As a baseball fan, I can understand why anyone would want to see a guy like Mike Trout or Shohei Ohtani play in person, even if it means he’s playing against your team in your city. It’s just fun to see a singular player like that in any sport – maybe just so you can say you did.
For Cubs fans in Chicago, though, a rare trip from the Angels will not only mean no Ohtani, as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but it will now also mean no Trout:
Mike Trout was seen by Dr. Steve Yoon this morning in Los Angeles. Imaging reveals a reduced amount of swelling to the groin. Mike also reports daily improvement. He will continue treatment in Anaheim and he will be re-evaluated on Sunday. We will provide an update at that time.
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 12, 2019
So, yeah, that’s quite a mixed bag, right? On the one hand, all that stuff up top.
On the other – bigger and more persuasive? – hand, no Trout for the Angels this weekend means a greatly diminished Anaheim squad (and, if they don’t IL him, they’re also playing a man down). For the Cubs, I’ll take that. Trout quite frequently makes such a huge difference in an individual game that he might be the single most important player in all of baseball that could vanish from a lineup on a given day.
And now the Cubs – the one time they play the Angels – don’t have have to face him.
Go for the jugular.