This is going to sound crazy but I actually believe the Cubs survived the week. I know 3-4 sucks and nobody wants to lose a Sunday getaway game. But it could have been so much worse when you consider we lost the first two against St. Louis into two really bad performances that were borderline noncompetitive.
Even so we figure out a way to get 3 wins on the board and keep it moving into an off day Monday.
Again I know this is crazy but it could be worse and that’s part of finding the silver linings over a full season.
Of course I want it rolling every time I sit down with Mahoney for a Monday Morning Cubs Show but it’s just not realistic in this league and game. It’s just too hard to have that every time and this is one of those times we don’t have it.
That doesn’t mean we need to burn the house down. That doesn’t mean we need to riot or change the lineup or fire people. It just means we had a really hard week and came out of it 3-4 with a couple of very obvious places to improve the ball club.
Specifically:
- Starting pitching needs to improve. We need at least one more arm and probably two. If that’s Mitch Keller then so be it. Jed makes these decisions and I think Mitch Keller is pretty good on a bad team. Especially with a lot of team control and a relatively friendly contract. Reminds me of a slightly better version of Jameson Taillon when he originally signed with the Cubs.
- I would like Chris Sale but don’t want to trade away the farm as the Braves have said is basically necessary
- I don’t think Daniel Palencia is a closer that can pitch in the 8th inning of a playoff game. Sue me. I don’t love his secondary and hate his mechanics even more. You can think what you want and I won’t call you stupid. So please respect where I stand on Daniel Palencia as it pertains to giving the Cubs the best chance down the stretch. I want more bullpen help and I want it very badly.
- I hate the bench if we’re going to have Brujan and Berti at the same time. It doesn’t make any sense to me which is okay because there’s a lot I find confusing. But down the road I want to see the bench improve and there’s 2 names in AAA that could help right now: Moises and maybe Jonathan Long. It would be nice to see the latter at some point if Justin Turner continues to bomb in his playing time.
- Regardless of where you stand on the mechanics – we need a better bench and we need it now
- I think this last month has been basically impossible with the scheduling and the road trips and the heat waves and the lack of off days. It’s tough out there and I love the boys coming home tonight to get some rest and bounce back against an underperforming Guardians clubs
There’s plenty more to talk about that I’m saving for tomorrow’s podcast with Mahoney. Don’t be bashful if there’s something you’re really pissed about. I’m happy to address it.
In the meantime please take a minute to check out my wife’s online store at Sterk Family Farms. She’s spent no less than 8 hours in the test kitchen today working up a new flavor for lip balm and it’s driving the babes wild. Check our family store out here:
It’s really good for dry skin because it’s all natural ingredients like bees wax and beef tallow. Check it out to guarantee the Cubs good luck for 7 straight years. Or something like that.
Go Cubs