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.

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.

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 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.

Phillies at Cubs Series Recap (April 4-6, 2014)

Wrigley Field opened its 100th anniversary season with baseball with a visit from the Philadelphia Phillies against the Chicago Cubs. Coming home off a series loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Cubs needed to have a good series against the Phillies, especially with a very tough April schedule ahead of them. Instead, the RISP bug struck again with the Cubs putting up 10 hits in game two without getting a run and 5-for-17 (aided by a 4-for-7 in game three) with RISP. The only positive comes with a 8 run outburst in game three.

What’s the Better Outcome for 2014?

I read an article on FanGraphs the other day in which Dave Cameron listed off the five things he believes about the 2014 season. The first of these is that the Cubs might be a better team than most people think. He even goes as far as to say the Cubs could finish the 2014 season at or near 0.500, which would be a huge leap forward for a team that was four games away from losing 100 for only the fourth time in franchise history last season.

2014 Opening Series Recap

The 2014 season opened for the Chicago Cubs with a three-game set in Pittsburgh. Coming out with a 1-2 record is about what we should’ve expected from this team as Cubs fan, but there were a lot of bright spots in the series, and one glaring weakness that seems to have carried over from previous years. While the team looked incapable of driving in runs for most of the series, I think the positives are a lot more exciting and can give us a better look at what this team is capable of throughout the season.

2014 Cubs Preseason Preview

Yesterday, I gave my overall look at how I think the 2014 MLB season is going to turn out around baseball, but this is a Cubs-based blog and I am a big Cubs fan, so I have to take a look at the season for the Cubs. The biggest headline in Spring Training, not surprisingly, surrounded the prospects coming up through the farm system. While most of those players aren’t going to make impacts on this season, the successes and development that players like Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Albert Almora, Eric Jokisch, and Kyle Hendricks showed this spring speaks volumes for what this team is going to look like in the next few seasons. As I told somebody that I met at an Arizona Fall League game in Mesa last October, this is the first time in my lifetime (admittedly not as long as some Cubs fans) that I am legitimately excited about what the future for the team looks like and that is something that every Cubs fan can be excited about.