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The Blue Jays are getting all the attention for winning 11-straight, but the Cubs have rattled off seven victories in a row and are 14-2 dating back to their series before the trade deadline. The Cubs were 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot on July 26 and 5.5 games behind the Wild Card-leading Pirates, but as of Friday morning, they are now 4.5 up on the Giants for the second Wild Card spot and just 1.5 behind Pittsburgh. A huge part of this surge has been the bat of rookie Kyle Schwarber, who bashed two homers on Thursday.
Schwarber has spent time as the Cubs’ catcher, as well as in left field and as the designated hitter during interleague games. In his 31 games this season, he’s batting .330/.420/.621, and has five homers and has been on-base after 27 of the 66 plate appearances he’s had since July 27. They’re 17-8 with him this season, scoring 5.1 runs per game in games he plays in, and have a team OPS that’s 75 points higher with Schwarber in the lineup. Some of that is small sample size fluff, sure, but there is also the part of it where the 22-year-old rookie has a higher OPS+ (186) than Mike Trout (180) in 2015.
It’s unlikely to last, whether you’re talking about the Cubs winning like this or Schwarber mashing. Schwarber is talented, for sure, but let’s remember how quickly things can fall apart for rookies once the league starts to push back. Joc Pederson, who went from being lumped in with Trout and Harper to batting .177/.326/.302 over his last 58 games, is a topical reminder of how that can go. On the bright side, the Cubs are opening a sizable lead while Schwarber is crushing it. If they can build that up enough, they could survive the eventual adjustment period.
- The Cardinals are talented, but they've also had a healthy dose of luck in 2015. If you are a Cardinals fan and disagree, please direct your complaints to the author of this piece, @BenLindbergh, as I am merely the messenger.
- The Giants made an offer for Phillies' second baseman Chase Utley, but no one is quite sure if he or the Phillies are into it or what the offer even is. Helpful, right?
- James McCann is the Tigers' starting catcher now, but he has adjustments he needs to make for that to go well. Specifically, four adjustments.
- Pablo Sandoval's 2015 seems unlucky on the surface, but there are worrisome trends that suggest he's actually going to be bad from now on.
- Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is a White Sox homer, and sometimes that's endearing, but it can also be maddening. Such as, say, when he suggests that the White Sox are better than the Royals.
- The Indians continue to support Mike Aviles' daughter Adriana, who is battling leukemia. This time it was by way of Adriana throwing out the first pitch.
- Citi Field continues to serve as MLB's animal kingdom, and this time it was a parakeet showing up to check out the Mets.
- Carlos Correa is a 20-year-old shortstop hitting .282/.342/.541 while playing high-quality defense. He's going to be special, and really, he already is.
- What's the secret to Manny Machado's 2015 success?
- The Reds had to give up Johnny Cueto to get 24-year-old John Lamb, but hey, they were losing Cueto anyway. Lamb, a top-20 prospect four years ago, is set to make his big league debut on Friday against the Dodgers.
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