People need to get a grip. This has been a .500 team with half their starters not hitting well, numerous injuries to starters and pitchers not playing to their ability. This is figuratively the slump before the all-star break last season. Cubs have played a tough schedule(4th hardest in baseball) as well. People need to stop living and dying a game at a time. If they are still having these issues in July then sure start to panic. But all it takes is for them to go on a tear and win something like 20 of 30 games and they are in a commanding lead. And we've seen these players do that 2 straight years. They were basically unbeatable in the second half of 2015. Last year other than the bad month before the all-star break they were basically unbeatable.
As I've been saying people are looking at this the wrong way. Most of the questions coming into the season were about the bullpen and CF both of which have been quite good. There were also questions about Montero who's been fantastic. There were also giant questions on Heyward and while he's not played in awhile he looked closer to 2015 Heyward than 2016 Heyward. There were no questions on whether or not Rizzo could hit. There were no questions on Contreras and Russell. There were perhaps a few on Baez repeating but the thought was his defense would always be there. There were few questions on Schwarber's ability to hit. Most of the questions on him were defense related and while he's not been willie mays out there he's made several really good plays. Metrics say he's still been some what bad but that's mostly down to range. DRS has him at -5 but UZR/150 has him at 6.2 which is better than average with the biggest knock being range as mentioned.
In other words, basically every worry we've had coming into the season hasn't really been an issue. Sure other issues popped up but they are things we assumed were given such as Rizzo. So, why panic over Rizzo not playing well? Do we really think he's going to be crap all year? Do people really think Schwarber is going to be crap all year? If this is the cubs "floor" then I'll take that every year for the next decade. And that's before we even talk about impact additions via trade.
Not a panic, it waiting to see if this team has a pulse and when will they figure it out..
Hoping it not going to be a season long funk for all or some of these guys..
Need Arrieta and Hendricks to get going or did we just see them have career years and now their just back to being just another starter..
Lackey been below average, and probably won't be any better then what were seeing now.
they still have uncertainty in the 5th spot..
Schwarber... we have ZERO idea of what their going to get from him..he not the guy who shocked the world in the WS.. he the guy that struggled at the end of 2015 season and so far he crap this year..
Rizzo in a funk.. my opinion, I think the guy worn out from all the outside baseball activity he has done and still doing..
Zobrist.. as I said in off season, he a year older and it looks as though it caught up to him.. he a bench player now, not the ultra role player he once was..
Contreras Russell Baez
Like Schwarber but a little more seasoned.. young guys we have no idea what their going to do or if their going to figure it out and readjust to major league pitching..
Those are 6 everyday hitters hitting between. 179 and .236..
2 top starters with ERA over 4 and 5
7 - 9 at home with -11 RD
6 - 11 in last 17 games
Right now they look like a team that partied and celebrated all off season and have yet to answer the bell for this season..
I don't expect all these struggling players to just click at the same time , but I hope to see some life in them to start happening sooner rather then later..
10 game home stand starting up now against divisional teams and a struggling giant team..
Be nice to see them rise now and get some momentum going ..
They end up .500 or worse here, then we might start getting nervous about them.
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