NL Central: Can Anyone Catch the Chicago Cubs?
The Chicago Cubs currently have the biggest division lead in baseball and are the only team that is leading by double digits. However, with so much of the season left to play, is there a chance another team in the NL Central can catch them?
There’s no reason to tease on this one, the quick answer is that’s highly unlikely anyone in the Central can catch the Chicago Cubs. The Milwaukee Brewers (16 game out of first place) and Cincinnati Reds (23 games back) are both probably two or three years away at least from being competitive in the division. The best either team can hope for is to play hard and respect the game.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (13.5 game back) are off to a surprisingly disappointing start that has led to speculation over whether the team should trade the face of the franchise, Andrew McCutchen. Their issues have been centered around their rotation which has a 4.79 ERA going into play today. A stark contrast to the production that helped them have playoff runs over the past few seasons.
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After their extra-innings loss to the Kansas City Royals last night the St. Louis Cardinals (11 games back) also have a tall task ahead of them. Their rotation has also been inconsistent (4.18) as has their performance in close games. Over the rest of the season it’s unlikely their lineup will be able to produce as many runs as the Cubs and even the Pirates if they get rolling again.
The Chicago Cubs have benefited from an unbelievable start to the 2016 campaign from their rotation which has a major league-best 2.54 ERA and has shown little signs of falling apart over the rest of the season. While both John Lackey and Jake Arrieta struggled during their last starts, it’s not expected either will suffer through long droughts.
Despite recent concern over the bullpen by pundits and the Cubs front office, their 3.57 ERA is still the best in the NL Central, barely topping the 3.66 ERA of the Cardinals pen. The Cubs hope bringing Joel Peralta up to the show will help provide stability. Joe Nathan could also provide a second half boost to the bullpen as well.
Over his last three appearances Justin Grimm has shown signs of settling down, allowing one earned run over two innings during that time period. So, even at the Cubs’ only visible weakness they could have reinforcements and better production from what they already have.
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The one unforeseen issue that could make the race interesting is injuries. The Cubs are deep when it comes to position players, as already seen in the outfield. However, the same is not true for the rotation. If the Cubs were to lose two of their rotation pieces it could challenge the depth of the system, perhaps forcing a trade from the front office.
However, without an injury, a tight race down the stretch seems highly unlikely.