The Cubs finished up another successful home stand, defeating the Reds 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in the cathedral. It was a 5-1 homestand, with the only blemish, Friday afternoon’s series opener against Cincy. They previously swept through the Rockies. Now, to the road we go…
First up, a visit to the Nation’s Capital to play the Washington Nationals. The Cubs will run out Horton, Boyd, and Rea for the series; this certainly does not feel like the starting rotation of a 1st place team, but here we are. Horton has been good. Sure, 3 of the 4 teams he’s faced thus far have been the White Sox, Rockies, and Marlins; certainly no Murderer’s Row. I like it though, the fact that his confidence has been built up, before he faces some more difficult tests; he did make his first appearance in New York against the Mets, so… The Cubs need Cade Horton to be good. Will we be able to count on a rookie during the homestretch? Will there be an innings’ limit on the kid? Hopefully we’ll have some more help before then. For now, keep on dealing Cade. Matthew Boyd may have been the best pickup of the offseason not named Kyle Tucker. He’s been about as solid as you can be for a #3 starter… Yes, he was brought here to be a middle of the rotation guy, but now, he’s a top of the rotation guy with Taillon, who has held his own as well. Will we be able to count on Taillon and/or Boyd come playoff time? Finally, Colin Rea, another acquisition in the offseason, meant to shore up the back of the rotation; he’s been fine too. An ERA under 4 for a #4/5 starter… not going to complain about that. Even Ben Brown has had his moments… So yeah, Taillon, Boyd, Horton, Rea, and Brown… who would have thunk it?
It really doesn’t matter who has been on the mound when the Cubs offense is bashing. The only thing that has been able to slow down the Cubs offense has been the wind blowing in at Wrigley, like it was during the Rockies series, when the Cubs only scored 9 runs in 3 games… we still swept them though! I am very satisfied with the Cubs offense. Not only can they hit the deep ball, but they do find other ways to score runs, which becomes more critical late in the season into the postseason. I wouldn’t complain about adding another bat, but certainly the focus should be on the starting rotation. What, no bullpen help? Yes, another arm in the pen is always welcome, but don’t look now… the Cubs bullpen has been pretty damn good, like 1st in the MLB in ERA since April 19th per CHGO_Cubs.
Yeah, it’s coming together huh? First place at the beginning of June is really only the start. Plenty of baseball to play, but the early returns continue to be positive. Interested to see how the trip to DC, Detroit, and Philly ends up. Go Cubs!
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