Extremely Tough Stretch Now Looms Late This Year, Roster Considerations, and Other Bullets

Allergy shots are great, man. I suffered from allergies for a literal decade before I got tested and started getting shots. I can’t believe I waited that long (and it includes living with cats even though – it turned out – I’m extremely allergic to cats! What an idiot … ). Oh, I’m currently in the waiting area before getting my shot. That’s why this popped into my head right now as I type.

• Last night’s rainout will be played instead on August 30 in Atlanta, which was good for the Cubs’ current rest situation and rotation situation, but is going to be very rough later this year. Consider that the makeup now gives the Cubs a stretch at the end of the year when they’ll be playing 23 games in 23 days. Moreover, 17 of those 23 games come against teams that currently look like they’ll be competitive. Moreover, that makeup game is going to require the Cubs – in the middle of that long stretch – to play a day game in Chicago, then a night game in Atlanta, then a night game in Philadelphia. That’s gonna suck.
• The only good news is that at least rosters will expand to include the full 40-man in the middle of that 23-game stretch, so the Cubs will have the opportunity to freely bring up some reinforcements. That might not make the difference if the main regulars are worn down, but at least it could help in the bullpen or something.
• Also: if you’re looking for a stretch of games where the Cubs are virtually certain to go with a six-man rotation, that’s gonna be it. Hopefully the front five are healthy, and someone – Mike Montgomery, Eddie Butler, Adbert Alzolay? – is looking really good and fresh and ready to start by then.
• We’ll see if there’s another roster move before tonight’s game – the Cubs brought up lefty Randy Rosario yesterday so supplement the bullpen and sent down David Bote, leaving them with just three on the bench. Now that everyone had a day to rest yesterday, will the Cubs stick with nine in the bullpen, or will they drop back down to a more typical eight? The problem is that, unless Jason Heyward is ready to be activated from the concussion DL, Mark Zagunis and Bote were optioned too recently to be recalled (10 days). So that would leave only Efren Navarro as a position player on the 40-man roster who could be called up right now.
• Apropos of nothing at all:

By exit velocity since beginning of 2017, Manny Machado is decent — exit velocity over 80 — in 62 three inch by three inch zones in the strike zone. There are 64 such possible zones. He’s best in baseball. That’s some serious plate coverage.

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) May 17, 2018

• A pet peeve about the trade stuff: Would you trade Addison Russell for one day of Manny Machado? No? Well then stop saying silly things about team control not mattering. Of course it matters. The question is one of degree, and that part is fair to debate.
• Man, Dexter Fowler’s numbers this year are still just brutal. The former Cub and current Cardinal is hitting just .154/.273/.287 with a 60 wRC+. He’s simply not making enough hard contact or depressing his soft contact enough, and it’s crushing him (except when he hits a walk-off homer against the Cubs (which actually wasn’t even hit all that well, le sigh)).
• Fun with fun:

The things you find with a search at @baseball_ref. Who knew? pic.twitter.com/vB0rmbYsUo

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) May 17, 2018

• I swear it’s just a coincidence, given the intro (I didn’t check until after I’d written all that), but one of the Deals of the Day at Amazon is allergy products! Also sheets and an exercise bike.