While the Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a fast start, Cincinnati has the division seeing red after a surprising opening week.
Starting with the standings, the Cincinnati Reds aren’t listening to anyone saying they’re at the wrong end of the central division seven games into the season, but it’s the Cubs that come out on top.
Chicago Cubs
Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago calls the Cubs’ offense suffocating at times, and he certainly should not be questioned in that assessment. Brandon Finnegan carried a no-hit bid into the seventh Monday night at Wrigley Field, but it wasn’t to be as the Cubs went on to score two in the inning and three in the eighth to steal the lead and the win right out from under the feet of the Reds.
Monday night was also the first time the Cubs players got to see their brand new clubhouse, which looks more like something straight off the set of ESPN’s Sportscenter based on the video below.
Left fielder and emergency backup catcher Kyle Schwarber was lost for the season after tearing two ligaments colliding with Dexter Fowler on a Jean Segura fly ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Schwarber flew back with the team to participate in home opener ceremonies with the team, but he will require surgery to repair those ligaments, which means his season is done. Jorge Soler will be given a chance to become the everyday left fielder in his absence, although Joe Maddon said Kris Bryant could also see time in left field.
On Monday, the Cleveland Indians also dealt Giovanni Soto to the Cubs for cash considerations after being designated for assignment before opening day to make room for non-roster invitee Joba Chamberlain. Soto is a solid addition to a bullpen that was really one of the only weak links this Cubs team had.
Cincinnati Reds
But it’s a long season, and as I said last week, the Reds are extremely unlikely to maintain this pace for much longer, although their success was already detrimental to the Pirates following a series loss at Great American Ballpark. They held the Cubs hitless for six innings on Monday night at Wrigley Field but ultimately lost.
Losing isn’t something the Reds have done much of though in the first week of the season, tied with the Pirates for second in the division a game behind the Cubs. In five of their seven games, the winning run crossed the plate in eighth inning or later, including two walk-off wins. That type of play creates a rather exciting atmosphere for the fans, win or lose, even if it is without some of the team’s more recognizable players.
One of those players is starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani. He was placed on the disabled list to start the season with an oblique strain, and manager Bryan Price hinted at some more bad news surrounding his return. While the young, hodgepodge rotation has held together so far, Price hinted on Sunday that DeSclafani may not return this month or at least have an easy road back if he does.
Also on the injury front, Zack Cozart left Monday’s game with tightness in his quad related to his surgically repaired right knee. He should be considered day to day given the nature of the injury, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on moving forward, as Cozart has been a force to be reckoned with early on this season. If he can’t go for a few days, former Indianapolis Indian Ivan de Jesus would be his replacement.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have rebounded nicely after being swept by the Pirates in the opening series. They swept the Atlanta Braves and took the home opener against the Brewers on Monday. Annually considered one of baseball’s best teams, the Cardinals have made a living off of their famed “next man up” philosophy, but their luck may finally be running out in that regard as top pitching prospects Marco Gonzales and Tim Cooney opened the season on the disabled list. Gonzales has a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, and he is currently weighing his options regarding surgery.
At the same turn, the front office has also received good news regarding the injury front. Jhonny Peralta had his cast removed early to lessen irritation, but the training staff believes he is on course for his recover timetable. He should begin rehab in two weeks. Tommy Pham could return in two weeks as well, and Ruben Tejada may begin his rehab assignment as early as the end of this week.
Tejada is likely to return as the starting shortstop until Peralta returns. Pham will rejoin a bench that made history on Friday night, as Aledmys Diaz, Greg Garcia, and Jeremy Hazelbaker became the first trio in baseball’s history to each hit a pinch hit homerun.
Speaking of Jeremy Hazelbaker, the 28-year-old rookie was hardly expected to be one of the better stories during the first week of baseball, and while he hardly compares to the historic tale of Trevor Story, Hazelbaker is making certain Cardinals fans remember his name early. In this first week, he hit .526. It’s a far stretch from a projected career minor leaguer in a Dodgers organization oozing outfield depth, but the Cardinals managed to turn him into a genuine prospect in 2015. He will never maintain this pace, but he creates solid competition for the fourth outfield spot against Pham when he returns from injury.
Milwaukee Brewers
All things considered, the rebuilding Brewers are not off to a slow start, despite being at the bottom of the Central division after the first week. Ryan Braun is off to an equally solid start, although that hasn’t stopped the Milwaukee media from turning a sour note towards the face of their franchise after controversial comments he made this spring regarding his workload. Braun said he hasn’t hit in live batting practice since 2009, and he only requires about 25-30 at bats in spring to be ready for the season. Those comments have left some questioning whether the Brewers organization and the media are handling Braun’s work ethic with kid gloves too much. It’s certainly not the attitude you want from the veteran leader in a young clubhouse.
One of those young minds in the future could be Jorge Zavala. The young Honduran, right-handed pitching prospect was signed this week and ordered to extended spring training. It’s typically more uncharacteristic if a team isn’t acquiring players like this undervalued by other organizations to help improve their depth, but the Brewers have really put themselves in a good position rounding up young talent as part of the rebuild effort. Zavala projects as a middle reliever that throws in the low-90’s with good movement. He battled control issues last season but manages to miss quite a number of bats.
If, or when, Zavala makes it through the Brewers system, it is uncertain whether he will be playing at Colorado Springs or San Antonio after the Brewers announced the Sky Sox will almost certainly be leaving Colorado Springs within the next three years. It is unclear how this effects the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, the Missions. It’s also uncertain how this impacts the Brewers continued affiliation with the Sky Sox beyond 2018.
That’s a wrap for this week in the NL Central Focus. Be sure to check back next Tuesday at noon to see what you may have missed in baseball’s toughest division.
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