Chicago Cubs Are Heating Up At The Right Time
Do not look now but the Chicago Cubs are surging. Winners of four straight games against the New York Mets, the Cubs find themselves right in the middle of the National League Central race.
According to ESPN, Javier Baez’s steal of home plate sealed the deal for a 2-0 Cubs’ win over the Mets. The win gave the Cubs a 6-1 record on their road trip. Javier Baez’s swipe of home may go down as one of the season’s most exciting plays.
The Cubs got the week started by taking the first two games over the Pittsburgh Pirates, before losing the final game of the series. The stellar road trip allowed the Cubs to gain some separation from the Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. Most importantly, the Cubs gained some ground on the Milwaukee Brewers.
It took a combination of a sweep versus the Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers losing two out of three to the Chicago White Sox for the Cubs to pull two games out of first place. The Cubs will now travel back home to host a surprising Philadelphia Phillies team.
The recent hot streak by the Chicago Cubs may have silenced some of the doubters who groaned with every loss. The Cubs have been no strangers to injuries or controversy in the first-third of the MLB season.
Most recently, the Cubs were involved in a media storm regarding a questionable slide, according to MLB.com by first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
In the first game of the Cubs’ series with the Pirates, Anthony Rizzo slid into Pirates’ catcher Elias Diaz at home plate to break up a potential double-play. It was a play that was later considered as interference, according to MLB.com.
Players, managers, and fans alike debated Anthony Rizzo’s controversial slide for days. Bad blood was expected to come from a fired up Pittsburgh Pirates teams. Nevertheless, both teams played on in the next two games. Each contest between the Cubs and Pirates had a hint of tension and playoff atmosphere to them.
Things went the Chicago Cubs’ way versus the New York Mets. Every game was tightly contested. A bit of resiliency showed up for the Cubs on Saturday night. The Cubs withstood a brilliant performance from Mets’ ace Jacob de Grom to outlast the Mets 7-1 in 14 innings.
Going into the week, the Chicago Cubs have a 33-23 record without getting a huge contribution from their two free agent starting pitchers. If Tyler Chatwood and Yu Darvish can live up to their expectations, the Cubs will once again rule the National League Central. Going 6-1 this past week put them right back in the hunt.
