Offtopic » The Chicago Cubs have always found reason

CHICAGO — to remain optimistic despite the times this season when they have struggled to score runs. The reason? Boasting the National League’s best record and holding down the top spot in the Central Division have kept them from losing hope.But as the Cubs wind down the regular season this week starting with Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authentic-edgar-martinez-jersey , the reality of a tight-knit race in the Central and the inability to push runs across at critical times no longer can be ignored.The Cubs were unable to do their part in reducing their magic number following a 5-1 loss to the Pirates on Monday in which Chicago left the bases loaded once and stranded a runner in scoring position with the Cubs trailing by a pair of runs. Chicago’s lone run on Monday came on a solo home run by pitcher Cole Hamels.Article continues below ...“The offense has taken a hit — there’s no question,” manager Joe Maddon told reporters earlier this month, according to the Arlington Heights Daily Herald. “There’s just no other way to look at it. I think we have to find that within ourselves.”As the Cubs finish off this week against divisional rivals, they face an increasingly growing possibility they could face either the Milwaukee Brewers or the St. Louis Cardinals in the playoffs as the two NL Central foes currently hold down the top spots in the wild-card race.“Who has the advantage (in the playoffs)? I don’t know. Whoever pitches better that night has the advantage,” Maddon told reporters Monday, according to the Chicago Tribune. “It’s hard to do something different or new because both sides know each other pretty well. I totally agree with that. I’ve worried about that in the past, but I think I’ve learned not to because if you trust your players and put everyone out there and you’re in good health, you have just as good a shot as they do.”But before the Cubs can turn their focus to the postseason Ryon Healy Jersey , they must still find a way to finish strong this week.Mike Montgomery (5-5, 3.75 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs on Tuesday. Montgomery is coming off a solid six-inning effort against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who he held to one earned run and four hits while striking out eight. Montgomery is 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA in nine career appearances (three starts) against Pittsburgh.Chris Archer will face Montgomery as he looks for his third victory since joining the Pirates earlier this season. Archer (5-8, 4.49) allowed just one run and six hits and struck out eight over seven innings in his last outing against the Kansas City Royals. Archer is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three career starts against the Cubs.After Jameson Taillon shut down the Cubs on Monday, Archer hopes to build on his recent performance.“The one thing I hang my hat on is making starts and pitching deep into ballgames,” Archer said after his last start, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Giving up way more runs than I wanted to this year, but the thing that frustrates me the most is my average innings. It has to be the lowest of my career http://www.marinersfanproshop.com/authentic-dee-gordon-jersey , but there’s a correlation. The better you pitch, the deeper you pitch into games.” In the first inning of a pivotal contest against the Oakland Athletics on Sept. 5, Sanchez allowed two passed balls and whiffed on a pair of wild pitches. The Yanks lost to their chief rival in the AL wild-card scramble, 8-2. New York starter Luis Severino called the first inning of that game "a mess," per Billy Witz of the New York Times.That's a fitting description of Sanchez both behind the dish and in the batter's box.We knew he was raw defensively and had work to do. His saving grace was his howitzer arm, with which he gunned down 41 percent of would-be base stealers in 2016 and 38 percent in 2017. This year, that figure sits at a more pedestrian 27 percent.He can't catch or throw especially well. He's hitting below the Mendoza Line. What the heck happened?The aforementioned injuries can't be ignored. A nagging groin issue cost Sanchez a significant portion of this season, which can mess with any young player's timing. Speaking of youth Robinson Cano Jersey , the 25-year-old is in only his second full MLB campaign.Still, with Judge and Giancarlo Stanton anchoring the lineup around him, this was supposed to be Sanchez's moment.Instead, the artist formerly known as "The Kraken" is sinking like a cement fish.Julio Cortez/Associated PressHere's something of note: Sanchez's fly ball percentage sits at 42.0 percent, per FanGraphs, up from a career average of 37.8 percent. Meanwhile, his line drive percentage is 14.6 percent, down from a career mark of 18.2 percent.Perhaps that's a blip. Or maybe it means Sanchez is trying too hard to crush the ball into the stratosphere.Looking at those numbers Felix Hernandez Jersey , I was reminded of a conversation I had with Sanchez in November 2016 after his eye-popping breakout.I asked him to identify the moment he truly felt he belonged in The Show. Here was his answer:"When I first got called up, I went oh-fer my first couple of games. I was feeling anxious because I wanted to get my first hit. And [then-manager Joe] Girardi came up to me and said, 'Gary, take it easy. You're going to be in the lineup every day. Just go out there and do what you would do in the minor leagues.'"That was the moment where I just felt the confidence to go out there and take some pressure off my shoulders and do what I needed to do."Perhaps Sanchez isn't entirely over those rookie jitters. Maybe the weight of expectations and the stints on the disabled list are holding him back.No one denies the kid's immense talent. He has the tools to be one of the best catchers in either league and to join the pantheon of Yankees legends.Can he rebound and capitalize? That's the question."He works a lot," Severino said of Sanchez, per Newsday's Erik Boland. "I've been with him since I was in Double-A [in 2014]and I see the progress. He worked his [butt]off to get better."Hard work is one thing; results are another. Sanchez used to be the future. The Yankees can only hope he regains that form soon. All statistics current entering Monday and courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.