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Chicago Cubs weekly recap: August 18-24
It was an interesting week for the Chicago Cubs. Fans got to see some things they hadn’t before and got a bigger glimpse of things to come with a plethora of rookies up in Chicago. So with a host of rookies, a lot of rain, a tarp debacle and a sweep, there is plenty to look at last week.
This Week: 5-2 Season: 58-72, 14 GB – Fifth in the NL Central
The Good: So much could go here this week. Tsuyoshi Wada with two great performances. Former Rule 5 pick Hector Rondon went 4-for-4 in save chances, and now has 21 on the year. Javier Baez continued to showcase his power, but also his strikeout rate. But all in all it was a good week to be a Cubs fan.
The Bad: Edwin Jackson got roughed up, again, to fall to 6-14 on the season. The next day he was placed on the DL with a lat injury. Seeing a player get hurt is never good news, but this may be a good omen for the Cubs.
The Ugly: The Cubs grounds crew. After Tuesday’s tarp debacle, the crew found themselves all over social media. It really was a sight to see. Initially, the game was called and the Cubs were awarded the victory. But the Giants won the first protest since 1986, and the game was completed on Thursday in a contest that saw another delay, but this time they got the tarp on without incident.
The Cubs finished up a four-game set on Monday against the New York Mets in New York. Kyle Hendricks pitched another gem, and fellow rookie Baez helped out with a home run, to go along with All-Star Anthony Rizzo‘s 28th on the season. The Cubs pulled the last two games of the series to earn a split with the Metropolitans.
Tuesday’s game saw a brief, but heavy rain turn into something most at Wrigley had never seen before. After not correctly rolling up the tarp after its last use, the grounds crew struggled to get the field covered properly, leading to a ridiculous delay that led to a Cubs victory. But that was short-lived as the Giants protested, and won, a decision the Cubs fully agreed with. Two days later on Thursday the two teams finished up the contest, ending in a 2-1 Cubs victory. Rizzo’s home run in the first inning, two days before, ended up being the deciding blow.
Starlin Castro left the team after the game Tuesday after finding out a family member had been killed in a car crash in the Dominican Republic. Castro was placed on the bereavement list, as Logan Watkins was called-up to take his spot. Castro is expected to return this week.
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On Wednesday, starter Edwin Jackson took the mound, but didn’t stay there for very long. Jackson was hit hard, allowing seven earned in 2 2/3 innings. Giants starter Jake Peavy stifled the Cubs, but even though the Cubs bullpen kept the Giants to only one more run, the damage was already done. The Cubs lost 8-3, as E-Jax lost his 14th, and saw his ERA climb to 6.09. Both a league worst for a starter.
The following day Jackson was placed on the 15-day DL with a lat strain. Most Chicago fans saw this as a positive, and while we wish him well health-wise, this forced the hand of the Cubs to get him out of the rotation. A change that was a long time coming.
Travis Wood was unable to use a fast start from his team’s offense, including back-to-back homers from Welington Castillo and Justin Ruggiano, as the Cubs dropped the contest 5-3. Wood is now winless in his last 12 starts, with an 0-6 record and a 5.45 ERA in that span. He was able to keep his walk totals down in the contest, allowing only one. But he still saw his pitch count rise fast, and was at 97 pitches after six innings. It’s been a much different Wood than last year, who was a virtual lock to give a quality start each time out it seemed.
The weekend series saw the first-place Baltimore Orioles come in to visit Wrigley. First up was their former Opening Day Starter Jake Arrieta. Whether he was any more amped up to face his old team can be debated, but what he did do was continue the fine pitching that has established him as the Cubs ace. Arrieta held his former squad to four hits over seven innings, and Baez hit his sixth homer in 18 games to help push the Cubs to a 4-1 series opening lead.
Hector Rondon picked up his third save in three chances, and continues to grow into a solid closer from the Rule 5 draft pick he once was.
Saturday saw more rain in Chicago, but this time the grounds crew was up to the task. Unfortunately for the Cubs, the three-hour and nine minute rain delay kept Hendricks from returning to the mound. Reliever Justin Grimm took the mound after the delay and pitched 3 1/3 innings of hitless ball, taking a lot of pressure of manager Rick Renteria to manage the bullen in a game that saw both starters leave after the delay.
A four-run third inning was key for the Cubs, which included a bases-loaded triple from Chris Coghlan. His numbers against starter Bud Norris weren’t good in his career, but Renteria stuck with him and it paid off. Coghlan is hitting .304 in his last 51 games, including 22 RBIs.
The Orioles had to face another former farmhand in the rookie Wada on Sunday. The Orioles have to be thinking about what could have been after this weekend. Wada took a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a solo home run to Steve Pearce. He went 6 1/3 innings, and the home run was all he would allow while striking out eight. Another rookie, Arismendy Alcantara, hit his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth to give the Cubs a lead they would never relinquish. Rondon would close it out for his fourth save of the week, and give the Cubs their first sweep since they did it at Boston from June 30 to July 2.
Cubs Players of the Week
Logan Watkins – His numbers were far from eye-popping, but for a call-up to fill in for Castro he did everything the Cubs could have asked. Watkins made some great defensive plays to go along with a .300 clip (3-for-10) and three RBIs in his short time up. With the nucleus the Cubs have in Chicago and coming up, Watkins may never be much more than a utility man. But that is as vital a player as you can possibly have.
Hector Rondon & Tsuyoshi Wada – Both of these guys were stellar this week. Rondon, as mentioned a former Rule 5 pick, continues to grow in the closers role. After being thrust into the spot after the Jose Veras failures, he has steadily improved as the year has progressed. The Cubs may want to look at others in the role, but Rondon cannot be ignored. Wada is a rookie by MLB standards, but a veteran in baseball standards. And the way he has pitched has shown that. He went 2-0 on the week, allowing only one run in 11+ innings, and also took a no-hitter into the seventh.
This team looks invigorated by the youth being injected into it on what seems like a daily basis. It’s hard to truly get excited about what a last place team is doing, but if this week in any indicator, the Cubs may be finally turning the corner. September call-ups are near, and more young faces will join this team down the stretch. To the outsider, the Cubs aren’t worth watching down the stretch, being a last place team. But Cubs fans know that this may be the most exciting time of this season.
Baez Tracker – When Baez was called up, I decided to track the Cubs progress as a team once he started playing everyday, which was immediately. Clearly one player isn’t the reason for a team’s success or failure, and there are many other moving pieces that are a part of this, but the Cubs are now 11-9 since he joined the Cubs. Hmm..works for me.