The Cubbies continue to rely on incredible pitching and timely hitting to win game after game. Their Big Three -- Fergie Jenkins (5-3), Bill Hands (5-1) and Ken Holtzman (6-1) -- have piled up 16 wins. They have 17 complete games and 4 shutouts.
The team ERA is 2.06.
On the offensive side, the Cubs are getting clutch hits throughout the batting order.
Their top hitters continue to be Billy Williams (.329), Glenn Beckert (.325) and Randy Hundley (.341). Leadoff man Don Kessinger and cleanup hitter Ron Santo lead the team in runs scored with 19 each, followed by Beckert at 17.
Santo leads the Cubs in runs batted in with 22; Williams is next at 19. Santo and right-fielder Willie Smith are tied with a team-high 4 home runs apiece.
The biggest mystery continues to be the lack of hitting by Jim Hickman, who is at .119 after 42 at-bats. However, he did smack a two-run homer in his last game.
Here are the highlights over the past two weeks:
April 22: Cubs sweep a doubleheader -- 2-1 and 6-5 -- at Forbes Field vs. the Pirates. Hundley wins game one with an RBI-double in the eighth. In game two, the Cubs got a solo home run from Williams and a three-run homer by fill-in catcher Bill Heath.
April 25: Jenkins outpitches Tom Seaver, defeating the Mets 3-1 at Shea Stadium.
April 27: The Cubs pile up 21 runs on 28 hits to sweep a doubleheader against the Mets -- 4-3 and 17-5.
May 2: Holtzman throws a 6-hit shutout against the Mets as Ernie Banks gets his first home run of the season in a 5-0 win.
May 4: Seaver takes another loss vs. the Cubs, this time a 5-0 shutout by Hands.
May 6: Holtzman notches his team-high 6th win of the season with a 1-0 two-hit shutout against the Dodgers at Wrigley Field. In seven starts, the lefty is now 6-1 with an ERA of 1.29.
May 7: The Cubs fall 7-5 in 11 innings as Jenkins is torched for 14 hits. Santo hits a pair of home runs in the loss.
To this point in the season, the Mets have been anything but miraculous vs. the Cubs. And it's not hard to see why. Their pitching hasn't phased the Cubs, and their current lineup remains impotent with the likes of Rod Gaspar, Al Weis and Kevin Collins piling up the outs.
Likewise, one of my favorite players ever -- Amos Otis -- did little for the Mets in his outings against the Cubs. I'm glad he went on to become an all-star, Gold Glove center-fielder -- in 1970 with the Royals.
Excellent article Rob! Hopefully, the Cubs don't encounter a black cat this time around! A 24-5 start is a pretty impressive start, we'll see if a hot start makes the difference, the good thing is that their 8-0 record against the Mets will certainly help.
ReplyDeleteHi Rob!
ReplyDeleteGreat replay and recaps!.. Have replayed CUBBIES seasons for the following years..1930, 1962,1963,1964,1983...So your replay is very cool!
All the best!
Kirb
Forgot that I also rolled 1956..senior moment! :-)
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