The Cubs got themselves a sweep yesterday, doing what they’ve been often criticized for failing to do these last three seasons and closing out a weekend strong. Jon Lester turned in a strong start. The bullpen held it together. Kyle Schwarber, a decent enough defensive left fielder (despite what you may have heard), hosed the go-ahead run at the plate. Javy Báez ended it with a walk-off single.
It’s only been nine games—ten scheduled—but compared to what would normally be a six-month season, we’re at the equivalent of the end of April, and the Cubs are in first place. That’s not insignificant. There’s a long way to go, but that’s not insignificant.
The effect of chemistry on a team is easy to overstate. Even if it’s correlated with winning, there’s likely some chicken-and-the-egg going on. But in a similar vein, it’s easy to say that the impact of chemistry is nothing, and it’s hard to believe that’s the case. Without research to prove otherwise, it should be assumed there’s some impact, and whether chemistry’s the chicken or chemistry’s the egg, the Cubs are enjoying it.
Some of this is tied up with the coronavirus. Between Jon Lester’s mention of the outdoor dinner at the hotel, the team-wide focus on protecting Lester and Anthony Rizzo, and the cultish-looking socially distant dogpile after the Báez single yesterday, there’s been a quirky intersection of fun and safety going down that gives the impression that in this case, restrictions have led to camaraderie rather than anxiety.
Some of this is beyond the coronavirus, though. The Schwarber throw provided a couple convenient examples of this, with the “that’s baseball” comments from Báez and Willson Contreras on the Cubs’ Instagram post of the play and the sheer noise from the dugout that accompanied the tag.
Whether this is coming from Rizzo, or from David Ross, or from Kris Bryant—who handled a tough offseason with immense class even before the pandemic blew up, and has led by example on the coronavirus front since summer camp began—it can’t be hurting. And it certainly makes things more enjoyable for those of us following at home.
Of course, even if the guys hated each other, the 7-2 start would be nice. Beyond yesterday’s heroics from Lester and Schwarber and Báez and Jeremy Jeffress, the weekend followed the young season’s script: Good starting pitching (Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood did what they were signed to do). A shaky bullpen (it cannot be fun to be Craig Kimbrel right now). Production throughout the lineup (Ian Happ got on base six more times, with one of the trips taking him the whole way around on one swing). It’s a good script to follow so long as the bullpen only bends and doesn’t break, but of course, bullpens don’t work that way, and the front office looks eager to address this reality. Relief pitching remains the biggest question entering the four-game home-and-home with the Royals—we shall see how the approach changes or doesn’t, and how reinforcements like Justin Steele perform.
A series victory against one of the season’s weaker opponents isn’t necessary—as is generally the case, a split over the four-game set would be fine. But three more wins would go a long way, with Friday serving as the equivalent of the halfway point of May. Again—there’s a long way to go. But again—a quarter of a season is not insignificant.
