This really should not have happened. It did. The way the Cubs played they certainly deserved the loss, but it should not have happened.
Most likely you watched if you’re a baseball fan, but to recap, two things happened:
- No offense ever got started for the Cubs
- Carl Edwards, Jr. had another meltdown
A third was that Wade Davis pitched into a grand slam by Michael Taylor, something he has never done before, but that was not the issue.
This series has proven a couple of things about the Cubs current roster: Javier Baez, Carl Edwards, Jr., Ben Zobrist, and Jason Heyward are expendible.
To their credit, Zobrist and Heyward actually produced some hits in this game, but it’s too little and way too late. Both players cost way too much for the little they provide, and Heyward dropped a catch that would be difficult for most, but seeing as he’s a defensive dynamo it should have been routine. The ball was in foul territory so it didn’t hurt, but if he’s not going to snag everything he attempts, then his value becomes less and less.
Javier Baez had an at-bat, I can’t remember now if it was in the 7th or 8th, where he faced six pitches, all outside of the strike zone, he managed to reach a 3-2 count, placing the sixth pitch into play for an out……to say he lacks plate discipline is to greatly understate his problem. He’s suppose to be part of the future of this club, but he needs something we apparently don’t offer him, and I’d rather take my chances with free agent infielders than continue with someone who can’t buckle down and hit when it counts.
While I will concede the three players above could have arguments for their overall play, there can be no doubt that the experiment of Carl Edwards, Jr., a prospect picked up in the Matt Garza trade, is over after this season, preferably now. It’s one thing to find a steal on the open market, and surely he’s had great moments on the mound.
That said, he’s folding to the Nationals. They are a competitive team, in a division of non-competitive teams. If you can’t find a way to defeat their batters, who spend half the season facing lackluster clubs, then you are on the wrong team.
Perhaps it makes me a non-believer in Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer’s team build, but only of a small fraction of it. And while the four players highlighted have more or less done their jobs up to series, they’ve floundered before, and it appears they are floundering more so than usual.
Later today Game 5 will take place. Let’s hope for some Harry Caray magic out at the DC Navy Yard.
Matthew Ballantyne 