Cubs solidify their staus as division favorite with the signing of Craig Kimbrel

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The Cubs have managed to land atop the NL Central despite some well documented bullpen problems.  The Cubs figure to have rectified that with the signing of free agent, Craig Kimbrel.  The signing of Kimbrel not only solidifies the Cubs closer situation, it stabilizes the rest of the Cubs pen.  Pedro Strop can work the eighth while Steve Cishek can cover the seventh.  Carl Edwards Jr. can work wherever he might be needed, based on his confidence level at a given time  After a down season in 2018, Brandon Kintzler has been really good this season.  Expect some regression to the mean.

Just in time?

The signing of Kimbrel comes at a really good time.  Free agent Brad Brach’s ERA currently sits at 5.11.  He’s averaging eight walks per nine innings so the problem isn’t hard to diagnose.  Lefty, Kyle Ryan has be4en getting lit up regularly after a nice start. Whether Brandon Morrow will ever be a factor as a Cub is anybody’s guess.

After the Cubs 3-1 win over the Cardinals Friday, the Cubs have now won four out of five.  The Cubs offense has been inconsistent this season, but generally speaking, the starting pitching has been the strength of the team.  Not only have the Cubs starters been good, they’ve been durable.  In the event of a problem in the rotation, Tyler Chatwood looks to be a viable replacement option.  The NL Central is a strong division, but all the teams have issues.  The Cubs look to have fewer of them than the other teams.

Brewers have an uneven blend

Going into this season, I doubted Christian Yelich could maintain last season’s MVP pace.  I’m starting to rethink that.  Lorenzo Cain, has however, regressed and Jesus Aguilar has fallen off a cliff.  At least some of that slippage is real.  Josh Hader has been great out of the pen, but just a tick below last season.

Zach Davies has been great at the head of the Brewers rotation, but things get mediocre after that.  The fact they missed out on Dallas Keuchel would seem to indicate the Brewers have limited options in terms of rounding up help.

Going down?

The Cardinals offense hasn’t taken off this season. Paul Goldschmidt has been good, but a cut below what was hoped for when the Cardinals acquired him.  Overall, the Cardinals rank 10^th out of the 15 NL teams in OPS.

While Andrew Miller hasn’t been particularly good out of the pen for the Cards, the rest of the pen has generally been solid.  The starting pitching hasn’t overwhelmed, but all in all has been decent, with the exception of Adam Wainwright who’s had a rough ride.

Bell ringing loud and clear for the Bucs

Going into the season, the Pirates figured to be heavily reliant on their pitching.  The pitching hasn’t quite been what was hoped for, but  the light has come on with Josh Bell and his has become a real force in the Pirates lineup, hitting .338 with 18 home runs and an OPS 1.091.  In a note that caught my attention, retread outfielder, Melky Cabrera is hitting .336 with an OPS of .843 in admittedly limited action. He’s actually outhitting his fielding.

Reds stock rising

The Reds have been looking for starting pitching for some time.  They’ve actually shored that area up to some extent with the addition of Tanner Roarke and Sonny Gray.  Unfortunately for them, their hitting has regressed.  The big stick in the lineup has been home run hitter /controversial poser, Derek Dietrich.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Reds hit the .500 mark this season has their other hitter come around.

But the Cubs are the cream of the division

The NL Central has no team tanking in 2019.  That makes for a competitive division.  I think the Cubs have the highest upside of any team in the division by a fairly large margin. Look for them to ultimately pull away from the pack.