The Chicago Cubs are just a couple days removed from taking two of three games from their NL Central division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, to solidify their first place standing.
The Brewers, however, managed to close out the series strong with a 4-0 win over the surging Cubs, with a shutout being especially noteworthy against a Chicago offense that tops all of major league baseball.
The importance of that face saving victory on Sunday after two decisive defeats– including a 10-0 blowout– was not lost on Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who heaped praise on the Cubs team in the wake of the series loss.
Brewers Manager Lavishes Chicago Cubs With Praise
Talking to Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy, Murphy was wildly colorful in detailing the excellence of the cross-state rivals.
“We shut out one of the best offensive teams in baseball, if not the best,” Murphy said. “They’re solid through and through. They’re just old enough, just experienced enough. Their young guys are at the peak of their game.
“The blue-haired kid is kind of a freak right now with the way he’s playing. The new kid with the huge feet– that kid, what a hitter. I just notice him when he’s digging in the box, like, ‘God, it’s him.’ What a hitter. Then Happ has always been great against us. Suzuki is a great player. Bush is the most underrated. Hoerner is underrated. Swanson is as good a defensive shortstop as there is in the league. Their two catchers have been great.
“It’s a great ballclub through and through, so I’m really proud of our ballclub to respond the way we did.”
No Lies Were Told
Well, some of that needs a little deciphering.
“The blue-haired kid” obviously refers to (formerly blue-haired) Cubs’ sophomore star Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was 4-for-12 in the Brewers series with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs. And, yeah, the 23-year-old HAS been “kind of a freak” when it comes to his multi-faceted production.
“The new kid with the huge feet” refers to Kyle Tucker, who was 5-for-11 in the series with a home run and 2 RBIs. The multi-tool right fielder is regarded as one of the top position players in all of baseball and currently ranks among the team leaders in every offensive category.
“Their two catchers” are Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya, who HAVE been great. Kelly, especially, has turned heads with some crazy offensive stats, like hitting 8 home runs in just 61 at bats as a part-time backstop.
Everybody else was mentioned by name in Murphy’s statement– and no lies were told. The Cubs HAVE played tremendously and have blindsided many experts and analysts who predicted them to be an improved team, but still a pretty middle-of-the pack fringe playoff team.
Is This Sustainable?
It’s hard to imagine Chicago keeping this pace up over the long haul of the season, but the offense has been so varied, with contributors and contributions coming from all parts of the lineup, that’s it’s also hard to imagine everyone cooling down all at once.
Strategically built as a multi-faceted offensive team to overcome the unpredictability of weather conditions at Wrigley Field, this is a crew that can win games with the long ball, but also steal wins with small ball play. The combination of power, speed, and sound decision making is hard to beat.
Of course, offense isn’t everything. The bullpen has been an issue. They’ve also lost ace starting pitcher Justin Steele for the season and will lose co-ace Shota Imanaga for an unspecified number of starts.
But…so far, so good. And baseball people, like Pat Murphy, have taken notice.
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