Chicago Cubs will clash with the American League West in 2019

While the Chicago Cubs control their own destiny for the remainder of the 2018 campaign, their 2019 schedule was recently released. A trip to the Little League World Series and multiple 10-game homestands highlight the year.

We’ve got 35 games left to see if the reigning National League Central champion Chicago Cubs will make another trip to the postseason. Consistent October baseball has gone from a dream to a reality for this franchise.

All thanks to Theo Epstein and his master plan. Also, Joe Maddon isn’t all that bad, either. Entering the weekend, Chicago holds a slim lead over both the Cardinals and Brewers. It’s going to be a fight for the division title as the final month of the regular season prepares for its final chapter.

Although there is still plenty of baseball left to be played, fans have been given a taste of what 2019 has to offer.

More from Chicago Cubs News

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

Interleague play this year had the Cubs taking on the rest of the American League Central. Personally, it was cool seeing Kansas City Royal and Rock Falls, Illinois native, Jakob Junis pitch against this club.

With three games of interleague action left, 11 of 17 have been won. That includes a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins and a 2016 World Series rematch in Cleveland.

Around the corner, or should I say, eight months from now, Joe Maddon and company will begin a fresh year on the road.

A familiar scene

In 2016, the Cubs opened up what ultimately became a championship season with a brief stop against Albert Pujols and the Angels. They crushed the Halos, tallying 15 runs to the Angels’ 1. However, Kyle Schwarber‘s season came to an end just days later.

This time around, everyone is hoping for the same start minus the whole devastating injury bit. We could potentially see southpaw Cole Hamels and right-hander Yu Darvish make their returns to Texas.

The three-game series begins a stretch of games involving the American League West. Which means, yes, the 2016 and 2017 World Series champions will have themselves a little showdown in late May.

Before returning to Houston, one of three 10-game homestands will begin in early May. The rest of the A.L. West matchups include three against the Angels in April, two at Seattle on April 30 and May 1, three vs Athletics in August and two more with the Mariners at Wrigley in early September.

Prospects

Both the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics have also played parts in Chicago’s recent success. Multiple trades have been made between the three organizations involving Addison Russell, Mike Montgomery, Fernando Rodney, Chris Coghlan and Dan Vogelbach.

Obviously, Russell, Montgomery, and Coghlan earned themselves rings. On the other hand, Vogelbach has provided Seattle with more power in their lineup. The 25-year-old lefty homered in back-to-back games early April of this season.

Granted, he hasn’t homered since but they were cheap. Absolute moonshots that took a while to land. Still, he has plenty of room to grow and has the potential of becoming a threat to any pitcher he faces.

It’ll be great to see him at the big league level against the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2011.

Interested in checking out the remainder of Chicago’s 2019 schedule? You can do so by visiting the following link. Which series are you most looking forward to? Do you plan on attending any of these games against the American League West?