On Monday night, the wait for one of the most anticipated seasons of Chicago Cubs baseball got underway. This year they started off with a two game series against American League foe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
They got off to a fast start. To lead-off the game for the Cubs, Dexter Fowler pulled a grounder down the line for a double. After outs made by newcomers Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo came up to the plate with Fowler on third. He beat the shift and hit an RBI single up the middle for the early 1-0 lead. Then, the reigning NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta took the mound and was right where he left off last year. He was masterful all day, going seven innings, giving up two hits, one walk, and struck out seven. He could've finished off the game, but with the Cubs having a comfortable lead and it being the first game of the season, they took him out.
The next runs came in a fourth inning outburst. After Rizzo and Kris Bryant both walked to start the inning, second year player Jorge Soler singled home Rizzo and advanced Bryant to third. Then, catcher Miguel Montero reach on an infield single that scored Bryant. In the top of the sixth, Montero hit a home run that scored Soler, making it a 6-0 lead. Then, in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Matt Szuzur hit a two-out bases loaded triple to end the scoring at 9-0, and giving the Cubs an Opening Day victory.
The next game was very similar to the first. Just like Garrett Richards the night before, the Cubs got to lefthander Andrew Heaney early. To lead off the top of the third after two quick scoreless innings, Szczur lead off the top of the third with a bomb to left to go up 1-0. Then, catcher David Ross, in his first at-bat of his last season, doubled. Then, Fowler reach on an infield single, and Heyward grounded into a fielder's choice giving him his first RBI as a Cub and driving in Ross. After Bryant flied out to left and Heyward tagged up, Rizzo hit a home run to straight away center field for his first and gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead. The Cubs extended that to 6-0 after a Fowler home run that scored Szczur. Jon Lester looked good, with a lot more junk on his pitches than last year. He went seven strong, giving up only a Craig Gentry RBI single to left.
This series couldn't have gone better. Mike Trout and Albert Pujols combined to go 0 for 15 with five strikeouts. That was against the best player in baseball and someone who was a Cub killer when he was in St.Louis. With that and the offense going off for 15 runs without Kris Bryant going hitless and Jason Heyward only collecting one is a good sign for the offense. The best start probably belongs to Fowler, who is hitting .625(five for eight) with one homerun and two RBI's. The biggest surprise goes to Matt Szczur, who is up for Javier Baez. Szczur is right up there with Fowler, perhaps even having a better start than Fowler. He is hitting .600 with one homerun and four RBIs.
The Cubs send out John Lackey against Rubby De La Rosa and the 1-2 Diamondbacks in Arizona tonight at 8:40 CST.
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