The One Big Question for the Cubs in the Second Half and Other Bullets

July 12, 2016, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

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At CBS, Mike Axisa is looking at the biggest question for each of the 30 baseball teams in the second half, and it’s truly remarkable how many options there could be for the Cubs, who have the largest divisional lead in baseball. Before you check, what are your guesses on the Cubs’ biggest question?

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So, Axisa goes with “How long until Jake Arrieta rights the ship?”, which is pretty fair. Arrieta’s value and importance to the Cubs, especially if and when they head into the post-season, is disproportionate to so much else on the club. Is that the biggest question? I could probably cheat and say you might ask that about the entire rotation, which (outside of Kyle Hendricks) came down with some kind of collective command virus in the final three weeks before the break. That made the bullpen, which already could have factored into a “biggest question” on its own, look even worse.
Other “biggest question” contenders: will health help the offense as much as we hope? When with the woes with runners in scoring position turn? Can the Cubs find the right internal and external pieces to craft an effective bullpen on the fly? What do you think? What’s the one biggest question?
Speaking of Arrieta, he has been mulling whether to pitch in tonight’s All-Star Game, and his agent, Scott Boras, told Jesse Rogers Arrieta was “leaning” toward not. It’s such a tough thing, as it was with Dexter Fowler, being that it might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play in the game. But you also have to be mindful of your future, both personally and with the team. So, we may or may not see Arrieta get an inning tonight.
The Home Run Derby was last night, and it was actually a whole lot of fun, thanks primarily to Giancarlo Stanton, who did exactly what you would hope and expect he would do: destroy an absurd number of baseball and break a ton of records.
Over at Baseball is Fun, Michael notes that trying to catch a foul ball with your plate of nachos is probably not a great idea.
If you missed it this morning, ‘Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert rubbed some Cubs, and Luke’s Minor League Daily included an early exit for Dylan Cease.
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