Cubs and Brewers leading NL Central

By Brittany Dole

The 2018 MLB season has been an interesting one so far, as the weather was a major topic of discussion due to so many postponements across the league.

The Cubs home opener was snow covered and pushed back a day in early April, much to the dismay of fans who lined up close to game time and learned of the news. What does this mean for the Cubs? Many doubleheaders to look forward to, might be fun for the audience but not so much for the teams.

As of May 2, the North Siders are 16-11 and about even with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals are only a half-game back in the standings, as well as the Pirates. The Cincinnati Reds sit way at the bottom of the division, with a sad 7-23 start to the season.

As warmer weather is welcomed in Chicago, the Cubs host the Rockies after dropping the first game of the series last night on a rather mild and windy night at Wrigley. Surprisingly, the big transaction acquired in the off-season, Yu Darvish, hasn’t had the best numbers so far, with a rather high ERA sitting at 5.26. His outings have been short, but struggles happen any time of the year.

Let’s hope its just a few adjustments that are needed to get him to where baseball fans have seen him before. Only concern is that signing him to a hefty 126 million dollar contract was the right choice for the starting rotation, time will tell.

It certainly has not been an easy start to the year for the Cubbies, as we’ve already seen Rizzo and Bryant out for a few games on the disabled list. Anthony Rizzo had a bad back, and Kris Bryant got nailed in the head with a fastball. They both recovered, but losing guys like that is a fear for every team.

The key for 2018 and pretty much every season is to keep the roster healthy. Off days can be superstars best friends, especially early in the season as games seem a bit more low-stake. I hope to see the Cubs greet former teammate and ace Jake Arrieta in Philadelphia when they play the Phillies later this summer.

As far as big picture MLB 2018, keep your eye on the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox.

Should be a fun ride to October.