Be smart enough to know what you’re getting
Here’s the simple truth. (At least, if you ask me).
Chicago Cubs
Jose Quintana is a very good pitcher. He’s not up there with the Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzers of the world, but he’s definitely an upper-tier arm in Major League Baseball. He will continue to be just that for the remainder of his time on the North Side, and probably for years after that, as well.
But he’ll probably never be a Kershaw in the Cubs’ rotation. So quit expecting him to be. Wha the brings to the staff is consistency and control – two things you really can’t ever have enough of in a big league starting rotation.
Go into it expecting an earned run average between 3.00 and 3.50 moving forward. On any given night, he might punch out 10+ hitters – and, odds are, you’re getting a quality start, too. Quit expecting seven shutout innings with a dozen strikeouts. It’ll surely happen from time-to-time, but the biggest culprit in the disappointment surrounding Quintana isn’t coming from him.
He’s doing his job – believe it or not.
Next: Cubs must start taking care of business against lowly clubs