Unbalanced logo

Are the Chicago Cubs Back on Track?

The Cubbies have won six straight since the break, highlighted by an offense that has suddenly woken and started to swing the bats like they did in ’16

By Quinn AllenPublished 7 years ago 6 min read
Like
Chicago Tribune

It’s been one of the main topics in baseball this year — the horrendous start the Chicago Cubs endured in the first half of 2017. The Cubs were the first team ever to win a World Series and then have zero players on the All-Star team the following year. Well, they did have one. Wade Davis, who was not a part of the World Series squad last year. Kris Bryant was almost voted in with the last fan vote, but was snubbed by Dodgers 3B Justin Turner. The Cubs hit a dismal .239 before the break, which ranked them 3rd to last in the entire big leagues. It was a downright miserable first half.

We’re just a week into the second half of the 2017 season, but the Cubs are playing their best baseball of the year. The offense is looking a lot like it did last year, and the pitching has been lights out. The acquisition of Jose Quintana from the White Sox looks to be a smart move, as the lefty absolutely dominated in his first start in a Cubs uniform, tossing seven innings of shutout baseball against the Orioles, allowing just three hits and striking out 12. The break could have been a much needed time to rejuvenate and collect themselves. After all, this team isn’t much different than the team who won the Fall Classic last year, minus a couple players like Jon Jay and Dexter Fowler. Will Chicago turn it around and win the NL Central? I believe so.

They Will be Division Champions

Look, this is honestly just how the game of baseball works. The best of players get into slumps, and it is hard to break out of them because it’s such a mental game. Unfortunately for the Cubs, a lot of their hitters were having a hard time squaring up baseballs and getting on base in the first half. There is really no single reason why this happened to the Cubs. Their pitching staff compiled a team ERA of 4.10 in the first half, which actually ranked top five in the big leagues. But for this team, it was awful compared to the sub 3.00 ERA they had last year at the same point.

This is honestly what I believe, and it’s been evident by their hot start through just six games post All-Star break: the Cubs will turn it around, and win the NL Central. They have all the tools to do so. Their main core is really starting to swing the bats like they did last year. The Cubs outscored the Orioles in a three-game set by a score of 27–11, making a statement that this team can still swing it. This series in Baltimore gave the Cubs some much needed confidence. Their arms pitched fairly well, but their bats showed up for three straight games — something that hasn’t happened very much in 2017. Catcher Willson Contreras said it himself after the sweep. “I think we are back. Back to the way we were last year, hopefully we can stay like this for a lot of games.” Even Joe Maddon said, “This was our best series all year.”

The pitching rotation has been a really big issue for this team. Boasting practically the same staff they had last year, Chicago has failed to live up to the expectations that led them to a World Series victory and the finest ERA in all of baseball. Over just a four-day span, the Cubs made their rotation that much better by acquiring Jose Quintana, and I really believe it will add a punch to their staff. Quintana has been a very reliable starter in his big league career. The left-hander has pitched into the seventh inning in 51% of his starts since 2015, which shows his reliability. Quintana has pitched over 200 innings in his last four seasons — adding an arm to the Cubs rotation that can eat up some innings and save bullpen arms when needed.

Chicago has a very good rotation, they just haven’t shown it this year. Unfortunately, they were getting hit around in the first half. They were leaving pitches up, and ended up paying for it. Their stuff wasn’t as sharp. There was no consistency on the mound before the All-Star break. Lester is a true ace, Arrieta is a Cy Young winner, Hendricks has pinpoint control and dirty stuff, and Lackey can still pitch, even at an older age. They all did it last season. This rotation will turn it around in the second half, and Quintana will add that spark. Even if their starters can just keep them in games and go 5 to 7 innings each start, it will at least give the bullpen a chance to do their jobs and give the offense the opportunity to score some runs.

The Cubs bullpen has been quite good this year. Wade Davis has been stellar as the closer, and was rewarded with an All-Star game selection. Generally, all of their relievers have done well. The problem is by the time they come into the games, the damage has already been done. The rotation has been the biggest problem. Like I said, I really believe this short winning streak has given this team confidence and made them realize they are the same team from last year. I know it’s only been about six games since the break, but the Cubs are hitting over .300 with 16 homers as a team in that span. Hitting is contagious. One guy gets a hit, the next guy in the lineup follows. This sounds like a hoax, but it’s seriously a real thing. You feed off the guy in front of you, especially when he gets on base. That’s exactly what is happening right now in this six game winning streak for the Cubs.

This team is filled with young and talented ballplayers. 2016 was no fluke. The Chicago Cubs front office built this team to be champions by drafting the best talent possible and nurturing it, or trading for top-end players to better the team. There’s no way this team will fall off the table after a World Series title just a year ago. They might not go on a crazy winning streak, but Cubs will return to their winning ways from 2016, and everything will click from their bats to their arms. It’s looking positive already for Chicago in the second half of their 2017 campaign. They’re only 1.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL central, who are currently in first place.

A division title is definitely in reach, and I believe the Cubbies will be NL Central champions once again in 2017.

baseball
Like

About the Creator

Quinn Allen

Sports Journalist

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.