It has been 4 years since the Chicago Cubs were at their lowest point in 46 years finishing the 2012 season with a record of 61-101. From that point the team’s turnaround has been incredible. The best move they have made in the organization has been getting a great manager in Joe Maddon.
Maddon has done so much for the team and he was known to do some odd activities for the teams he managed such as bring live animals into the locker room as he did in Tampa Bay. His managing style clearly has a positive impact on his players and that is a reason why the Cubs are 20 games over .500 at this point of the season.
In their series against the Mets the Cubs took 2 of 3 games and were looking like a team that is ready for the playoffs. In the first game of the series Anthony Rizzo hit a 3-run shot that would put the Cubs up for good and they would win 5-1.
They would lose the second game of the series, but win the third with a score of 6-2. Rizzo would have a couple of homeruns in that game and add a few more RBI’s to his season stats. Rizzo has contributed in a big way to his team’s success and he needs to continue to do so.
Hitting is very important on this team and it shows from the top of the batting order to the bottom. The first 3 hitters for the Cubs are Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo.
They are hitting .270, .285, and .292. These players are hitting at an incredible rate and this could be a problem for any pitcher they face. Those are not the only players that pitchers have to worry about during the game. The 5, 6, and 8 spots of the batting order are also hitting hot.
Jason Heyward is hitting .234 and that can be a big help with runners in scoring position. Addison Russell is hitting .247 and he can keep the line moving by getting on base and also driving in runs.
Javier Baez is hitting .286 and with those numbers he can also drive in runs and also put the offense back in the hands of the top of the order. They may not be hitting hot every night, but they can feed off of each other’s hot hitting to keep scoring more runs.
Homeruns are game changing plays and Rizzo has been racking them up in the past few games. The good thing that the Cubs are doing on offense is that they have runners on base. A solo homerun does not do as much damage as a 2 or 3-run homerun can. One swing of the bat can change the game especially if runners are in scoring position.
The Cubs have a comfortable lead in the NL Central and they could lock up a playoff spot with ease if they continue to play dominant baseball. This team cannot take their foot off of the pedal because they need to remain dominant and come out on top. In my opinion this is their year.