Morning Marquee: Chicago Cubs sweep Reds; Heyward honored for defense

We’re halfway through the first month of the regular season and the Chicago Cubs are off to a great start. After sweeping the Los Angeles Angels, three from the Arizona Diamondbacks and now their second sweep over the Cincinnati Reds, the Cubs are on fire. They enter the weekend with an 8-1 start.

Not only are the Cubs scoring runs but their bullpen is preventing opposing teams from scoring them. Last night, Justin Grimm surrendered a run during the top half of the ninth inning and he didn’t look too pleased with himself. Still, he’s a reliable arm that Joe Maddon will turn to throughout the season.

Now before the Chicago Cubs took the field, right-fielder Jason Heyward was honored for his defense. As a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Heyward emerged as one of the best outfielders in the league. As usual. He made a diving play on a ball that could have meant extra bases but made the right adjustments and recorded the out.

Thankfully, he wasn’t injured. Heyward has proved time and time again that he’s an elite with the glove. There’s a very good chance that he’ll receive the same honors for 2016. The decision to go out and sign him to that massive eight-year deal has paid off already.

More from Chicago Cubs News

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• Projecting the Chicago Cubs bullpen to open the 2023 season
• Cubs fans are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel

Just think, having him in this lineup for more than five years or so is going to make things a lot easier for whoever is on the mound. Hopefully, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks are still a part of it. Yes, I didn’t mention John Lackey only because he’s getting up there in age.

Lackey signed what could possibly be his final two-year deal and will reunite with David Ross shortly after he retires from the league. But first, these two veterans are hoping to win another World Series before walking off into the sunset. Who knows, maybe Lackey will help the Cubs win back-to-back. Knock on wood.

So now that the Cincinnati Reds are out of the picture, for now, the Colorado Rockies are ready to square up with the North Siders. Trevor Story and company are going to give this exciting Cubs team a run for their money. Like the Cubs, they have enough talent to pile on the runs. It will surely be a back-and-forth series so it’ll be interesting to see how pitchers on both sides will approach each lineup.

Here are a few stories you may have missed:

‘Cubs Recap: Hammel sharp as Cubs mow Reds‘

‘Cubs: Young stars headline weekend series‘

‘Reds: Bats silenced as Cubs complete sweep‘ – Blog Red Machine

‘Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 2: RISPy Business‘ – Dodgers Way

‘Heyward honored during pregame‘ – MLB.com