward is a much better outfielder, but against the Nationals, the Cubs will need to have their most dangerous bats at the plate as much as possible, and the only position player with a lower OPS than Heyward is Zobrist. I can see an argument for his defense being valuable enough to earn him starting play, but if Almora is playing in center, we can get away with having Happ in right field. If Jay is starting in center, I can see an argument for Heyward being in right field. Another player that is left off that list is 2016 World Series MVP, Ben Zobrist. Zobrist is known for his big game heroics and has been a vital part of many memorable moments from the 2016 postseason, such as game 4 of the NLDS and game 7 of the World Series. Last year at this time, I would want Zobrist at the plate over anyone on the Cubs during the big moments. While he has improved offensively over the course of the season, his numbers aren’t good enough to keep Schwarber out of the lineup. While Schwarber’s 2017 season wasn’t as great as we expected, he has an OPS of .897 in the second half of the season. Of the usual starters, only Contreras, Bryant and Rizzo have posted a better OPS during the second half of the season. Schwarber isn’t an elite outfielder, but neither is Zobrist. What Schwarber has been able to accomplish in the postseason so far in his career is enough to be remembered by Cubs fans for decades to come. Zobrist will always have the clutch moments from the 2016 postseason run, but I think he should be used as more of a situational hitter and midgame substitution. The players that should be starting every game without question should be Rizzo, Bryant, Contreras, Javy, and Russell. Our infield should look the same every single game, as that is our best chance to win offensively and defensively. The outfield can change in many different ways, as I can see arguments for Almora, Jay, Happ, Heyward, Schwarber or Zobrist starting. My prediction for game one, while I don’t agree with it, is Schwarber at left, Jay in center and Heyward in right. Jay playing instead of Almora isn’t too much of a liability, as Jay is a very solid leadoff hitter, isn’t a major risk in the outfield and is a machine at getting on base. I will feel fine starting Jay over Almora, although I would love to see him get the chance to make a big impact this postseason. In a series where scoring runs are going to be so crucial, our most dangerous hitters are going to need as many at bats as possible. Ian Happ had a monster rookie season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he continued it into the postseason if given the chance. I don’t see Madden taking Heyward out of the lineup, however, so I’m not getting my hopes up early on. Hopefully the Cubs make a deep enough run for this to continue to be a topic of discussion. |
Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
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