Teams really don't want to face the Chicago Cubs right now. They have won seven consecutive games and 13 of their last 14.
Their young hitters have resumed producing runs, led by catcher-outfielder Kyle Schwarber. Since returning from the minor leagues, he is batting .321 with seven homers, a .427 on-base percentage and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.057 OPS.
“I’ve always been a big believer it doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish,” Cubs pitcher Jon Lester told reporters after his team completed its sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. “Now these guys are swinging the bats, having great at-bats.”
Overall Schwarber has posted a "slash line" of .330/.420/.621 in 103 at-bats. In his starts the Cubs are 17-8 with an average of 5.1 runs per game.
“He doesn’t swing at a baseball,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon observed. “He hits a baseball.”
On the downside, Lester hasn't fixed that glitch on his throws to first base. He made another errant pick-off throw Thursday night, reminding the Brewers to run wild on him. They stole five bases, including four in one inning.
"We all know what’s going on here," Lester said after the game. "Have to do a better job. Wasn't a terrible throw. Better than my last one."
That previous error, of course, came against the Cardinals to kick off the season.
"There are things that I need to improve on," Lester said. "But at the end of the day we won."
Lester helped himself by striking out 10 Brewers. His overall success this season has helped Maddon cope with the whole first base glitch.
"There are times it could be an issue or bothersome, but overall he's able to keep low numbers in spite of not wanting to throw to first base," Maddon told reporters.
"I also believe there's going to be that one moment where he has that epiphany where it makes sense to him where he can do it more readily. I think that’s going to occur also."
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