August 6, 2016: Jake Being Jake

I forgot what time the Cubs were on Saturday.  With a late season graduation party on the agenda, I thought I’d be home in time to watch the last couple innings.  It turns out they played earlier in the day.

When I checked the score, and saw that the Cubs won 4-0, I thought… did Jake throw a no hitter?  Did I completely miss it again?  No.. I would have got text messages if that was going on.  Still, 8 shutout is what transpired, and it seemed to be a case of Jake being Jake.

I missed the first no hitter when I was at a Santana concert; didn’t see one inning of that masterpiece in LA.  I was all over that 2nd no hitter against the Reds.  After seeing Oakland on Friday night, and their place in the standings, I thought it could have some potential.  Not the way Jake has been throwing, but the way we know he can throw.  I wasn’t surprised when I saw that it was a shutout.

It had been a long time since Jake got his last win, yet, on the season, he stands 13-5.  So for all the struggles…  not too shabby a record.  Not too bad of a follow up on the best half of baseball for a pitcher in major league history.  Is he really back now?

Hard to tell, since it is the A’s.  I think we need him to be that guy…  Although all the starters have been throwing the ball well since the break, I still think Jake is our horse.  He is the shutdown guy that we’ll need come postseason time.  What if he isn’t that shutdown guy?

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I would have said no a month or so ago; now, maybe we could get by without him at one of the top pitchers in the game level.  I’m talking myself into that opinion…

Rest seems to be the key here.. with all the starters.  Joe needs to rest as needed, pull them early in games when possible, skip their turn if necessary.  Of course you don’t want to burn out the bullpen either.

That will be the balance Joe has to walk through the rest of the dog days that turn into the homestretch.  We have seen, both at the beginning of the year, and the start of the 2nd half, what a rested pitching staff can do.  That’s the type of staff we need to start the postseason with.  Asking too much?  Is that even possible after 162?  That’s something to strive for I think; not an easy thing to do, but that’s what we’re paying Joe the big bucks for.

Jake getting back in the win column was nice to see, as is the current Cubs streak.  6 in a row after Saturday night’s game… looking for 7 and the sweep on Sunday.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that will happen; easy for me to say since I’m still a day behind.  I still would have said it if I wasn’t.  Keep it rolling boys… keep it rolling.  Go Cubs!