This has been said a lot since last November, but I can’t imagine how some Chicago Cubs fans would be acting if the Cleveland Indians completed their comeback in Game 7 and ended up winning the World Series. These people are hilariously on the verge of jumping off the ledge after every loss and the perfect storm of Cubs panic was sparked on Sunday, when Carl Edwards Jr. blew the game against the Washington Nationals.
The walks have always been an issue for the young right-hander, but what made Edwards great was his ability to maneuver his way around trouble with strikeouts and weak contact. However, since July, he’s gotten into more trouble and hasn’t been able to work out of it. Edwards walked 16 batters in his first 31.2 innings this season, but in his last 13 innings he’s walked 14. The last three times Edwards has pitched, he’s been right in the middle of blowing the game.
It’s never great when one of your best relievers suddenly sucks and that’s exactly what happened to the Cubs during the last month. I’ll give Joe Maddon a pass for sending Edwards in on Friday and keeping him in after he created a mess because you do have to show some confidence in your guys. However, having Edwards come in on Sunday simply didn’t give the Cubs the best chance to win. He’s bad right now and has been bad for an extended period of time. Edwards can’t be in high-leverage situations…right now.
The Cubs do have a Carl Edwards Jr. problem, but they have several solutions. For one, Edwards has to be demoted…not to the minors (no really, some fans were calling for this) but to a lesser role out of the bullpen. Build up his confidence by having him come in less stressful scenarios. Plus, Maddon has other guys he can go to in late-inning spots like newly acquired Justin Wilson, Hector Rondron and Pedro Strop.
By the way, Rondon has been a perfect example of a guy who was awful for an extended period of time and was then put in low-leverage spots and has emerged as being a quality option for Maddon again. Since the end of May, Rondon has pitched 24 innings and has only allowed earned runs in four of 24 appearances. He’s not dominant, but he’s been reliable and far superior than his performance from the first two months of 2017. So hopefully, the Cubs can hide Edwards away and he works out his control and command issues.
Also, Pedro Strop has been awesome and the hate he receives is completely uncalled for. He has a 2.41 ERA in 41 innings and has only allowed one earned run in his last 20 appearances. Show that man some love, damnit!
Anyway, Sunday’s loss was shitty, it sucked, but stay off the ledge. The Cubs aren’t sending Carl Edwards Jr. to the minors. The Cubs don’t all of a sudden suck. Chill out. The goal is to make the playoffs and then hope baseball randomness helps your team. The Cubs are still positioned to do that. And who cares if they can’t beat good teams in the regular season. Remember the 2015 New York Mets that beat the Cubs and made it to the World Series?
Also the 2015 Mets couldn't beat a winning team to save their lives pic.twitter.com/0C99pnepXl
— gscool89 (@gscool89) August 6, 2017
People should know better by now. MLB is not the NBA. The best teams aren’t even guaranteed to advance to the League Champion series let alone automatically be in the World Series.
So, take a deep breath, the Cubs are fine. Make the playoffs and then enjoy the ride.
