AP Photo/Melissa Tamez

The Rundown: Hodge First to Replace Neris, Báez Pines for 2016, Swanson Hoping to Break Out, Giants Interested in Burnes

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterAugust 21, 2024

“There’s a road up ahead and it’s a long one. It’s ridden on the restless and the young. With a want and desire, we’ll move. You know there ain’t nothing else that you can do.” – Bodeans, Dreams

Rookie reliever Porter Hodge earned the save in Tuesday night’s 3-1 win over the Tigers and looks like the Cubs’ new closer. Is he? Manager Craig Counsell didn’t officially anoint the rookie, but as someone who once replaced Josh Hader with Devin Williams, he sounds like he’s championing Hodge. I wouldn’t discount any of Nate Pearson, Tyson Miller, Jorge López, or Jack Neely, either. At any rate, it’s nice to hear Counsell sound excited about his relief corps.

“Porter’s been outstanding,” Counsell said. “He has taken as big a step forward since Spring Training as maybe any player that we’ve had.

“You want to just have as many guys like that that can take that step forward. And you hope that Jack’s in that situation. Now, how fast it happens? It’s happened pretty fast for Porter. I think we all can acknowledge that it’s happened pretty fast. It’s different for everybody, but hopefully Jack puts himself into that mix and is one of those guys.”

Far be it from me to tell Counsell or Jed Hoyer how to run the team, but I hope Chicago’s braintrust will use the final six weeks of this season to decide next season’s bullpen pecking order. I don’t particularly like a closer-by-committee approach, so hopefully one of the candidates will create some separation from the others. It sounds like Hodge will be given the first shot.

“Porter’s stuff has been so good,” Counsell said. “He’s a talented kid and he’s doing it with really good pitches. The experience part of it, he’s getting it every time out there. And that’s what you do with talented young players. You give them shots to get that experience.”

Chicago’s bullpen has been the best in baseball since June 1, which bodes well for 2025. Hoyer and Counsell can’t spend the first two months of next season trying to figure out which relievers they trust most. Though ERA doesn’t tell the whole story, the Cubs have been pretty dominant for nearly three months.

  • Hodge: Seven straight scoreless outings with a win, four holds, and a save.
  • Miller: 1.26 ERA since May 31.
  • López: 0.83 ERA since joining the Cubs June 14. The 31-year-od is eligible for free agency after this season.
  • Drew Smyly: Allowed only eight earned runs in 27 appearances since May 31.

One comment on yesterday’s Rundown pointed out the folly in overpaying relievers, and historically speaking, that assumption is correct. The Cubs haven’t had many All-Star closers, but their top three — Lee Smith (180 saves with Chicago), Bruce Sutter (133), and Carlos Marmol (117) — were all homegrown talents. In contrast, LaTroy Hawkins (29 saves in two seasons with Chicago), Dave Smith (17/2), and Brandon Morrow (22/3) were all free agent busts. Other teams have similar horror stories.

With that in mind, it would be wonderful if Hodge seizes the opportunity to be Counsell’s regular 9th inning option. He’s young, on his rookie contract, and is under club control for several years.

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

Dansby Swanson is in grave danger of permanently attaching Jason Heyward-like energy to himself. Swanson, who signed a seven-year, $177 million contract before last season, entered last night’s game with a .648 OPS. He did homer in Tuesday’s win against the Tigers, his 10th of the season. In 1,079 plate appearances, Swanson has produced a slash line of .239/.316/.391. Those are well below the numbers he posted with the Braves in two of his final three seasons with Atlanta.

If Hoyer is indeed looking toward the playoffs in 2025, the team needs Swanson to get untracked and hit with consistency. The 30-year-old shortstop has always been a streaky hitter, but he is a little overpaid considering his career wRC+ (95) is below league average. Heyward, believe it or not, is 10 points higher, despite his lean years with the Cubs.

As strong defensively as the Cubs are up the middle, the offensive output from the quartet of regulars is less than staggering.

I get that Hoyer prioritizes defense, which boosts the values of players like Swanson, Hoerner, and Crow-Armstrong. Still, the Cubs have been blanked a dozen times this season, and you need to score runs to win games.

Odds & Sods

This is so wrong on multiple levels.

Central Intelligence

How About That!

Trevor Bauer suggests that MLB is responsible for preventing him with signing to play for a new team. Okay then.

Angels reliever Ben Joyce is as nasty on the mound as it gets.

MLB announced the dates and pools for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Add the Giants to the list of teams interested in signing Corbin Burnes this winter.

Umpires and replay reviews are a bad combination for baseball.

Angels in the Outfield

A good friend of mine and occasional reader passed away suddenly the other morning. I’ve known Tom Chwierut since high school, and though he was as diehard a White Sox fan as one can be, we had a lot of good baseball conversations over the years. Raise your glass for Tom tonight if you don’t mind, please and thank you.

Extra Innings

We’ve had to say this too many times, but here’s hoping this Dansby dinger gets Swanson untracked for the season’s final six weeks.

They Said It

  • “We’ll view [the 9th inning] with an open mind. I think the guys you’re seeing at the end of games, you’ll continue to see them at the end of games. Right now, I don’t see kind of solidifying anything.” – Counsell
  • “[Neely’s] numbers have been outstanding. He’s striking out half the hitters he’s faced. That’s good. He earned a shot. And he earned his first time here. And we’ll get his feet wet here, and then see where it goes.” – Counsell
  • “They just told me to go out there, do my thing, chuck the ball and let it eat. I’m going in, I’m throwing strikes, [and] I’m getting ahead of batters, and that’s all it really comes down to.” – Neely

Wednesday Walk-Up Song

Fun Fact: Daryl Hall was added to the final pressing of this song to bolster the vocals of Michael Hutchence.

 

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterAugust 21, 2024
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