Three up, three down: An update on the Cubs, July 21 edition

With last week’s All-Star break, this update on the Cubs covers just three games, the series against the Red Sox over the weekend.

Still, there’s good and bad to discuss.

Three up

Colin Rea continues to impress

While the Cubs certainly need at least one starting pitcher to be acquired before the trade deadline, even if Rea is then moved to the bullpen he can still help this team.

Rea put together another solid outing Friday against the Red Sox and over his last four: 1.90 ERA, 0.930 WHIP. At age 34, Rea is still throwing good fastballs and has a good selection of pitches, as you can see in this graphic:

It’s a tiny sample size, but perhaps Matt Shaw has turned the corner