May 5, 2016 was an unusual day in the city of Chicago. On that date, all four first place teams at the time were playing games in the city. The Red Sox were visiting the White Sox on the south side. The Nationals were being hosted by the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
We may not see that again for a while. Especially since the two Chicago teams are rarely home at the same time.

During the month of April and into May so far, the White Sox and Cubs have been resting comfortably atop their respective division’s standings. It really isn’t a coincidence. Both teams have been constructed to compete this year. These are not teams in transition. These are not teams rebuilding. Both the White Sox and Cubs are poised to win this year.

WHITE SOX

The White Sox offer a starting pitcher every game who gives his team a chance to win.
Few pitchers in the game can match the tenacity and the results of left-handed string bean Chris Sale. Standing tall at 6-foot-6 and weighing only 180 pounds, analysts have been waiting for Sale’s arm to fall off. Instead, he offers solid mechanics that lead to strikeouts in bunches and a collection of wins. He’s unbeaten this season at 7-0 with a beyond sparkling ERA of 1.79. His WHIP is a minuscule 0.77. Those are amazing numbers. But then again, he’s an amazing pitcher. A true ace.

The pitcher that still remains under the radar and the pitcher that doesn’t get his share of accolades is lefty Jose Quintana. He isn’t a strikeout artist like Sale. Rather, he brings a repertoire that keeps hitters off balance and changes their eye level from pitch to pitch. So far, Quintana has a 5-1 record, a 1.38 ERA and a WHIP of 0.99.

That’s not too shabby a combination of lefties at the top of the rotation. And the third quality lefty, Carlos Rodon could join them in a discussion of elite starting pitchers in the next year or two. He’s still ironing out some wrinkles. But he has all the stuff to be a star. Keep your eye on Rodon. All the ingredients are there-he just needs to refine the overall recipe.

The real surprise among the starters has to be undefeated Mat Latos. Who knew? While he once was seen as having issues with other teams, Latos seems to have found a home as a 5-0 pitcher so far for the White Sox. If he retains his mastery of American League hitters, Latos could be the real spark that gives the White Sox a long postseason life.

Credit White Sox management with a great call in cutting ties with John Danks early enough in the season to salvage growth and potential for the fifth starter’s role.
Danks departed with a record of 0-4. an ERA of 7.25 and a 1.75 WHIP. Yikes!
Eric Johnson takes the fifth starter job…for now. His first start did not do much to make White Sox fans forget Danks.

The White Sox bullpen may be the glue that holds the team together for the season.
Mat Albers, Nate Jones and David Robertson own ERA’s under 1.0. Lefties Zack Duke and Dan Jennings provide quality service against southpaw hitters. And the credible Zach Putnam adds to the strength of the pen.

The offense? A dash of big time credit has to go to Todd Frazier. No, he isn’t hitting for average. But he provides a tremendous presence in the middle of the lineup. He offers the pitcher a huge power bat to contend with in addition to Jose Abreu. Frazier has smoked eight home runs, the most on the team. He has driven in 21 runs, tied with Abreu for the team lead. Melky Cabrera is contributing. So are Adam Eaton and Brett Lawrie.

Very solid defensive play has helped the pitcher achieve terrific results. Newcomers Lawrie, Jimmy Rollins and Frazier have been very solid in helping to stabilize the infield.
Jose Abreu is sound at first base. The same goes for newcomer Austin Jackson in center. The White Sox defense is not giving the opposition extra outs. They are playing very good, sound and solid defense.

Question: Can the White Sox maintain their pace?

I don’t see a prolonged losing streak with Sale and Quintana at the top of the rotation. They are proven winners. The bullpen has depth from both the left and ride sides. I do not see pitching as a problem. And I do think Rodon will turn the page and be closer to the pitcher he will ultimately become later this season.

I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface on the offensive damage Frazier and Abreu will inflict. When the weather heats up, they can be All Star hitters.
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Issues to Address?

My answer: I think they need more outfield depth. In an ideal world they would have one more loud bat to compliment those in place. I also think they will have to find a reliable fifth starter to go deep in games. Is that Eric Johnson? I don’t really think so.
Will Mat Latos be the Mat Latos of April and May in July, August and September? I don’t think so. But they’ll have enough pitching to survive.

LONG TERM OUTLOOK:

I think the White Sox will hang in the AL Central race until the end. Will they win? It all depends on the rotation behind Sale and Quintana.

CHICAGO CUBS

In my pre-sesaon predictions on this blog I cautioned about Cubs fans not getting too excited about all the media hype surrounding the 2016 edition of the team. I didn’t want to be the guy pulling my friend off a ledge in a Wrigleyville or Uptown apartment.

The Cubs are very, very good. The Cubs are very, very balanced. And you know what frightens me? They haven’t played to their capabilities yet. I mean that.

Let me get this out of the way early. We are beginning to see the damage Javier Baez can do with his bat. He only has two home runs so far. He has only driven in five. That will be a drop in the bucket compared to what he will likely have at the end of the season.

Jorge Soler has been a .181 hitter. He strikes out too much. He may strike out a lot more. But when that big body of his heats up in the summer—boom. The man can be a huge source of power, and that’s putting it mildly. And Matt Szczur can play. He offers some insurance to the club.

Kris Bryant hasn’t unloaded the damage he will be doing when things get totally on track for him. And there’s no Kyle Schwarber in the lineup.

Anthony Rizzo? Watch him hit. Watch him play first base. Watch the way he carries himself. I think he’s among the top, top players in the game right now. And we’ll see even more from him. I think he and Paul Goldschmidt are the gold standard at first base. But teams don’t pitch to Goldschmidt. They don’t have to. Teams do have to pitch to Rizzo with a lineup that begins with Dexter Fowler and then goes to Jason Heyward, and Kris Bryant. And Ben Zobrist follows Rizzo. It’s very solid. Heyward hasn’t found his spark totally as yet, either. Then mix Baez and Soler in there as well. Watch out. This team can hit.

The pitching? Of course it begins with Jake Arrieta. He’s already won six without a loss. He boasts a 1.13 ERA, a WHIP of 0.88 and a no-hitter. There may be more no-hitters.. He also threw one last year. He’s the real deal. The guy that found a new life pitching for the Cubs. The guy Chris Bosio turned into a pitcher. An All Star pitcher. Arrieta sets the pace for the Cubs rotation.

The Cubs ERA is 2.48 as I write this. The best in baseball. The White Sox are second at 2.78. There in a nutshell tells the focal point of both team’s success stories. They can pitch.

Jason Hammel has a 1.65 ERA and hasn’t lost. He’s 4-0. Jon Lester has a record of 3-1 and an ERA of 1.58 with a WHIP of 1.09. Lester won’t have to worry about throwing over to first base if there isn’t anyone there. Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey have provided solid pitching in their 11 starts—-and especially Hendricks. The Cubs starting pitching staff has kept their team in games and have eaten innings. All good.

When the starters turn the game over to the bullpen, the pen has responded. Consider that Trevor Cahill-the same Trevor Cahill that left the Dbacks a broken pitcher with no hope of a future is throwing well for the Cubs. Very well as a matter of fact. He’s been in 11 games and has thrown 12 1/3 innings with less than a 3.00 ERA. Who knew that could happen? I admit it. Not me.

Hector Rodon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm have formed a solid back end of the bullpen. Adam Warren may have been a steal coming over from the Yankees. He can be a spot starter if needed and is very credible out of the pen. Lefty Travis Wood has had some very good moments.

Questions to address? Can the Cubs sustain their lead and enter the postseason? My answer? Yes. Especially when Bryant, Baez, Soler, etc. etc. etc. get hot. They have very good defensive play at shortstop with Addison Russell. He is the glue in the infield, along with Rizzo at first. They have good solid hitting, good starting pitching and overall depth.

Issues to address? I think the Cubs need more help in the bullpen. I think they can use a shut down lefty and another solid mid-reliever. They may be able to fetch that help with prospect bats like Dan Vogelbach and/or Albert Almora to offer in trade.

And yes, they have to have another starter on ice just in case.

LONG TERM OUTLOOK:

While I don’t see them continuing the pace they have registered the first month and half, I think the Cubs will win the NL Central. They still may be fighting the Nationals and the Mets for a World Series appearance. But one thing at a time. This Cubs team is good. Very good.

Thanks for reading my scouting reports at TodaysKunckleball.com. And thanks for following me on twitter @BerniePleskoff.

That’s It. I’m Done. For Now.