Chicago Cubs Given Excellent Grade By ESPN Insider After Torrid First Month

The Chicago Cubs enter play on Friday night at 19-13 and in first place in the National League Central. They've played excellent baseball through the first month and change, even overcoming the 0-2 start they took after losing twice to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Tokyo Series.

They've played so well, that ESPN Insider David Schoenfield gave the group an A- for their performances through the month of April.

This team is better and a whole bunch of fun. The Cubs are scoring runs in bunches, Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of those players you can't keep your eyes off and Kyle Tucker is playing at an MVP level. They had a strong April despite a tough schedule -- they're already done with the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks, for example. The season-ending injury to Justin Steele was a huge loss and the bullpen is a concern, but this looks like a team that could win its first full-season division title since 2017.

The Cubs' decision to trade for Tucker looks like the best move of the entire offseason and the "PCA" looks like a potential All-Star in the midst of a breakout. Furthermore, Matthew Boyd, who was somewhat panned as a signing this offseason, is pitching well with a 2.70 ERA.

Chicago will take on the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night with first pitch coming at 8:10 p.m. ET. Young right-hander Ben Brown will pitch for Chicago while Quinn Priester goes for Milwaukee.

Brown is 2-2 with a 6.04 ERA and Priester is 1-0 with a 3.79.