Keys to a Successful Cubs Second Half
It has been an interesting season for the Chicago Cubs thus far, with the team showing flashes of one of the top squads in all of Major League Baseball. But the team finds itself in a tight race in the National League Central nonetheless, and will hope that the second half sees them muster enough success to get them to the top of their division. If they can manage to pull off these two things, they should be in great shape to claim another NL Central crown.
Keep pitching effectively
The Chicago Cubs haven’t been synonymous with strong pitching this season, with a team ERA over 4.00 for the year. But that is more of a symptom of Major League Baseball as a whole having a pitching problem than anything else. The Cubs have actually been strong on the mound this season, boasting one of the top runs allowed marks in the National League for much of the first half of the season. In fact, the team has one of the best run differentials in the National League thanks to their ability to keep opponents off the scoreboard.
Their pitching could be what gets them to another World Series appearance this year, as they are good enough to gain an advantage with it despite being unspectacular. That steady approach makes them one of the favorites in the National League, with MLB picks frequently backing the Cubs to overtake all comers at the top of the Central given that they are a less volatile option than the rest of the division’s contenders.
Keep doing what they’re doing
There is no such thing as a perfect baseball team, but the Cubs definitely deserve more credit for the work that they have put in to this point in the season. Despite a strong run differential and potential for greatness on both offense and defense, the Cubs have drawn criticism for things like having a feast or famine offense. But the Cubs are simply playing like the teams across the league who are increasingly relying on home run power to generate offense as efficiently as possible.
Instead of worrying about how the Cubs are scoring their runs, fans and analysts should only worry about the fact that the team is continuing to score. They went into the All-Star break with the highest run total in the division, even with the Brewers having an explosive team led by Christian Yelich in their own right. By trying to change their strategy or conform to the platonic ideal of a National League baseball team, they could fall out of the rhythm that has worked for them so far.
More importantly, the team still clearly has the passion and hunger of a team that hasn’t experienced the success that they have in the past. Manager Joe Maddon is still arguing on behalf of his team, and the team is still responding positively to his leadership. Aside from execution on the field, that intensity is the most important thing for a team to have in their corner.
As long as the Cubs continue to play the way that they did in the first half of the season, there is no reason to believe that the team can’t jump over the Brewers and anyone else who might stand in their way.
