Cubs still have a good run in them, Maddon says
Before the Cubs-White Sox traveling show set up shop at Wrigley Field, Cubs manager Joe Maddon maintained that his club still had a good run left in it.
Maybe not 25-6 good, the way the Cubs began the season, but some kind of good run.
"We always believe that we're capable of that," said infielder-outfielder Ben Zobrist before the Cubs beat the Sox 3-1 Thursday night. "We don't think about a run of 30 games in a row. We think about today and today only. But you have to get hot. We haven't been hot since - what was it? - May? We've been cold for a while. We know that we've got it in us to get hot and get hot for a long time."
A quick check of the standings before the game showed the Cubs playing .600 ball, with a record of 60-40. That was the best winning percentage in the major leagues.
"I think that's what's pretty crazy about the whole thing, is that we have played bad baseball over the last month, last month and a half, probably, as a team, and we've still won enough games to stay there," Zobrist said. "That's how good we were at the start. Everybody was talking about how good we were, and I think we brought ourselves back down to a normal level the last month and a half.
"We know that we're capable of much more. I don't think anybody's satisfied with just the best record in the league regardless of whether we're winning the division. The best record in the league? We want to play good baseball."
The Cubs reached their high-water mark with a 47-20 record on June 19. They limped out of June and wound up with a record of 16-12 for the month before opening July 9-13.
It's been better since the all-star break for the Cubs. They've gone 8-5 since the break, and their starting pitchers have righted things. Heading into the break, Cubs starters hit a skid of 10 straight non-quality starts.
Since the break, they've turned in an ERA of 2.79, including John Lackey's effort Thursday, when he pitched 6 innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball.
Things are shaping up in other ways for the Cubs. They recently got center fielder and leadoff man Dexter Fowler off the disabled list after Fowler missed more than a month.
And this week's pickup of fireballing closer Aroldis Chapman adds a new dimension to the back of the bullpen.
Things set up perfectly for Maddon Thursday, as he was able to go with Pedro Strop in the seventh inning and erstwhile closer Hector Rondon to start the eighth. Maddon brought Chapman into the game with two outs in the eighth with a man on third base, and Chapman struck out Melky Cabrera on a 102-mph fastball.
In the ninth, Chapman went 1-2-3 to earn his first Cubs save.
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Scouting report
Cubs vs. Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet Friday and Saturday; ESPN Sunday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Jon Lester (10-4) vs. Hisashi Iwakuma (11-6) Friday at 1:20 p.m.; Jake Arrieta (12-4) vs. Wade Miley (6-8) Saturday at 1:20 p.m.; Kyle Hendricks (9-7) vs. Felix Hernandez (5-4) Sunday at 7:08 p.m.
At a glance: The Cubs continue with interleague play against a Mariners team trying to remain above .500 (51-49) and relevant in the American League wild-card race. The Mariners entered Thursday seventh in the AL in runs scored and batting average but fourth in on-base percentage and third in homers. Their pitchers were fourth in ERA (4.02). Robinson Cano has a line of .301/.360/.528 with 22 homers and 63 RBI. Nelson Cruz is at .285/.370/.544 with 25 homers and 66 RBI. He is a DH who played in one of the two games at Pittsburgh this week. Kyle Seager has 20 homers. The Mariners are managed by former Cubs catcher Scott Servais. The Cubs entered Thursday having won at least 60 of their first 100 games for the first time since 1977.
Next: Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field, Monday-Wednesday
- Bruce Miles