The First Half is Over and Other Bullets

The Cubs finished the first half of the year 31 and 50, putting them on pace for a healthy 62 and 100 season. Making the playoffs would require at least 88 wins, we’ll say, so the Cubs would only have to go 57 and 24 in the second half to lock up a playoff spot. Oof.

  • I knew the Cubs’ coaching staff didn’t like Carlos Marmol shaking off the pitches that his catcher was calling, but I didn’t know they were this serious: since he came back from the disabled list in late May, Marmol has not been allowed to shake off his catcher. If he shakes off a sign, he owes pitching coach Chris Bosio a case of wine. Not coincidently, Marmol has been excellent in the last month and a half.
  • Tom Ricketts wrote a column for the Sun-Times about the popularity of baseball. It’s as dry as you might expect, but it’s still nice to read his thoughts. Dude loves him some baseball, and I like that. On the Cubs’ season, he writes, “So far, this has been a very difficult year for the Cubs on the field. However, we too look at this year as a piece of a larger puzzle. We are building a winning team the right way by developing young talent. There are no shortcuts. Our efforts will pay off.”
  • Most of the Cubs and Dale Sveum are realistic about what the rest of the season holds, but David DeJesus is holding out hope for a playoff appearance this year. “We still have work to do but you’ve seen things like this happen,” DeJesus said of the 31-50 Cubs. “The second half of the schedule for the Reds might be tough. And who knows about ours? But we just have to worry about every game, preparing ourselves and being mentally strong. I think that will get us to where we need to be.” That’s adorable.
  • Although they’re realistic, Cubs players aren’t doom and gloom on a daily basis.
  • Bryan LaHair seems to be taking well to his new spot on the field and in the order. After a relatively healthy slump, he’s gone .444/.474/.611 over his last five games.
  • Should we be nervous that Anthony Rizzo has taken only one walk since being called up to the Cubs? I kid, mostly. He’s hitting .323/.344/.710, so there isn’t much to grouse about.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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