Good W tonight. Offense awakened from the dead and Rizzo, Schwarber, and Russell all got a much needed dinger to help them out of the slump. Happ is playing to stay up with the big boys, which could lead to an interesting scenario once Heyward, Jay, and ZoRilla are back. What happens to Almora? Baez? The offense was alive and well tonight! Hope it keeps on the upswing, but there are several interesting decisions/scenarios for Madden and the FO in the near future...I guess that is a good problem to have?!?
The starting pitching is still a huge concern for me and, to be honest, I would have bet my house this winter that would be the least of concerns for this team. Lester, Arietta, and Lackey are tossing beach ball BP at times. Hendricks has been solid, but has had no offensive support in some of his starts. Lackey is going to be Lackey and it is like playing Russian Roulette one on one against yourself...eventually the gun is going to fire, but Lester and Arietta's struggles at the same time surprises me. IMHO, Arietta is pressing for his next contract and it is affecting his performance. Not sure what is going on with Lester, but I hope he finds his groove and becomes the dominant starter we have grown accustomed to last year. I was impressed with Butler in his first outing last week against the Dirty Birds, but I was also impressed with Anderson in his first few outings earlier this year. Hopefully, things sort themselves out with the starting rotation and the Starters, along with a revived offense and healthy lineup will get the Cubbies a "comfortable" lead in the division by the break.
