The Chicago Cubs can contend in the NL Central as the season heats up and are ready for the playoff chase. Despite sitting in fourth place with a 33-38 record, the Cubs won five of six games in a homestand against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles, who are playoff caliber teams. Sweeping the division rival Pirates and taking two out of three games against the Orioles has boosted the Cubs. As the Cubs contend and close the gap, they need to play above .500 to stay alive in the hunt.
Given their offense and injuries to Patrick Wisdom, Cody Bellinger and Justin Steele have returned from the injury, two players who can help the roster. It should be noted that Bellinger has been playing first base since his return. That’s in part to ease Bellinger back into the lineup in addition to the success of others. As for Steele, he picked up where he left off, earning a win in his first start back on June 17. According to the most recent update in All-Star Game voting, Bellinger and Dansby Swanson are among the top vote-getters at their respective positions. Finally, the Cubs will likely have multiple All-Stars and should have a starter.
Chicago Cubs NL Central Race
New Bright Spots Emerge for the Cubs
As the Cubs’ record improves, they are finding new everyday players with one of them being Christopher Morel. He’s getting back on track at the plate as he now has 13 home runs on the season. It comes after an 11-game stretch without one long ball between May 24 and June 9. But, hitting two home runs in the last three games has boosted Morel’s OPS to 1.042 in 31 games. Becoming the designated hitter in the Cubs lineup has allowed Morel to focus on batting. In addition, many Cubs fans believe Morel should remain as the DH and only play in the field when needed.
Since he was called up on May 19, Mike Tauchman is becoming one of the Cubs best players. Tauchman took over the center field spot after Bellinger got injured as he’s taken advantage of his time in the majors. Tauchman has also taken over the leadoff spot thanks to a steelar .767 OPS. The success is not limited to the plate as it also comes in the field too. The 32-year old has played 26 games in center field, Tauchman has stabilized the questionable outfield defense. The defensive value that Tauchman brings is part of why the Cubs are in no hurry to have Bellinger return to the outfield. This is helpful as the Cubs usually have some flexibility to play with.
Top Heavy Starters
There’s no denying that Marcus Stroman has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. Steele remains excellent and Drew Smyly has had his fair share of moments, too. Despite the positive signs, Jameson Taillon, one of the Cubs offseason signings, has a 6.71 ERA through 12 starts. As for Kyle Hendricks, he’s been nothing but uninspiring since his return from a back injury. By most measures, the starting rotation has been respectable at best, owning the fifth best ERA (4.12) in the NL. If Chicago wants to push for a playoff spot, they will need more reliability from some of their starters going forward.
Chicago vs. Contention And Going On The Road
Between now and the All-Star break, the Cubs are 12 of their 18 games away from Wrigley Field. This includes playing three NL Central opponents as the Cubs contend for the division title. The schedule also includes a trip to London for games later this week on June 24 and June 25. Chicago will have two off days prior and one following the London trip. In addition to playing division games, the Cubs will play six interleague games during this stretch. Lastly, the Cubs’ series against the Philadelphia Phillies will be the one time they play an NL team not in the Central before the break.
Main Photo: © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Patrick Wisdom, Cody Bellinger, Justin Steele, Dansby Swanson, Christopher Morel, Mike Tauchman, Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly, Jameson Taillon, Kyle Hendricks
