The Cubs enter the All-Star break on a high note.
As most of you know, I usually write an article during the All-Star break giving Cubs players midseason grades.
That article will appear here tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week, when they went 3-3 on a road trip to Minnesota and New York.
Three up
Shōta Imanaga is back on track
Imanaga’s great outing against the Yankees Sunday gave him a week where he threw 13 innings, allowed seven hits and didn’t walk anyone (0.538 WHIP), two runs allowed (1.38 ERA), with seven strikeouts. Imanaga’s K rate is down a bit from last year, but his walk rate is outstanding (5.7 percent).
It will be a while before Imanaga is a qualified starter again (and he might not get there this year), but if he were, his 2.65 ERA would rank sixth in the National League.
Matthew Boyd could be a Cy Young candidate
Sure, Paul Skenes is the sexy pick and Zack Wheeler is having an excellent season, but Boyd’s eight shutout innings against the Yankees Saturday put him second in the NL in ERA at 2.34 (although 11th in bWAR). Boyd has a scoreless inning streak now at 16 innings and has a 1.28 ERA over his last nine starts covering 56⅓ innings, with just three home runs allowed.
He probably won’t win the CYA, but should get some downballot votes.
Carson Kelly should have made the All-Star team
Even though Kelly has played in only two-thirds of Cubs games this year (62 of 96) and started a bit more than half (53 of 96), his offense has been just outstanding. From his hot start and cycle in Sacramento to a bit of a slump, Kelly put the bat back on display this past week in Minnesota and New York, batting .375/.444/.688 (6-for-16) with two doubles and a home run.
The home run, Saturday against the Yankees, provided an important insurance run. Here’s a cool field view of that homer [VIDEO].
Kelly, in fact, probably would have been selected an All-Star, but every team needs a representative and the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman, a catcher, is their only All-Star.
Three down
Brad Keller is likely welcoming the All-Star break
Keller had a horrendous outing against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field on July 5 and pitched just twice this week, one of those a rough outing against the Yankees Saturday in which he served up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge and then hit a batter, forcing Craig Counsell to use Daniel Palencia to save what had been a five-run lead.
Before the meltdown against the Cardinals, Keller had put together 28 outings (since a similar bad outing in April against the Diamondbacks) in which he’d allowed just one earned run in 30⅓ innings. He’s been pretty reliable and I suspect the All-Star break will get him a reset he really needs.
Matt Shaw could also use a reset
Shaw was given the last two days of the Yankees series off from starting (though he came in to play the last four innings defensively Sunday).
Before that he’d gone 0-for-8 on the trip and overall since his last hit July 2 against the Guardians, Shaw is 0-for-21.
He continues to play fantastic defense at third base, though, and that’s worth something. He is tied for seventh among all MLB third basemen in DRS with five. Shaw has hit at every level he’s played, sometimes after a very slow start. Hopefully the All-Star break will help him get a good restart when the season resumes Friday.
Kyle Tucker had a slow week
Tucker batted just .217/.259/.261 (5-for-23) over the week, though he did draw four walks.
He also robbed Cody Bellinger of a possible fourth home run Friday [VIDEO].
Tucker will start the All-Star Game Tuesday evening in Atlanta, and hopefully get off to a good start when the season starts up again Friday at Wrigley Field against the Red Sox.