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Through the first two months of the MLB season, it seemed as if Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta was cruising toward a nine-figure contract and recognition as one of baseball’s best at his position.

Arrieta followed up his 2015 Cy Young campaign by posting a 1.74 ERA through his first 15 starts, the highlight of which was a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on April 21. Then on June 27 against the same Cincinnati team he no-hit a little more than two months earlier, it all came to a screeching halt, and Arrieta’s surging stardom took a U-turn.

That day, Arrieta needed 93 pitches to make it through five innings, walked five and gave up five earned runs. His ERA since then has been 4.44. Since August 29, he has played even worse, posting an ERA of 5.30.

Reading those numbers might make you think your eyes are failing you, given the high hopes the Cubs had for their once infallible ace.

Truth is, Arrieta has looked little like a Cy Young Award winner through most of this season, and hardly the Cubs’ ace. Really, he’s been irrelevant to any success Chicago has had.

It was all underscored Wednesday, when Arrieta pitched his worst game of the year against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The right-hander lasted only five innings and gave up seven runs on 10 hits.

His ERA remains respectable at 3.10 but is the product of his hot start. It’s not representative of the pitcher he has been since late June—definitively Chicago’s No. 3 starter.

More specifically: He can no longer be relied upon to win games in October.

Luckily for the World Series-starved Cubs, though, they have enough in their arsenal to make Arrieta’s struggles a footnote in a still promising season.

While debate about how Chicago might set its rotation for the playoffs has permeated the clubhouse since the team clinched the NL Central, Arrieta’s most recent performance has almost assured that lefty Jon Lester and right-hander Kyle Hendricks will be the team’s top two starting pitchers in the playoffs.

Hendricks (1.99) and Lester (2.28) are one-two in MLB ERA, giving the Cubs all the pitching the team needs to win a World Series.

Sure, it would be nice if Arrieta could channel his mojo from earlier this season. But two upper-echelon pitchers is all a team needs to have success in October.

Having clinched the division so early, Chicago will be able to choose whom it wants to pitch in each game of the NLDS. In such a scenario, a team’s top two pitchers will pitch three games in the five-game series, exactly the number needed to win.

So as long as Hendricks and Lester pitch as they have throughout the 2016 season, it won’t matter how well—or poorly—Arrieta performs. If the two aforementioned win their scheduled games, the Cubs will advance.

Similarly, the Cubs’ top duo will pitch, at least, four games in a potential seven-game NLCS or World Series. Again, the exact number of games needed to win each of those series.

This isn’t to say the Cubs are somehow the same team when Arrieta struggles. That’s like saying a sundae tastes the same without whipped cream.

Of course the Arrieta of old would make the rotation better.

And if he continues to struggle in the playoffs, it certainly puts more pressure on Lester and Hendricks. The latter’s playoff experience is the same as Arrieta’s. The two got their first taste of October baseball last season.

But Lester has two World Series rings and 14 postseason starts to his name. His experience in the playoffs is the chief reason the Cubs signed him to a six-year, $155 million deal prior to the 2015 season.

They weren’t counting on Arrieta being Cy Young-worthy in 2015. That he was only strengthened Chicago’s rotation.

While Arrieta certainly earned the right to be designated the team’s ace heading into the 2015 playoffs, the original plan was for Lester to be Chicago’s Game 1 starter in the NLDS.

What transpired between his signing and now is irrelevant. Lester has proved all year that he is capable of leading the Cubs staff. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs since July 24, riding a streak of 11 straight quality starts.

If that isn’t enough, his 2.85 career playoff ERA should erase any doubt as to whether Lester can handle duties as Chicago’s playoff ace.

So while Arrieta’s ride toward stardom may have made a sudden stop, his poor play will not hit the brakes on the Cubs’ 2016 season.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Though sports are fueled by speculation, opinion and debatable assertion, baseball—to borrow a tidbit from our country’s Declaration of Independence (h/t to Thomas Jefferson)—holds certain truths to be self-evident.

Among them is that playoff baseball is a different brand of the game, one that’s dominated by pitchers. The parity in the sport increases because teams only need to win a handful of games—three in the division series and four in both the league championship and World Series—in stark contrast to the test of a 162-game regular season. A starting pitcher has so much influence over a single game that his team can be offensively inept yet still ride the coattails of his dominance during the much shorter playoff schedule.

If you’ve made it through this rhetoric, then you understand why the Chicago Cubs aren’t overwhelming favorites to win the World Series, and why it’s fair to suggest that the San Francisco Giants, more than the New York Mets or St. Louis Cardinals, are the biggest threat to derail the Cubs among NL wild-card hopefuls.

Having clinched the NL’s best record, Chicago will face one of the three aforementioned teams in the NLDS.

But Cubby Nation should hope, pray and plea that it’s not the Giants, because San Francisco’s pitching stands as the most threatening.

The Cardinals’ 4.13 ERA ranks eighth in the NL, behind every other team that would be in the playoffs. In fact, if St. Louis doesn’t play October baseball, the top five teams in NL ERA would end up as the league’s playoff teams.

When the 2016 season began, many thought the Mets had the game’s best starting staff, boasting a group of power arms that would satisfy New York’s most demanding fans.

Then ace Matt Harvey was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. He was ruled done for the year. Righty Jacob deGrom underwent elbow surgery this month. He’s done for the year. Most recently, lefty Steven Matz, who hasn’t pitched since Aug. 14 due to elbow inflammation, was—drumroll…OK, you guessed it—ruled done for the year.

That all leaves right-hander Noah Syndergaard, who might own the organization’s most promising arm but has dealt with bone spurs this season. One pitcher is hardly enough for the offensively inept Mets, anyway. Even with its 12-run extravaganza Tuesday night, New York ranks 26th with 654 runs scored this season.

We may talk about the Mets as an October threat in future seasons. But injuries have swallowed their chances in 2016.

Which brings us to the Giants, the team that boasts starting pitching capable of dominating any series. While one dominant pitcher won’t satisfy a team’s October needs, two is just enough. And if those two are at the top of their games, three may not matter.

That’s important because southpaw Madison Bumgarner (2.71) and righty Johnny Cueto (2.79) own the fourth- and fifth-best ERAs in baseball, respectively, this season.

Cueto is nursing a groin injury and missed his start Sunday. But his expected return for the playoffs would undoubtedly make the Giants among the biggest threats to Chicago.

The Cubs, it should be noted, do have MLB’s best ERA (3.10), and starters Kyle Hendricks (1.99) and Jon Lester (2.28) own baseball’s two best individual marks in the category. Chicago’s reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, Jake Arrieta, ranks seventh with a 2.85 ERA.

This isn’t a dispute as to whether the Cubs are better than the Giants, though, only one that suggests that San Francisco’s pitching presents a tougher matchup for Chicago than that of St. Louis or New York.

That said, both Bumgarner and Cueto have fared well against Chicago.

In two games against the Cubs, Bumgarner only allowed two runs and issued two walks. Cueto only pitched one game against Chicago, but allowed just one run in seven innings of work. His career numbers at Wrigley Field—3.07 ERA and 1.26 WHIP—give reason to be optimistic about his potential to help San Francisco steal a game on the road.

Bumgarner and Cueto have four World Series rings between them. The former won three with the Giants, and the latter earned his last year with the Kansas City Royals.

Lester is the only player among the Cubs’ top three pitchers who owns a World Series ring. Hendricks and Arrieta got their first taste of playoff baseball just last season.

Of course, the Giants need to win the one-game NL Wild Card matchup in order to get their shot against the Cubs. If he’s available, Bumgarner, the team’s ace, is likely to get the call.

But even in that scenario, Cueto would be available to pitch Game 1 of the NLDS, thus allowing the duo to pitch a combined three possible games in that series—the exact number a team needs to win.

So, in essence, if Bumgarner and Cueto dominate as they can, it won’t matter what happens in the other two games.

Of course, that puts all the pressure on the duo. But one could argue based on numbers and experience that there isn’t a pair of pitchers in baseball a team would rather have at the top of its rotation.

Given what it takes to win in the playoffs, the Cubs certainly aren’t the only team with the players—check that, the arms—to make an October run.

All stats current through Tuesday’s games.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Pitching is almost universally central to success in a playoff race. So news of San Francisco Giants starter Johnny Cueto’s groin strain gave reason to question whether his team would have enough firepower to win one of the NL’s two wild-card spots.

While Cueto may still be able to pitch in his next scheduled start, other playoff teams suffered injury setbacks.

Which of baseball’s training rooms were busiest this week?

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There’s a saying in baseball: “A team never wants to lead the league in meetings.”

The implication being that when a club holds a meeting, it’s almost universally to discuss what is going wrong and how to repair it. But teams rarely find themselves where the Chicago Cubs stand, having already clinched the NL Central and preparing for the playoffs.

Manager Joe Maddon had three scheduled meetings on the books in the past few days, two of which were to answer a question most playoff-bound franchises would love to ponder: Which of his three starters—Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester or Kyle Hendricks—should be the team’s ace, trusted to start Game 1 of the postseason?

Deciding between that trio is like being forced to choose between five-star resorts. Because when you put together a list of baseball’s best starting pitchers in 2016, all three are on it.

“It’s what you make of it, and to me, it’s a lot better than having to push your guys extra hard and put more innings on guys’ arms and not getting enough rest and, maybe, waking up and being worn down,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said.

Who is the most deserving of the three? The answer is all of them because it depends on which filter you examine the question through.

Hendricks leads MLB with a 2.06 ERA, but Lester comes in at No. 2 (2.36) and Arrieta No. 9 (2.96). Arrieta is the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner and had a .185 batting average against, which is the lowest of the trio. Lester and Hendricks come in at .211 and .201 respectively.

According to FanGraphs, Lester and Hendricks are tied with 4.1 WAR and Arrieta trails with 3.5.

If all that makes the issue more confusing, good. It should. These are the statistical measures the Cubs—and fans who are formulating their opinions on the matter—must consider.

Given how close all three stand statistically, experience likely will—and should be—the deciding factor. Lester is by far the most seasoned in the group with 14 career postseason starts. Hendricks and Arrieta both got their first tastes of the playoffs last year, though the latter threw a complete-game shutout in the NL Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But even if Lester, the only pitcher among the three who has won a World Series, seems like the obvious choice, Maddon offered this among the criteria the organization will consider: “A lot of it has to do with whom the opposition is, also who is pitching best for you at the moment. You can’t deny that.”

If you don’t deny it, the decision becomes even harder.

In the month of September, only Arrieta has struggled, posting a 4.15 ERA over three starts. Lester (0.58 in four starts) and Hendricks (1.80 in three starts) have been outstanding. 

After Wednesday’s action, the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets all stood tied in the wild-card standings. Two will play in a one-game playoff, with the winner facing the Cubs, the presumptive favorite to win home-field advantage in the NL playoffs.

Consider their numbers against each opponent:

Note: The Mets are 29th in runs scored (595), 28th in batting average (.242) and 26th in on-base percentage (.311).

Based on that data, which is limited in some cases, it’s reasonable to consider Arrieta the team’s best candidate to start against San Francisco. The Cubs should go with Lester if they face the Cardinals and Hendricks if they draw the Mets.

But one benefit Chicago does not have is waiting to see which team it will face.

“You’ve got to have some idea by the end of the season because you want to work guys in toward the end of the year so they’re not so long before their next start,” Maddon said.

So not only is their decision based on evaluating the three pitchers but also trying to prognosticate which of the three teams the Cubs may face in the NLDS—a futile task.

And as numerous factors, permutations, formulas and statistics are considered, there may only be one obvious answer to the question at hand.

No choice appears to be a bad one.

All statistics current through the conclusion of Wednesday’s games.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

MLB officially has its first 2016 division winner: The Chicago Cubs clinched the National League Central title on Thursday.

But the Cubs still have something to play for. The team has yet to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Of course, there are other teams and players with more to play for. Check out the biggest takeaways from this week in MLB in the following slides. 

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Among the reasons Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who notably doesn’t play in the field, can be considered an MVP candidate is because the award doesn’t reward defensive prowess.

The award annually acknowledges players in each league who have had outstanding offensive seasons. Such a player can be mediocre defensively and still win the award—or, in the case of Ortiz, not play defense at all. Even with new statistical measures for defense, no player can be a defensive stalwart and an average hitter and receive consideration for MVP.

The following candidates have had outstanding offensive seasons. Who has the best shot at MVP in 2016?

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Depending on when you first heard of Alex Reyes, it might come as a surprise that the 22-year-old pitcher is in a playoff race with the St. Louis Cardinals. 

A Google search reveals little—if anything—was written about him as an above-average but not particularly promising high school pitcher. If he threw in the mid-80s, that was a great day, but it wasn’t nearly good enough to gain the attention of the best college baseball programs, let alone professional scouts. Many of the country’s top prep players throw in the 90s as freshmen.

So those in Reyes’ hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, might appreciate his unusual ascension over the past four years. But most baseball fans were first introduced to him this season, when both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus had him ranked as a top-10 prospect.

By then, he had developed a fastball that regularly hit 100 mph. As a result, many likely assumed he had always been a power pitcher. With the Cardinals, he regularly hits triple digits on the radar gun. He’s so electric that you turn your head from the game to watch him warm up in the bullpen.

“I never thought I would [throw 100],” Reyes said. “I was just out there trying to pitch my best baseball. That’s something that happened. I wasn’t necessarily looking for it. But I’m thankful for God giving me the opportunity.”

Reyes may credit divine intervention, but he had to navigate financial constraints and personal pitfalls on his way through one of baseball’s best organizations.

Nearly everyone living in a major metropolitan area is a short drive away from a pitcher who can throw in the mid-80s. That’s to say, it isn’t all that special. At that time, Reyes estimates he stood at 5’11”, a modest height for a pitcher.

His measurables didn’t command the attention of professional scouts, and finances prevented him from going to showcases such as the Area Code Baseball Games.

So he went to the Dominican Republic in December 2011. His grandmother lives there, and she provided him with a familial environment where he could focus on baseball.

“The way it worked out, that’s what my family thought would be best for me,” Reyes said.

Every summer, Reyes had visited the country, which is known for producing loads of major league talent. Since it is easier to get the attention of scouts on the small Caribbean island and he was comfortable living there, it seemed like a no-brainer.

It was in the Dominican Republic that Reyes would get his biggest break in his quest—a growth spurt.

Reyes sprouted to 6’3″, 175 pounds, which is how the Cardinals list him on their team website. But when you stand next to him, he looks more physically imposing than those measurements might indicate.

Imagine a more athletic version of New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia.

When he got bigger and stronger, Reyes’ fastball gained velocity. It was in the Dominican Republic that his fastball first touched 90 mph. Within a few months of playing there, he became a pitcher who consistently threw in the low 90s.

Reyes said it was then he thought his major league dream was within reach.

“I just wanted the opportunity to become a professional baseball player,” he said. “It’s been a dream for me since I was little kid watching big league guys on TV. Coming this far and making it here to this clubhouse, it’s been fun and [I’m] just trying to build off these experiences.”

In December 2012, the Cardinals signed Reyes as an amateur free agent. MLB rules state that a player must live in a foreign country for a year before he can become an international free agent.

For Single-A Peoria manager Joe Kruzel, the memory of Reyes’ first triple-digit pitch is so vivid that he needs no time to recall the moment.

“Yep, it was in Clinton,” he said immediately after being asked about that 2014 game. The Clinton LumberKings are a Seattle Mariners Midwest League affiliate based in Iowa.

In the immediate aftermath of the pitch, neither Kruzel nor Reyes had immediate confirmation that it had reached triple digits. The radar gun at the LumberKings‘ Ashford University Field didn’t get a reading.

“You’re standing in the dugout and say to each other, ‘Man, that ball had some hair on it. I mean that ball really came out of his hand,'” Kruzel said.

The Peoria manager glanced over at the guy who was charting Reyes’ pitches. He had an unusual expression that gave Kruzel an inkling. He already knew that Reyes had “tinkered at 99” a few times.

The team got confirmation after the game, which launched the clubhouse into a state of euphoria.

“It was fun knowing that, but [it] kind of opened my eyes and made me realize that you can have goals and reach them and things just kind of come your way,” Reyes said.

What Kruzel also remembers about that season is how Reyes matured. He became more of a leader, which seems like a classic cliche used to fill up interview time until Kruzel explains it in greater detail.

“He was the guy that helped the Latin guys out,” Kruzel said. “He was the guy they looked up to. He was the guy who cooked for them, got them comfortable and stuff. It was a great growing experience for him and his teammates because he really took those kids under his wing.

“It helped him understand the importance of everything around him and not just how hard you throw.”

That was the last season Kruzel would manage Reyes, who tore through the Cardinals’ farm system. In Single-A Palm Beach, he posted a 2.26 ERA in 13 starts with a 1.257 WHIP. That same year, he was promoted to Double-A Springfield, where his ERA ticked up to 3.12 but his WHIP dropped down to 1.125.

Reyes appeared well on his way to helping St. Louis at the major league level. He planned to play a full season in the Arizona Fall League when a misstep derailed those plans.

After starting only four games in Arizona, Reyes tested positive for marijuana. He admitted to using the banned substance and was suspended 50 games.

That abruptly ended his stint in the Arizona Fall League and caused him to miss the first 40 games of this season.

“Off the field is just as important on the field,” Reyes said. “It’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned and respecting the game and respecting yourself. You have responsibilities you had to deal with, and you have to be smarter with your decisions.”

Reyes joined Triple-A Memphis midseason and posted unsightly numbers, which were likely due to his layoff.

In 14 starts, his ERA was 4.96. But his stuff was still clearly electric, and given that there was a need at the major league level, the Cardinals promoted him in August.

On August 9, Reyes made his major league debut in the ninth inning of a 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He needed only 11 pitches to retire three straight batters.

Reyes didn’t throw a single ball.

“Actually, it was a little more than what I thought it would be,” Reyes said of his first major league experience. “It’s been fun. Just soaking in all the experiences.”

So far this season, Reyes has a 1.52 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched, including two starts on August 27 against the Oakland Athletics and September 2 against the Reds.

During both starts, Reyes did not have his best stuff, going only 10.2 combined innings. But he allowed just three earned runs across those two outings, suggesting he has the elite-level skill of being able to keep his team in a game when his pitching repertoire isn’t at its peak.

“Every time you see a guy like that and he’s got the ability to throw and he’s got the changeup, it’s fun to call the game,” Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina said. “[I told him] just to have fun and stay humble and patient. Concentrate. Focus is more important. In his case, he’s mature enough to go out there and do the job.”

Lately, the Cardinals have been using Reyes in longer relief appearances. He pitched 3.2 innings in his latest outing on September 7 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The idea is to keep his arm stretched out so that manager Mike Matheny can again use him as a starter.

“It’s more of just trusting your stuff,” Reyes said of what he needs to do to be successful in the majors. “I feel like if you sign a professional contract, you have a chance to make it to the major leagues. It’s going to take for you to do something that separates you from everyone else.”

For Reyes, it was that he was suddenly given the ability to throw harder than nearly every pitcher alive. Having gone through high school lacking that ability, he knows it’s a gift to cherish.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Perhaps no single player can be more valuable to a team’s success in the postseason than Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

While he had a disappointing outing on Friday in his first start after more than a two-month layoff due to a disc herniation, a healthy Kershaw can only positively affect the direction of the Dodgers’ season.

Which other MLB teams saw their road to the playoffs change course?

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In a vacuum, news that Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has strained the flexor mass in his right elbow might seem like a gut punch to the team’s hopes of winning the World Series.

Strasburg is, after all, a former No. 1 overall pick who has looked every bit an ace through much of the 2016 season.

Though Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports that Washington’s righty may not be done for the year, it’s only reasonable to look at the worst-case scenario, one in which Strasburg is unable to pitch again in 2016.

And you know something? It doesn’t look all that bad.

Throughout the season, the Nationals have boasted one of MLB‘s best starting staffs. Washington’s starters have an ERA of 3.57, third in the majors.

Sure, Strasburg has been part of that. But it’s more a credit to the depth of a staff that includes players such as Max Scherzer (2.88 ERA), Tanner Roark (2.89 ERA) and the currently injured Joe Ross (3.49 ERA).

The Nationals hold an eight-game lead in the NL East, so there’s little concern about whether this team will get to the playoffs. The worry is whether Strasburg’s absence will be felt in October.

But what the players on this staff have proved—particularly Scherzer and Roark—is that they’re capable of filling the void in the rotation. Scherzer leads baseball with a 0.92 WHIP and was considered Washington’s ace even before the Strasburg injury. Roark’s 1.18 WHIP is only marginally worse than Strasburg’s 1.10.

While Strasburg’s record of 15 wins ranks second on the team, that’s partially because he’s getting an NL-best 6.50 runs of support per start. Several players, including Nationals back-end starters Gio Gonzalez (4.40 ERA) and A.J. Cole (4.56 ERA), are capable of holding a team under six runs.

Most starters’ seasons would look good with that kind of run support.

The Nationals have scored the fourth-most runs in the NL, so it’s reasonable to assume whichever starter is on the mound will get support from the team’s offense.

But a team only needs two dominant starters to win a playoff series. They have that in Scherzer and Roark.

In the five-game division series, a team’s top two starters are always scheduled to pitch three of those games. That’s all you need to win. So if Scherzer and Roark both pitch well, Washington shouldn’t have any concerns about winning the NLDS.

In a seven-game championship series, a similar scenario would play out. Scherzer and Roark would be scheduled to pitch at least four games in a seven-game set—the exact number a team needs to advance.

Baseball has seen such a scenario play out. The pitching duo of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson combined to start five games in the 2001 World Series, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks in a seven-game win over the New York Yankees.

They are Hall of Fame-caliber pitchers. But Schilling had a 2.98 ERA that season, worse than either Scherzer or Roark’s total.

It puts more pressure on the Washington duo, for sure. But they’re capable. And even if they falter, Nationals manager Dusty Baker holds an ace in his pocket: the team’s bullpen.

Washington’s relievers have been just as good as their starting counterparts. The unit’s 3.28 ERA ranks second in MLB among bullpens.

The Nationals have three relievers—Matt Belisle (1.88), Sammy Solis (2.35) and Blake Treinen (2.44)—who have made at least 30 appearances for the club and have ERAs under 3.00.

The group is an insurance policy that can easily be cashed in to pitch the last five innings of an important playoff game. Baseball saw the Kansas City Royals win the World Series last year with the game’s best bullpen.

Any time a pitcher like Strasburg gets injured, it makes the team worse. But assessing the damage of his loss isn’t found in comparing the Nats to where they were when he was playing at his peak.

Come October, the Nationals won’t be looking in the mirror. They’ll be staring down other NL teams.

The doomsday scenario can be answered by asking this simple question: Do the Nationals still have the pieces to win?

Before Strasburg was hurt, it seemed Washington had more than enough to win a World Series. Without Strasburg, the team might have just enough.

But it’s all the same if the season ends with a trophy.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @SethGruen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Right now, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman looks to be a genius.

He had arguably the best July of any baseball executive. Cashman traded several of the team’s talented veterans for a haul of prospects that now give New York one of baseball’s best minor league systems.

He was able to get Alex Rodriguez to retire and Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann to accept lesser roles all to make way for a group of talented young players who have the Yankees back into playoff contention.

Did you know, though, that more young players will continue to have an impact as we head into September?

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