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The Cubs rolled into Cleveland and picked up where they left off before their loss in Kansas City.
After 15 games played, the Chicago Cubs hold the best record in baseball with 12 wins and three losses. Their division lead has extended to five games following Cincinnati’s 5-4 loss at the hands of the Royals.
Kansas City’s win over the Reds makes up for their thumping of the Cubs last Thursday. Last night, Chicago’s offense kept pressuring Cleveland’s pitching staff. For the second consecutive game, Anthony Rizzo and company were able to tally seven runs.
Both Rizzo and Kris Bryant backed Kyle Hendricks with solo home runs while The Professor flunked the Tribe. Hendricks, 30, picked up his third win of the campaign. Also, his earned run average dropped from 3.54 to 3.08. He is one of 11 starting pitchers with three wins in 2020.
Yet, while the sweep of their 2016 World Series rematch was nice, the show continues at Wrigley.
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In a four-game series, the Milwaukee Brewers are aiming to right the ship themselves. In their first encounter with the shortened season, Chicago took two of three from the visiting Brewers. They would outscore Milwaukee 15 to nine.
Since then, the starting rotation and offense have kept the Cubs ahead of the pack. Granted, they experienced several hiccups along the way — you can’t expect to win them all.
A return to the postseason is a strong possibility given how well they have performed despite bullpen issues. Currently, this offense is ranked 10th in the league when it comes to batting average with a .245/.338/.429 line.
They are the only team in the division hitting above .230 heading into mid-August. Hopefully, their second time with the Cardinals will not be postponed. Entering Thursday, Chicago’s magic number to clinch the Central sits at 39.
The #Cubs (12-3) running away with the NL Central with 5 1/2 game lead. They have an .800 winning percentage. No one in #MLB even has .700 winning percentage. Magic Number: 39
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 13, 2020
Who expected this organization to be sitting where they are after their god-awful winter transaction period? Thankfully, two signings in Jason Kipnis and Jeremy Jeffress have paid off more than most thought.
Jeffress and Kipnis have both been red-hot for this club since making their debuts. While Kipnis tallied another hit against his former club, Jeffress extended his scoreless innings streak to seven.
If he continues to pitch well, it could make things extremely difficult for Craig Kimbrel in the long-run. First-year skipper David Ross really has his hands full with this group. At the end of the day, he is handling things well thus far.