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After bolting out to their best start in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers have lost seven of their last eight, including a rare 5-game sweep at the hands of the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.
One rough week was all it took for the Brewers to fall back into second place, 2.5 games behind the Cubs and 5 games back in the loss column. Considering Joe Maddon’s track record as a second-half manager, combined with Milwaukee’s track record of repeatedly collapsing in on themselves like a dying star, Cubs fans should be feeling pretty good about where their team stands entering the second half.
Still, despite having the best record in the NL at the all-star break, don’t expect Theo & Co. to play it safe when July 31st rolls around.
Winning the division is an accomplishment worth celebrating, but times have changed and with that comes a change in expectations. The roster needs a bit of a facelift to boost its world series chances, which means we should expect a couple of new faces joining the clubhouse over the next two weeks.
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STARTING PITCHING
Nobody knows when (or if) Yu Darvish will return this season. Tyler Chatwood has walked 73 batters in 84 innings. Mike Montgomery has pitched admirably in Darvish’s shoes but realistically, he’s a #5 caliber starter that you’d like to avoid starting in a playoff series.
Even if Darvish does come back at full strength at some point in the near future, the Cubs have two separate stretches in the second half where they’ll go 20+ days without an off day. The Cubs need at least five arms they can rely on, and with Tyler Chatwood pitching as poorly as he has, replacing him has become more of a necessity than a luxury.
Referencing Yu Darvish's injury, Jed Hoyer says #Cubs "have to go forward thinking about our depth."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) July 11, 2018
Assuming the Mets hold onto Jacob Degrom, the starting pitching market is pretty barren. Highlighted by an old Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ and Nathan Eovaldi, the Cubs will likely have to overpay for one of the above three names or target an even less desirable, innings eating pitcher such as James Shields from across town.
Don’t get me wrong, Yu Darvish returning at full strength is realistically the biggest “addition” that could be made to this Cubs staff, but they need to act in the case that doesn’t happen. Riding both Montgomery and Chatwood every 5 days from here on out puts too much pressure on the offense while heavily taxing the bullpen.
Speaking of the bullpen:
#Cubs are one of eight teams discussing a trade for reliever Zach Britton with the Orioles, a source tells @MLBBruceLevine: https://t.co/MAGWjZ6iES pic.twitter.com/3M0YfAoAKl
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) July 15, 2018
While I’d argue that the Cubs’ bullpen has never been better or deeper during the title window as it is now, it’s hard to watch guys like Luke Farrell and James Norwood pitch in extra innings like they did last week and not think that the Cubs could use another arm.
Yes, Brandon Morrow, Steve Cishek, Pedro Strop, Justin Wilson and Carl Edwards Jr. all have ERA’s of 2.89 or lower, FIP’s of 3.35 or lower, and strikeout rates of 25% or higher. With that said, there’s no guarantee that this group of five remains healthy (think back to the Strop and Hector Rondon injuries in August of 2016) and even if Mike Montgomery is available out of the pen in October, that still leaves an open bullpen spot that right now would belong to someone like Randy Rosario, who’s serviceable but definitely replaceable.
Adding Britton is likely the best case scenario for the Cubs, but it’s possible that they don’t have the ammunition to add both him and a starting pitcher. Regardless, there is always bullpen talent to be had this time of year. The Cubs have added to their bullpen at the deadline each of the last three seasons, this year should be no different.
All things considered, there won’t be an Aroldis Chapman or Jose Quintana type acquisition for the Cubs this time around. But there is room to improve, which means Theo Epstein is on his phone right now, and probably won’t put it down until August.
