I’ve said when a team loses whether it is in early April or in the playoffs we are doing them a disservice by saying it’s early. This version of the Chicago Cubs has regressed strangely enough to 2016 where they had just as much trouble with strike outs and  stringing together big innings. Their former hitting coach now with the Angels. Should I say the first place Angels. Though I know they won’t stay there for too long because the Astros are far too talented to not win that division, the American League West. This team has been together fully for two entire seasons since 2016 when Kyle Schwarber went down at the beginning of the season when for some season they chose to put a catcher in the outfield part of one of the worst outfields in baseball. Which is why Jason Heyward is necessary with his .222 batting average even with a new hitting coach. But for 2016 the Cubs have struggled in the first half of the season which means a lot of bad baseball to start. Maybe the Cubs and the Ricketts family should stop with the grandiose plans and buildings all over the place when the Cubs could just as easily be right back to being bottom feeders and no amount of Maddon pixie dust will be able to turn it around. With all of the hype behind Schwarber losing weight and Addison Russell talking about being less of a distraction than he was last year. Beware the hype. And still with the struggles of Jason Heyward. Management refusing to admit he is the biggest bust since Alfonso Soriano though he was at least serviceable. At this point I have little faith in the brain trust of the Cubs and their fancy technology that tells them that this bunch of kids can get to the NLCS again. It is pretty obvious these kids are pressing and trying too hard to replicate their fast start in 2016. That team did one thing these guys are not doing, taking walks and working the strike zone. With Anthony Rizzo’s comments about playing too many games makes me wonder where these guy’s heads are at though I did like his idea of playing more double headers. He will probably get his wish with all of the bad weather in Chicago. As well as realizing the leadoff hitter is not on this team though I believe they should put Addison Russell in that spot but he’s got his own issues with strikeouts. It couldn’t hurt to try it. Surely the Cubs will put up a fight for the division where most of the teams did nothing to improve their teams. Supposedly everyone is concerned with next season’s crop of free agents. In the meantime I imagine the league will half ass it and go whole hog for the playoffs of course. Sadly this will be the narrative for the rest of the first half of the season at least and with the all star game no longer deciding home field advantage in the world series this could be as bad to watch as the NBA.  The Cubs could still have a bang up of a second half like 2017 but even then they were pressing to prove they’re as good as the year before. They’re not even as good as they were in 2015.  It is still early to decide which horse to back in the race as I’m having a hard time getting behind the Cubs. But if and when they come around and make the playoffs it’ll be cold then too and they’ve got a built in excuse.