Cubs

Are the Cubs really this good?

The story of the National League after 30 games has been the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are 25-6 and just completed a four game sweep of the Washington Nationals. The Nationals are no pushover either as they sport a 20-13 record following the sweep. The Cubs dominance has come from their hitting and pitching alike. Young stars like Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo headline their lineup, while Dexter Fowler has done an unbelievable job of setting the tone at the top. Fowler currently has a .467 on base percentage, tops in the league.

Cub pitching has been lead by reigning NL CY Young winner Jake Arrieta. Arrieta continued his historic season from last year by starting 6-0 with a 1.13 ERA and one no hitter for good measure. In Jake Arrieta’s last 19 starts he has thrown 138.1 innings, given up 70 hits, allowed 29 walks, struck out 139 batters, and has a 0.78 ERA. These numbers are unprecedented in today’s day and age. Every time Arrieta pitches the Cubs expect to win. However, their dominant pitching doesn’t stop with Arrieta. Lester has been having a great year, somewhat overshadowed by Arrieta’s brilliance. He is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA to date.

The record for games won in an MLB season is 116, set by the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Right now the Cubs are on pace to win close to 130 games. Obviously the Cubs will cool off and go through the normal ups and downs of an MLB season. They will undergo some injuries, and if a star like Arrieta gets hurt it would change the entire season, but barring a crushing injury they do have a chance to contend for the record. I do not believe they will beat the record of 116 wins, but I could see them challenging it.