CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs had a rough time on their road trip last week, losing two of three in Houston before getting swept in St. Louis over the weekend. They didn’t play well, certainly didn’t hit well, and were victimized by some bad luck at times. Were it not for a heroic effort by Kyle Hendricks in Game 3 of the road trip, they’d have been shut out on the trip.
But the Cubs returned to Wrigley Field on Monday and won the first two games of this home-stand. They routed the Los Angeles Angels in the makeup game from April’s series, and then beat the Colorado Rockies yesterday night.
The Cubs have been helped by the addition of former Rockies’ and Cleveland Indians’ outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who joined the team on Monday. If the Cubs can get meaningful contributions out of him going forward, that’ll help their lineup.
With that, we reach into this week’s Cubs Mailbag. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions! I always appreciate the participation.
Who should the Cubs be targeting? — Zachary F.
Well, I was going to say that free agent closer Craig Kimbrel should be first on the Cubs’ list. And it seems they agree. This report from today, courtesy of Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic:
This is a huge development. Even if it takes a couple weeks for Kimbrel to get into game shape, the Cubs not only signing one of the 25 best relievers in MLB history AND keeping him away from other contenders is only going to help their postseason pursuit. This is great news for the Cubs’ bullpen.
I’d like to see them add a lefty specialist to the ‘pen, too. Mike Montgomery really isn’t one, and Kyle Ryan has been hit or miss. Same with Randy Rosario. The Cubs need a left hander out of the ‘pen that they can trust to go up against Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich, etc. going forward. Perhaps Tony Watson or Sean Doolittle?
In addition, with Ben Zobrist out for a while, look for Carlos Gonzalez to be their major add in the field. I wouldn’t be surprised if they still sought some help here, but the reality is the Cubs are likely done pursuing much help on the field. They just need their RISP average to improve.
Adbert Alzolay is the Cubs’ most prized pitching prospect in the minors and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up at some point this season. At the very least, bring him up for a cup of coffee and to see what he has. Very likely, he’ll be a major contributor for the Cubs’ major league team starting next season.
Frankly, seeing Dillon Maples and James Norwood improve their command would be incredible for this bullpen. Both guys have wicked stuff and the velocity to be lights-out in the postseason. Maples impressed in his last two outings before being sent down on Tuesday for Pedro Strop. If either or both of them can help, the Cubs will be that much deeper in the ‘pen.
Should we be worried about this team? — Christie M.
No. It’s June 5th and the Cubs are tied for first place. Enough said.
