After the Chicago Cubs ended their West Coast swing by taking two of three from the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks, vibes were high heading home to face the lowly Miami Marlins. The four-game set at Wrigley Field was their chance to catapult themselves into potentially taking the division lead for the first time this season. Unfortunately, that’s not entirely how it went down.
Mother Nature washed away Thursday’s game, forcing a doubleheader on Saturday. Friday’s opener was a convincing win for the Cubs. Jameson Taillon looked great in his first start of the season and things felt very on pace for a great weekend. But in the first game on Saturday, disaster struck. Adbert Alzolay blew his fourth save of the year, and the Marlins stole one away from the Cubs. Despite having to claw their way back, the Cubs were able to win the second game.
This left a Cubs’ series win in the right hand of starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks on Sunday. If you’ve watched the Cubs all season, you know the end of the story before I even tell you. Hard contact after hard contact led to four runs on six hits and just four innings of work from Hendricks. That was all the Marlins needed, but they won 6-3 to split the series with the Cubs.
Hendricks’ future is just one of the many question marks surrounding this Cubs team. They’re still down an ace in Justin Steele. No one in the bullpen has proven themselves undoubtedly reliable in late innings, and the offense is beginning to cool off after a hot start. Little things are costing them games they will need to make the playoffs. So, how are they still winning? It’s pretty simple.
Shōta Imanaga and Javier Assad Continue Putting The Cubs On Their Backs
A new MLB power ranking from The Athletic has been released (subscription required). The Cubs have somehow worked their way up to ninth in the league despite the injuries and questions that linger. Their high ranking is due to the work done by starters Shōta Imanaga and Javier Assad this season.
Here’s the stat you’re looking for. Through the first month of baseball, Imanaga and Assad have combined for an earned run average of 1.48. That’s over 40 innings of work combined. Imanaga’s start on Saturday was the first time he’s given up an earned run this entire season. Together, they’ve only surrendered seven earned.
Through 21.1 innings each, they’ve struck out 21 batters, both tied for second on the team. To add to their value, Imanaga and Assad have so far been the only starting pitchers to consistently take the mound and stay in the game past the fifth inning. Their work on the mound is saving the bullpen from having to come in earlier and wear down over time.
A healthy Justin Steele will likely return to the Cubs around the beginning of May. He is another pitcher with a history of going six or even seven innings per start. His return will be greatly welcomed by all involved and is sure to shake up the Cubs’ rotation and bullpen. Until then, the Cubs will continue to ride the hot arms of Imanaga and Assad and hope they don’t fall off.
