Cubs Make it Look Easy, Cruise Past the Reds 9-2

If there’s one thing the Cubs do well so far this year it’s make things look easy. They won tonight against the Reds in their second home game of the year, by the score of 9-2 (Box Score). They’re record is now 7-1, equaling their best eight game start ever. That’s a long history. The last time they started 7-1 was in 1985. So far so good for the 2016 Cubs.

Liking Lackey

John Lackey was a man on a mission tonight. After a tough first outing in Arizona, John was out to prove to Cubs fans that his $32 million signing was a worthwhile investment. His start in this game had some at Wrigley Field shaking their heads. He loaded the bases in the first inning but managed to work his way out of a jam, allowing only one run by striking out Brandon Philips and allowing a sacrifice fly before a diving stop by Ben Zobrist saved the inning. Lackey ended up lasting 6 2/3 innings giving up six hits, two runs and three walks while striking out seven batters.

Chipping in

Consider this, every single batter in the Cubs’ starting lineup got on base tonight, and yes, that includes the pitcher John Lackey, who had an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning to make the score 5-1. The Cubs knocked the Reds starting pitcher out of the game after a forty-nine pitch first inning. Every starting batter had at least a run or an RBI tonight.

Kris Bryant also stepped in to add his first home run of the year tonight. Yes, the wind was blowing in and yes, it was a crisp cold night, but Kris hammered a shot down the right field line that just managed to stay fair. Here’s a video of his blast:

Kris Breezy will kindly see you later.https://t.co/9s9BRVTV29

— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2016

Bringing up the rear

The bullpen continues to dominate. In the first eight games this year they’ve given up only seven hits, two runs and two walks. That includes tonight’s game, in which Trevor Cahill, Clayton Richard and Neil Ramirez all chipped in to close out the final 2 1/3 innings.

No complaints

Yes, it’s early, but this team looks really good, both on paper and on the field. It’s hard to imagine what the 2016 Cubs will look like come July but, in the same sense, it’s fun to think about how good they could be considering what we’ve seen so far this season.

Next up

The Cubs are back at Wrigley Field tomorrow to take on the Reds, with Jason Hammel taking the hill at 7:05 PM CDT.