Hey, the Cubs won a road game! Tuesday's 14-2 win over the Mets was their first road win since May 12. I was tempted to write about Ian Happ's homer being the turning point for the whole season, but I thought better of it. If the Cubs do turn it around, though, you can point to that 2nd-inning grand slam as the "moment" and remember that I predicted it.
Instead of the Cubs, let's discuss the two most dominant pitchers in baseball, Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen. Your Cy Young leaders right now are probably Max Scherzer (124 SO in 91 IP, 0.85 WHIP) and Chris Sale (126 in 91 IP, 0.96 WHIP). But, Kimbrel and Jansen have pitched their way into the conversation. After Tuesday night, here are their numbers. Parents, be cautious when showing these to your kids.
| Name | IP | SO | WHIP | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimbrel | 29.2 | 57 | 0.44 | 0.91 |
| Jansen | 26.2 | 44 | 0.60 | 1.01 |
I mean, seriously. Jansen has 44 strikeouts and 0 walks! Last week, Kimbrel struck out five Yankees to get a four-out save (not a typo). Last year, Zach Britton was fourth in AL Cy Young voting with 74 strikeouts in 67 innings (0.84 WHIP). If Scherzer and Sale fall back a bit, these two closers will be waiting.
Kimbrel and Jansen have lived up to their big contracts this year. Both pitchers are just 29, so I don't see them slowing down anytime soon. These two guys could be huge weapons in October and might just face each other in the World Series.
But, like I said, the Cubs are probably back so it doesn't even matter.
Baseball is here! And more importantly, that means the over/under game is back. It seems as though everyone is an expert this time of year. Somehow we convince ourselves that we are better at predicting baseball outcomes than everyone else. Well, AFITB is putting that to the test for the third year in a row. Think you know more about baseball than us? You probably do. But go ahead and prove it anyway.