April 2014 Report Card

After a tough 2013 season for Cubs fans, April 2014 looked much the same early on with many of the same struggles the Cubs had throughout 2013, including struggles with runners-in-scoring-position and blown saves by closer Jose Veras. With some fresh young faces joining veterans Jeff Samardzija, Nate Schierholtz, Emilio Bonifacio, and Jose Veras on the team, the early projections for the season ranged from closing in on a 0.500 record to being lucky to lose less than 100. While April finished with a 9-17 record, the Cubs showed a lot of positive steps towards the future and April was a lot better month than the record suggests.

Cubs at Reds (April 28-30, 2014)

I was in Cincinnati to attend the Monday game that was rained out (and will hopefully get back for the next series the Cubs have there right before the All-Star Break). With that rainout, two games for the Cubs have been postponed, with the first made-up in a day-night double-header the following day in New York. The Reds have been scuffling and underwhelming fans in Cincinnati for the first month of the season, but are starting to heat up a little. Getting back the back-end of their bullpen will certainly help them, with Sean Marshall returning against the Cubs in Wrigley and Aroldis Chapman starting to prep for his return. They still have a dangerous lineup (and will as long as Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto remain) that will only get better as Billy Hamilton transitions into leading off in the Major Leagues. In Cubs news, Carlos Villanueva will finally be transitioned to the bullpen. Jake Arrieta will start in his spot against the Cardinals (changed after the rainout) on Saturday at Wrigley Field. I don’t even care what the result of that game is, because anything is better than what Villanueva has done so far this season as a starter. Hopefully, Arrieta can put together similar success to what Scott Feldman and Jason Hammel have done as Cubs in recent years.

Injury Roster Moves – May 3, 2014

Cubs call up Chris Coghlan with Ryan Sweeney headed to the DL for 3-4 weeks. Kyuji Fujikawa transferred to 60 day DL. Jake Arrieta activated from DL and Zac Rosscup headed back to Iowa.

Cubs at Brewers (April 25-27, 2014)

The Cubs go from playing one of the worst teams so far in 2014 to playing one of the best teams in baseball in 2014. The Brewers came into the series with an 16-6 record and sitting in first place in the NL Central, a role they look like they are determined to hold on to. With the Reds, Cardinals, and Pirates all scuffling and the Cubs yet to win a series, they may surprise even more than expected and end up taking the division.

Diamondbacks at Cubs (April 21-24, 2014)

The only team playing worse in the National League (record-wise) than the Cubs are the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks, in part due to their Opening Series in Sydney, Australia, have played more games than the Cubs and had a 5-16 record coming into the series. In all honesty, while the Cubs certainly had their opportunities to win a few of the series that they’ve played this season, including both against the Pirates, this series against the Diamondbacks is the one I felt like they had the best opportunity to win. They’ll have to work to get any series win this season, but when you come up against a team struggling like the D-Backs are, you have to cash in and pick up some wins and get a little momentum built for the future. The Cubs played a great first 2 games and 8 innings before blowing a three-run lead in game three (on the 100th Anniversary of Wrigley Field) and letting the Diamondbacks tie the series in game four.

Minor League Report (Burlington, Iowa)

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks visiting family in Burlington, Iowa. When I do that during the baseball season, it always includes a trip to the hometown minor league team. I went out to see five games and three teams in that timeframe. Unfortunately, none of those teams are the Kane County Cougars (the Cubs’ Midwest League affiliate – low A), but I still got to see some interesting performances, both good and bad.

Reds at Cubs (April 18-20, 2014)

I’ve been travelling and on vacation for the past few weeks, so I’m just now catching up on games that I missed. As I watch the games, hopefully all by the end of the week, I’ll post my series recaps on here.

Cincinnati came into Wrigley Field last week having won 12-of-15 in the Friendly Confines. That dominance continued over the weekend with the Reds taking two of three from the Cubs and the offensive struggles for the team continues. When the Cubs lost in Jeff Samardzija’s start on Friday, it looked like the Cubs were asking to be swept, but Edwin Jackson gave one of his better performances in game two and the offense exploded on Tony Cingrani to give the Cubs a win in the series. Then, Carlos Villanueva imploded in the fourth and fifth innings of game three to give the Reds the series.

Cubs at Yankees (April 16, 2014)

With a rainout on Tuesday, the Cubs and Yankees played their entire two-game series in the Bronx on Wednesday as a day-night doubleheader. I am among the fans that love doubleheaders, so a Wednesday sitting an watching the Cubs play was worth whatever result was coming, especially considering the Cubs had two off days this week prior to the rainout. The games made the new (opened in 2009) Yankee Stadium the 122nd stadium that the Chicago Cubs franchise has played in. The Cubs lost game one behind a stellar performance by Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka.

Cubs at Cardinals (April 11-13, 2014)

Every season for the Cubs is measured against their perennial rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the successes that the opposing team has. Last year, the Cubs went 7-12 against the Cardinals with a -26 run differential. The Cardinals went on to a World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox, while the Cubs finished in the cellar of the NL Central for another frustrating season. The progress of the Chicago Front Office will be measured up against the minor league monster that is the St. Louis Cardinals. If the Cubs farm system can finally start showing some progress with their young prospects on the major league level, then maybe the rivalry will regain some of the fire that Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire brought to the field in the late-1990’s and early 2000’s.

Pirates at Cubs Series Recap (April 8-10, 2014)

I was travelling today, so didn’t get to put this together before the opener in St. Louis like I planned. The Cubs easily could have taken 2-of-3 from the Pirates for yet another series, losing tough games on April 8th and 10th, including blowing a 4-run lead given to Travis Wood in the seventh on April 10th. Unfortunately, these are the types of loses that these team is going to have until some more talented players and consistent performances start showing up for the Cubs. However, if they can keep fighting like this, the team can still surprise and cause some problems for some favorites in and out of the division.

OUTCOME: April 8: L 6-7; April 9: W 7-5; April 10: L 4-5

THE GOOD: Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo are both looking like they’re getting their grove back. Castro made a ton of great contact in the series, including putting together two home runs in game one to keep the Cubs in the game. The think I like the most from Castro is how confident and comfortable he’s looked at the plate, and especially in the field. He’s made some phenomenal plays by his standards at shortstop and really hasn’t botched any bad plays that have cost the team in the long run. He seems to be working well with this new coaching staff, which is exactly why Rick Renteria is here and not Dale Sveum.

THE BAD: The bullpen was looking fairly good until this series against Pittsburgh started. The biggest concern is with the amount of walks being given away to opponents, which was extremely evident in game two. The veterans in the bullpen are also the ones that are the weakest links (Jose Veras, Wesley Wright, and James Russell). While Wright didn’t pitch in this series, and hasn’t pitched since April 4th against the Phillies, Russell and Veras were both part of the problem in the two losses in the series. Russell walked Pedro Alvarez, who he was brought in to match up against, before giving up a sacrifice fly to Russell Martin in game one, giving the Pirates the lead and eventually win. Veras looked great in that game, but hasn’t yet had a good outing in a save situation.

MVP: Starlin Castro had two home runs in game one. Then, he proceeded to make all sorts of great plays in games two and three, both offensively and defensively. The defensive adjustments are the shining spot here. If he’s confident and playing comfortably defensively, it means he feels great at the plate and isn’t carrying anything from his plate appearances onto the field defensively, which I think he’s done sometimes in the past. He also is making a lot of solid contact right now. A full year of this would be a game-changer for the season.

TOP PITCHER: In a bullpen that struggled in the series, last year’s Rule 5 pick, Hector Rondon, continues to have a great season. He could even become a dark-house candidate to close games, if Veras continues to struggle. Rondon pitched an inning in game two, striking out two and giving up a hit, and then pitched a perfect inning in game three to keep the deficit at a run and give the Cubs a chance at a walk-off win that they just missed, adding two more strikeouts in the process.

PROPS TO: After a somewhat inconsistent performance in his first start, Travis Wood bounced back to put the Cubs in a 4-0 lead with a nearly perfect outing in game three. He looked in complete control of the game, despite an elevated pitch count due to a tough third inning. Even with that inning included, Wood gave up four hits and a run (on a home run given up by Brian Schlitter) in six innings, walking three, and striking out nine.

PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE: When you have a 4-0 lead thanks to a great performance by your starter, but lose the game late and keep giving up leads after the offense fights to get you back into the game, as the bullpen did in games three and one, respectively, it’s tough to say you were outplayed. With the poor bullpen performances throughout the series, the Cubs handed the game to the Pirates, instead of making them fight to take it. Giving a team a ton of balls late in the game, and continually putting them in hitters-counts and walking them, is asking to be beat. The bullpen has to step back into the performances they had early if the Cubs are going to be able to put up any consistency this season.

UP NEXT: The Cubs get their first series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Jeff Samardzija pitches in game one against Joe Kelly, then Carlos Villanueva faces off with Adam Wainwright and Edwin Jackson goes against Michael Wacha in games two and three. Here’s to the first series win of the season, although it won’t be easy.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
– Ryan Braun hit three home runs in his first game in Philadelphia in 2014. Bring on the boos!

– Here’s something every Cubs fan will be happy to not hear associated with the team: Carlos Marmol gave up a game-winning grand slam in the bottom of the 8th to Jayson Werth to give the Nationals a 10-7 win over the Marlins in game two.

– White Sox Cuban pick-up Jose Abreu is on fire. He hit two home runs in the opening game in their series against the Indians in U.S. Cellular Field (off Danny Salazar and Josh Outman). Abreu also hit two home runs off the Rockies in game two of the series (off Chad Bettis and Wilton Lopez).

– Tampa Bay lost one of their three aces (Matt Moore) with an elbow injury. Two MRIs have given different results, with one suggesting a torn UCL, which would lead to season-ending Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to play catch this week and move on from there.