Be scared, Cubs fans. Be very afraid.
It’s a joke. The two losses against the White Sox each of the past two nights are mere exhibition games that don’t count and will be long forgotten when things turn real. So relax.
But, no, seriously, be afraid.
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Due to how forgettable games like Monday’s 5-3 loss may seem, the season begins on Friday, and some of these things could start to be much faster than the Cubs might think.
What does Yu mean? Exactly.
A Monday to go:
Yu kidding?
That would be the hope after No. 2 starter Yu Darvish turned his set-up for Saturday’s first start into a first-inning crisis that went so wrong and took so long that after eight batters, the Cubs and the The Red Sox decided that two outs and five runs in the inning were enough.
It included an initial double by Tim Anderson and a walk to Edwin Encarnacion to load the bases, followed by a grand slam by Eloy Jiménez, all before recording an out.
“They were mainly two-strike releases that leaked through the middle,” manager David Ross said.
It was established after that, allowing just two hits and one walk in more than 3 innings after the first. But it didn’t matter tonight more than it will when the games start to count.
After the game, Darvish tweeted (compliments of the Google translation: “I threw it to other opponents of the team after a long absence. After the first hit, I felt like I was feeling more focused.”
久 し ぶ り の 他 チ ー ム 相 手 に 投 げ て き ま し た！
初 回 い き な り 打 た れ て か ら 、 気 持 ち が 入 っ て シ ー ズ ン の よ う な 集中 た 気 が し ま す。
あ と は 一番 得意 な は ず の カ ッ ト だ け。
次 は 開幕 な の で し っ か り 調整 し ま す。– ダ ル ビ ッ シ ュ 有 (Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) July 21, 2020
The Cubs are counting on Darvish’s dominant second half last year to carry over into a 60-game season with no margin for error or finding the pace – a second half that included a 2.76 ERA, 118 strikeouts and just seven walks.
What is often left out of that conversation is the 5.01 ERA in the first half, which followed a 2018 season that didn’t look much better (4.95) even during its eight healthy starts.
With Jon Lester behind the other headlines when the season opens and José Quintana (thumb) injured, an already slim rotation risks falling into a free fall if Darvish no longer resembles the four-time All-Star who won a contract from $ 126 million that the Pitcher the Cubs have earned for all but a half season of that deal so far.
Offensive in fact
The Cubs had just five hits for the second straight night, only three until the ninth inning.
This time it was former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel, a left-hander who limited them to one hit in five innings, and the Sox ballpoint pen doing the rest against a team that fought lefties last year.
But on Sunday night, they didn’t do much against Triple-A starter Drew Anderson before the Sox ballpoint pen shut them down.
Perhaps the White Sox are better than all Sox optimists think. But this is a Cubs lineup that has to make a difference in the winning games this season, given the bullpen’s issues. As Ross said, “I think our offense will be our strength.”
Bullpen positive side
A Cubs bullpen that remains a big question mark before the season drove the White Sox after Darvish finished.
James Norwood, Ryan Tepera and Jeremy Jeffress looked particularly good.
“JJ looked great. I saw 93s there,” Ross said of the Cubs’ veteran addition to the bullpen this year. “That was a rebound from his last outing, which was nice to see.”
Must be close shave
If shaving off your beard before Monday’s eighth inning made a difference, Craig Kimbrel managed a scoreless, if not exactly dominant, inning. And if this is as good as Kimbrel does (albeit against Red Sox subs), the Cubs will take it from the former All-Star who struggled last year. Kimbrel walked to the starting batter, but got a strikeout, benefited from a runner sent off in a steal attempt, and, after a single, received a fly for an eighth without scoring.
“Craig is still at the top of baseball. I think he figured out a few things,” Ross said. “He’s still struggling a bit with that release point, but the ball was going well.”
Around the hoerner
Rookie Nico Hoerner started at second base, but ended in center field, stopping at shortstop in the middle, a look at how Ross views his roster, if not Hoerner specifically.
MORE: What Makes Nico Hoerner, the Sneaky Version of the Cubs’ North Side, Luis Robert
“We have to be prepared for anything this season,” said Ross. “All the uncertainty with this season, you could lose anyone at any time. Moving the boys is going to be important.”
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