Chicago Cubs weekly recap: August 4-10

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There was plenty to talk about this week within the Cubs organization, but most chatter all came back to the fact Javier Baez had finally arrived in Chicago. The Cubs No. 2 prospect did not disappoint in his first week. Baez went ahead and put his stamp on his first game with a 12th inning game-winning home run. That aside, the Cubs played some baseball this week, a lot of it actually. Let’s take a look at the Cubs this past week.

This Week: 3-3 Season: 50-66, 14 GB – Fifth in the NL Central

The Good: Javier Baez. It’s been awhile since the Cubs had a prospect come up with this much anticipation and hype. There’s more of these guys on the way, but finally seeing Baez in Chicago had to make you feel like the Cubs are ready to make the turn. Baez hit three home runs in his first series, marking the first time in 60 years since that had happened. Add a game-winner in the 12th of his first game on top of that. There’s a lot of work for Baez to do, but the Cubs and their fans are excited that work will be done in Chicago now.

The Bad: Jake Arrieta‘s outing in Colorado certainly fits the bill. Brutal. Just brutal. Coors Field can take any pitchers stretch of nice games, break him, and bring him back down to earth. It’s just the power that place has. Arrieta surrendered nine runs in five innings. The thin air kept his breaking pitches from doing much more than spinning over the plate, and Rockies hitters didn’t miss. The bright side is if there is ever a place that you can take a bad outing and throw it out as a pitcher, it’s Coors Field.

The Ugly: Happy trails Nate Schierholtz. It turns out last year wasn’t a breakout year; it may have simply been a fluke. Schierholtz just couldn’t get the wheels back on the track. There’s a rumor that the “Mendoza” line may be renamed. I cannot confirm nor deny this. But no matter the case, the Cubs made more space available for the future.

There is speculation that the call-up of Javier Baez while the Cubs were in Colorado was no coincidence. I don’t believe that. But if you want a young hitter, especially with his power, to succeed early on? It’s a good place to start. Tuesday’s opener in Colorado was the unveiling of No. 9. And I think it looks good on him. Baez struggled early on, but took some better cuts, almost picking up his first hit in the seventh on a hard liner to right.

I think it’s safe to say he probably enjoyed his actual first hit better. After having their hands around a possible victory, only to see Hector Rondon let it slip away in the bottom of the 11th, Baez took matters into his own hands in the 12th.

Baez smashed the first pitch into the right field stands. Yes, it’s Colorado. But the kid has amazing bat speed and he’ll have plenty like this one in the future. The Cubs would hold on to win, as Rondon apparently felt like a win instead of a save for the evening.

The Cubs dropped game two, due to the aforementioned Arrieta outing. Chris Coghlan continued his resurgent campaign with three hits, driving him over .300 for the season. And Arismendy Alcantara hit his third home run of the year. After that it was just the Rockies hitting the ball to places the Cubs weren’t. It happened, we’re at peace with it, and Arrieta is ready for his next start.

The series finale was the Cubs “future” game. Kyle Hendricks spun another gem, pitching eight solid innings, and allowed only two runs, lowering his ERA to 2.10. Alcantara added an RBI, as did Castro. The kids got the job done, and gave a small glimpse of what the near future may hold for the Cubs.

As the Cubs returned home, there must have been a memo sent out that the front office felt the fans needed more than the standard nine inning game. So the Cubs and Rays churned out two extra-inning affairs, giving the Cubs six in their last 12 games.

In the opener, the Cubs needed a late run in the ninth to push the game into extra innings. Manager Rick Renteria called upon Rondon to hold the Rays, and once again in a non-save situation he struggled. This time the hits were square, and the Rays would push across the winning run in the 10th. Maybe we start going to John Baker in that spot? I don’t know, just a thought.

Game two saw Edwin Jackson put up a quality start, but only by the definition. Six innings, four runs, only three earned didn’t feel very quality. But Rays starter Jake Odorizzi, as well as the two relievers, had the Cubs guessing all game as they struck out 15 combined Chicago batters. I can verify that the old adage you can’t win if you don’t score is true. Refer to this game for proof.

The swing-and-miss mentality stuck with the Cubs all weekend, as Rays pitchers combined for 44 strikeouts, setting a Cubs team record for most in a series. After Travis Wood gave another quality start, only to not factor in the decision, the Cubs bullpen came to the rescue. Five pitchers combined for 5 1/3 innings of shutout baseball, giving the Cubs a chance for some more 12th inning heroics. Baez was involved, but not quite the same way this game. A Ryan Sweeney lead off single, followed by a Coghlan sacrifice bunt set the stage. But Baez swung and missed at a bad pitch, so bad it skipped away and he took first on the whiff while Sweeney moved to third.

Anthony Rizzo then struck a deep single for the game-winner as the Cubs avoided the sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. The win capped off a long week of baseball for the Cubs, including three extra-inning contests.

Cubs Players of the Week

Chris Coghlan – I bet you were sure I’d have Baez here, right? Almost did. But Coghlan deserves the nod here. He’s had a stretch over the last month where he’s hitting as good as anyone on the senior circuit. He’s raised his average to around .300, he’s taking walks in the lead-off spot, and coming up with clutch hits like he did today. Add to that he’s now likely our best overall defensive outfielder and I can’t overlook him here. Baez get’s the very close runner-up.

Kyle Hendricks – After a rough debut, in which he started shaky but leveled off, Hendricks has been a model of consistency. Four consecutive quality starts, including three he went seven innings or more. Pitch count was the only thing that kept him from going the distance in his last outing against the Rockies. The young man is a beacon of hope on the pitching side of the organization, which isn’t as flush with talent as positional players.

I always watch the Cubs. And I always have. Probably more intensely now because I write about them. But this week was fun. The call-up of Baez intrigued me to the point I didn’t want to miss an at-bat. Then Hendricks is pitching at a high level, and I can’t help but get excited. The Cubs’ front office is cutting dead weight, preparing for the future. Once September call-ups come, we’re going to start to get a look at what will be the Cubs team of the future.

Post Baez call-up the Cubs are now 3-3. One player can’t change a season, but I really feel like that roster move was the shot heard round Cubs nation. We’ll keep an eye on it and see where we go from here.

Go Cubs Go.

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