By: Jake Russell
I know the Astros record is terrible and all, but man, a three game sweep of this team is so impressive–especially in the fashion that they did it. The Astros came into the series 4th in team wRC+, at 118, and the Cubs held them to just 6 runs all series, as the Astros hit just .202 with 6 walks.
Jordan Wicks looks like a real solid member of the rotation. He issued zero walks and struck out four across 6 innings. Wicks has maintained some really good characteristics on his fastball, which I wrote about after his first start, and you can find here. He has maintained that uptick in velocity, improved vertical break, and his changeup is an absolute force to be reckoned with–he’s gotten a whiff% of over 50% on the pitch thus far. His slider has also added about 3.5 inches more of sweep, and I am interested in how he will continue to develop feel for that pitch. He has been a severe reverse splits guy so far. Against righties, he has a K% of 28%, with a 7.3% BB%, and a .321 wOBA allowed, whereas against lefties he has just a 19.2% K%,11.5% BB%, and a .396 wOBA allowed. I really think that slider can help him maximize his potential, if he continues to develop better feel for it.
Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad then proceeded to pitch back-to-back days throwing 5.2 innings, and allowing just 1 earned run each. One quick thought about Taillon: despite overwhelmingly positive results in the early going, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t the least bit concerned about him losing over 1 mph of velocity on his fastball so far. It’s early, of course, but it’s something to monitor. That being said, he has demonstrated exceptional command, so if he can keep limiting walks and hard contact, it may not matter.
As for Assad, I mean I think at this point we can say he’s a viable starting pitcher. It may not always be pretty, but he has gotten the job done in his major league career. He has also made some improvements this year, I think namely in terms of his command. His chase% has jumped from the 4th percentile, to the 56th percentile, which really has allowed him to clear up the walks and strike out a couple more guys. Plus, he’s still a solid contact manager, though it remains to be seen if he can continue that trend–after all, 5 starts isn’t *THAT* much. But, I like what I have seen from him, and am more than okay with him in the rotation at the moment.
Offensively, the Cubs took care of business. They left tons of runners on against Justin Verlander, but still managed to pull out the win, and exited the series with a respectable 14 runs scored, and a .762 OPS (keep in mind they didn’t hit in the ninth a single time this series).
Cody Bellinger going down is certainly not ideal, especially as he is just getting really hot. He had raised his season wRC+ to 103–he had fallen all the way down to 49 after the Seattle series. Hopefully, he can get healthy soon, but the Cubs depth should be enough to overcome his absence.
Speaking of depth… Pete Crow-Armstrong got his first career hit on his first career home run to catapult the Cubs to victory!
Man, this was so cool. It was a long time coming, and hopefully it inspires some confidence into the 22 year old, who has struggled at AAA Iowa this year. Against Bryan Abreu, as well, who is a very good reliever.
Of course, Nico Hoerner continued his hot streak–he hit .357 and did not strike out once the entire series. Also, once again, Miguel Amaya seems to be the Cubs starting catcher. Gomes played just one game to Amaya’s two, which is easily the right decision in my opinion.
MVP of the Series: Mike Tauchman
You thought I was gonna go the entire article without mentioning the Palatine Pounder? I’m not sure if there is a better option than Tauchman for series MVP. He hit an insane .571 with FIVE walks and, of course, the two home runs. He is a great option to fill in for Bellinger while the Centerfielder is hurt, and the Cubs really are lucky to have such great depth options
(Side note–Michael Busch went the entire series without getting on base, but I am not really worried. It happens, and he’ll have to adjust back to the league. He still had a barrel that went right at Kyle Tucker. I fully expect him to bounce back).
Picture Credit: Rich Schultz, Getty Images
Ivy League Cubs 
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