One factor we’ve realized concerning the Chicago Cubs by way of 5 months of the season is that they’re not simply pegged.
Sometimes they get good pitching and nice protection, and different occasions they let the offense carry them. They’re sturdy sufficient to win persistently however have weaknesses that may be exploited in the event that they don’t present up every day.
We’ve seen the unhealthy Cubs sufficient to know what can occur. And we’ve seen them appear like a group of future.
On a cool and crisp Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field, the Cubs overcame an absence of hitting and two unforced errors to eke out a 3-2 win towards the Milwaukee Brewers, their seventeenth victory of their final 23 one-run video games.
That bodes effectively for the postseason — if the Cubs make it — as a result of each sport doubtlessly may be gained or misplaced on one play.
“That is how baseball is going to be played,” Cubs slugger Cody Bellinger mentioned of October. “You’re going to have a variety of games. But to be in the position that we were just in multiple times against a really good team, it’s good to come out on top of those.”
The Cubs completed August with an 18-9 report, validating President Jed Hoyer’s choice to roll the cube on Bellinger, who may go away as a free agent after the season for nothing however a draft decide. It might need been the gutsiest transfer of the Hoyer period, displaying religion in a group that simply as simply may’ve gone the opposite course, leaving him open to a cascade of criticism for not beefing up the farm system by dealing the highest accessible hitter available on the market.
Bellinger’s game-winning infield hit that deflected off the suitable ankle of reliever Joel Payamps within the eighth inning was the form of luck the Cubs have been working into of late.
If the shot hadn’t hit Payamps, shortstop Willy Adames seemingly would’ve fielded it and thrown Bellinger out at first, maintaining the sport tied heading into the ninth. Had the Cubs misplaced, supervisor David Ross would’ve been requested about having Nico Hoerner bunt within the eighth.
Instead, everybody went dwelling glad, and three hits have been all of the Cubs wanted to tug out the sequence win.
Every group wants a little bit luck, and one of the best ones typically create their very own. That’s baseball.
In the primary two months of the season the Cubs have been 2-10 in one-run video games. Who is aware of what might need occurred had a few bounces gone their method in a few of these losses?
Veteran Kyle Hendricks, who allowed one unearned run in six innings Wednesday, is aware of what it’s prefer to compete in a pennant race towards the Brewers in a ballpark overflowing with historical past. When the Cubs wanted him to be the Hendricks of outdated, he delivered in maybe his greatest begin since 2020.
“This is what it’s all about for every single guy in there,” Hendricks mentioned. “We come to the ballpark every day (thinking) ‘What can I do to help the team today?’ Even if I’m not in there playing, just bringing energy or whatever it happens to be. Our leaders, those guys in the lineup, every single day, man, they just love going out there and playing baseball. And that trickles down to everybody else.”
The Brewers’ two aces, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, held the Cubs to a few runs on 11 hits over a mixed 13 innings the final two days, however Justin Steele and Hendricks one-upped them. If the Cubs do make the postseason and meet the Brewers within the wild-card spherical, we’re prone to see these 4 starters once more, maybe in the identical matchups.
Whoever wins the division would have a major edge to begin the postseason in October. The National League Central champions would be the No. 3 seed, giving them homefield benefit in all three potential video games towards the No. 6 seed, the third wild-card group.
The Cubs in all probability have a greater probability of catching the Brewers than overtaking the Philadelphia Phillies for the No. 4 seed, and it may come all the way down to the ultimate three video games of the season in Milwaukee. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see what occurs if the Brewers have clinched the division by then and the Cubs are assured of wild-card spot however can end No. 5 or 6.
Would they be higher off shedding a sport or two and falling to No. 6 to play the Brewers in Milwaukee within the first spherical as a substitute of touring to Philadelphia to tackle the streaking Phillies? We all know the way a lot Cubs followers prefer to journey up I-94 to go to the ballpark they name Wrigley North and what lengths the Brewers go to to maintain tickets out of their fingers.
There will likely be loads of time to strategize by then, and the one focus is on successful the division. The Brewers have a neater schedule in September with 16 dwelling video games to solely 13 for the Cubs, whereas 9 of their remaining 13 street video games are towards the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees.
The Cubs have 13 dwelling video games and 16 street video games within the ultimate month, starting with Friday’s doubleheader in Cincinnati. And 13 of these 16 street video games are towards playoff contenders within the Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves and the Brewers.
It figures to be a wild ending for the Cubs, who’ve put themselves in good place however have to show they will shut it out.
Getting to October would make the season successful. Anything after that’s gravy.
It’s all of their fingers now.
Don’t blink.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com