3 Up, 3 Down – Searching for Diamonds in the Rough
My kids have been on spring break all week, so I am happy to report I didn’t miss an inning of baseball thanks to late starts and strategic dadding around the Sunday game. Unfortunately, that means I saw all of Sunday’s game.
Domestic Opening Day has come and gone, meaning the bullpen hate is in mid-season form after a small sample size. With the Wrigley opener left to go this week, is there enough time to save Cubs Twitter’s soul?
The Week Ahead
Game 1: Monday, 9:05pm CT
Game 2: Tuesday, 9:05pm CT
Justin Steele vs Luis Severino
Game 3: Wednesday, 2:35pm CT
Jameson Taillon vs Jeffrey Springs
The Athletics are coming off of a four-game split against the pitching-heavy Mariners. I picked the A’s to win a very interesting AL West because that bullpen can shorten games. Mason Miller is the man to watch with a blistering fastball that can even stop torpedo bats. They had a sneaky solid offseason, adding Luis Severino to the fold and extending budding star Lawrence Butler. Of note, this is the Cubs’ first ever appearance in Sacramento. Despite their current digs, Major League Baseball has asked folks to call them “The Athletics” with no mention of their temporary or future home cities.
vs Padres
Game 1: Friday, 1:20pm CT (Home Opener)
Game 2: Saturday, 1:20pm CT
Game 3: Sunday, 1:20pm CT
Probables can be hard when off days are involved. If things stay to plan, the Cubs should have Shōta Imanaga, Matt Boyd, and Ben Brown. With no game Thursday, I could see that order shifted a bit to keep Justin Steele on normal rest for Sunday.
The Padres have started the season red-hot, handling the Braves at home. They will welcome the Guardians before traveling to the Friendly Confines. Fernando Tatis Jr. has started the season with a .429 average and a 1.214 OPS with three steals.
3 Up
1.) Kyle Tucker mashing
In yet another reminder that apring training stats don’t matter, Kyle Tucker went from one Cactus League hit spring to a pair of homers against the Diamondbacks. His at-bats have become must-watch TV, showing the same elite patience and advanced approach he displayed with the Astros. His performance is as expected, which is what makes…
2.) Miguel Amaya such a nice surprise
The Cubs will need stable production from Amaya, Matt Shaw, and Pete Crow-Armstrong to really protect the big thumpers in the lineup. Amaya’s RBI binge coupled with an .876 OPS may indicate changes made in the back half of 2024 are sustainable. This would be the most impressive thing this weekend if it wasn’t for…
3.) Crow-Armstrong
He hasn’t had a spectactular offensive start, but adding 4 mph to his swing speed should generate solid returns. He beat a double play on Thursday night that lead to a rally, then used his hose to get Josh Naylor at third on Saturday. He is electricity.
3 Down
1.) Walks
I will not shell a bullpen six games into the season. I get that this feels like the same soup, just re-heated, but, similar to the RISP woes in Japan, it is just too soon to overreact. However, five straight innings on Sunday with leadoff walks is not okay and needs to be cleaned up. I will keep an eye on it for now, just like…
2.) Hard-Hit Rate/Whiff Rate
On Thursday, both Steele and Zac Gallen were still in the game in the 4th inning. At that point, both teams had achieved a combined 55%+ hard-hit rate. Was this an effect of the roof being open? I don’t know. What I did observe was the Cubs were not missing bats. Porter Hodge had four whiffs in his short stint, out-performing Steele’s multi-inning appearance. Imanaga and Boyd did their fair share, but the bullpen didn’t fool many Diamondbacks hitters. If you recall from last week’s article, the Diamondbacks were near the top in lowest team strikeout and chase rate. This wasn’t as annoying as…
3.) Marquee’s lack of focus on the games
I have never really had a huge issue with Boog Sciambi, but almost every broadcaster has their share of detractors. I had a Sox fan buddy over on Friday to watch a bunch of baseball. While watching the Cubs, he said he felt there were so many side stories that took away from coverage of the game. That was eye-opening for me. Now I am super annoyed watching games, as this sticks out more than ever.
How are you feeling about the bullpen? If I asked you at a different time of year, would you be ok with a split in the desert?
Until next week, make sure you check out my other work over at Bricks Behind the Ivy!
