Still Quite Competitive in the NL Central, Surprises at Iowa, and Other Bullets

Jun 18, 2019

Today, I achieved maximum sweat. I cannot fathom sweating more than I sweat today. I like to think I do the Jake Arrieta regimen, which includes a pilates-type class – sh*t is HARD. Not only are you doing all this resistance work and holds and pulses and small muscle targeting, this class is in a closed, heated studio. It’s already hot and humid as heck, so I was dripping sweat before we even started stretching. By the end, it was 100%, no exaggeration like I had jumped in a swimming pool.

But now I can lift a car over my head and throw multiple no-hitters, so it’s worth it.

As they enter play tonight, despite a really ugly week, the Cubs are just a half-game back of the Brewers in the NL Central, and are still a couple games ahead of the Cardinals. The ebbs and flows of the season.

Speaking of those three teams, they each now begin a stretch of play that will be pretty darn kind to them, in terms of opponent strength, for about a month. Expect to see a lot of winning, and hopefully, for the Cubs, a lot of saves from Craig Kimbrel – he might be arriving at just the right time. Or actually, whatever day he arrives is the “right time,” so I’m not sure why I mentioned that at all. I guess I’m just excited for him to arrive. He is scheduled to make his Iowa Cubs debut today.

And a miscellaneous note on the Cardinals:

After seeing former players thrive elsewhere and not getting impact imagined, #Cardinals must audit how they make trades and how they get more from players they acquired. Candid comments, stark stats: https://t.co/kTrqoEOnGv #MLB #stlcards pic.twitter.com/yRaAmuiGpK
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) June 17, 2019

I got some guff in the comments yesterday for my discussion of Addison Russell’s bat-throwing problem. Maybe I didn’t articulate myself well enough: Russell’s problems holding onto his bat began his very first month in the big leagues, when he let loose on a swing, hurling his bat into the stands and injuring a fan. A terrible mistake that could happen to anyone? Yes. Then it was. In the four+ years that have followed, he has lost his bat another, what, 25 to 30 to 40 times? I couldn’t even keep count. When he did it repeatedly in Los Angeles this weekend – leading to the Dodgers making fun of him for it – it pushed me over the edge. It’s dangerous, as he’s sent bats hurtling into the stands, into the dugout, past players standing on deck, by coaches, etc. And when this was on the radar in his FIRST MONTH in the big leagues because of a FAN INJURY, it should have long been addressed by now. I think I’m on pretty solid ground for this criticism.

An Iowa Cubs starting pitcher won a weekly award, and of course you already know that, because Adbert Alzol … oh, wait:

https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/1140682246820704257

Oh Alec Mills. The quintessential just-right-there-at-the-cusp guy. He’s shown big league caliber pitching ability at the big league level in very short flourishes, but has never stuck. Injuries haven’t helped, nor has the Cubs’ effort to overload on pitching volume, but he’s talented enough to pitch at the big league level for some team out there, probably in a swing role. Mills, 27, was delayed to start this year, and struggled out of the gate, but in his last four starts, he’s put up a 1.90 ERA over 23.2 innings, with 22 strikeouts, just 7 walks, and just 14 hits. He is currently using up his final option year with the Cubs, so if he stays in the org, he’ll either have to make the 25-man roster in the Spring, or clear waivers.

Speaking of AAA Iowa pitchers who have long been right on that cusp but are pretty much at a do-or-die point in the org:

Duane Underwood's first relief appearance did not go well (2 BBs, 2 hits, 2 ER, no Ks in 1.0 IP). But in 7.1 IP since then, he's struck out 10 with 3 BBs, 2 ERs, no HRs, and a 2.45 ERA/2.18 FIP.
— Brad (@ballskwok) June 18, 2019

And he’s still adjusting, but Trent Giambrone is finally heating up at Iowa – he’s homered in four straight games:

#Cubs No. 20 prospect Trent Giambrone makes our Team of the Week after slashing .412/.444/.941 with 8 RBIs in 5 games for the @IowaCubs: https://t.co/WT4q8waI7f pic.twitter.com/QDsAjszwt8
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 17, 2019

The Dead came to Wrigley:

https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1140642745876398080

A great piece from Ryan Thomure on why it matters that teams have Pride events at sports stadiums:

I'm excited to share my latest for Cubs Insider. I get into my experiences as an LGBTQ identified baseball fan and the safe harbor offered by pride events at the ballpark. https://t.co/xwOPowGSg8
— Ryan Thomure (@RyanThomure) June 18, 2019

Patio furniture, dog and cat gear, big outdoor power equipment, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon today.

How well was this executed? Excellent catch, immediate chug, and then the spike:

What a performance when the pressure was on. pic.twitter.com/NutQjzE198

— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) June 18, 2019

It was a busy, busy day at BN Bulls yesterday:

Monday of NBA Draft week = tons of content

Russell to Bulls? ➡️ https://t.co/JUeUWc1Z9V
Garland in play? ➡️ https://t.co/mkk5ezoLNi
The No. 4 pick ➡️ https://t.co/41JpSzyUeU
Beverley talk ➡️ https://t.co/DLHSWlifcB

Oh, and even more, so go follow @BN_Bulls! pic.twitter.com/s0rK3DEzod

— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) June 18, 2019

written by

Brett Taylor

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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