Trades, DL Stints, Comebacks, & Heyward
This a time of year in Major League Baseball when teams are staking their claim on a title run and looking for any missing piece that can put them over the edge. Fans watch the news wire in hopes that their favorite team is ready to make the big move for that one player that will get them to the promise land. On Wednesday the Dodgers made the first major splash of the trade deadline hoopla by signing Manny Machado. With that move they put the entire league on notice that they are ready to get back to the top.
Trades/DL Stints
Everyone is wondering what moves the Cubs will make to bolster their team in 2018. Well it may not be the splash that fans were looking for but on Thursday the Cubs did add a very versatile pitcher from the Rangers in Jesse Chavez. Chavez is not a big named pitcher in the league, but he does add depth to the Cubs injury plagued pitching staff. With Yu Darvish still out and the recent announcement that Brandon Morrow will go on the 10-day DL (retroactive to Monday) with a right bicep inflammation, the Cubs found a guy with the ability to relieve or make a spot start if needed. Chavez comes to the Cubs with a 3–1 record, 3 holds, one save, and a 3.51 ERA in 30 relief appearances. Although he has only showed up in relief this season, he made 21 starts for the Angels in 2017. It’s likely that the Cubs will look to make more moves before the deadline is reached.
Comebacks
In 2017 the Cubs managed to have 45 comeback wins for the season. Well on Thursday they were at it again. With the comeback victory over the Cardinals they have already made 31 such wins. That’s the most in the Majors with the Red Sox coming in with 28 comeback wins. The Cubs have won 13 of their last 16 and have the best record in the National League. They currently hold a 3 game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central and now lead the Cardinals by 8.5 games. The Cubs are now 26–24 in games when their opponents scores first. The Cubs hope to continue their winning ways today as they face the Cardinals again in an afternoon matchup featuring Jon Lester on the bump. Lester has been dominant at home this season posting a 5–1 record with a 1.98 ERA in 9 home starts. He is also 2–0 with a 2.08 ERA in 3 appearances vs the Cardinals this season.
Jason Heyward
No matter what the outcome of the 2018 season ends up being, the one thing everyone is glad to see is the resurgence of Heyward to the Cubs offense. The last couple seasons Cubs fans would cringe at the thought of JHey coming up in a RBI situation. His defense was so stellar that fans and teammates were able to somewhat overlook the deficiency in his offensive game. Now things have changed, and they have changed for the better. Jason Heyward has become possibly the most reliable Cubs hitter on this team. On Thursday Heyward continued his hot streak at the plate with 3 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. To say JHey has been better is an understatement. His current stat line looks like this:
.290 Avg
.349 OBP
.434 SLG
.783 OPS
He has 25 XBH and 43 RBI through half of the 2018 season. Keep in mind that he only had 30 XBH and 59 RBI in the entire 2017 campaign. With his defense, cannon arm, and now clutch hitting, the Cubs have already improved their roster. So it looks like that 7 million dollar Condo Heyward bought in Chicago will become worth every penny.
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