Monday and Tuesday this week, the Cubs lost a pair of games as this recent slump extends. The two games were very different but the results were the same. Monday was a maddening game. I actually thought the Cubs looked a little bit better of the two teams in that one, but every one of the close plays seemed to go the wrong way. An inch here or a foot there completely would have changed the outcome of that one. The obvious one there was Dansby Swanson missing first base. That one completely changes the game. Such a shame for him, because he busted his butt getting down the line and would have been responsible for driving in three runs, possibly in a 3-2 victory.
Tuesday was different, though. The Cubs looked fairly outclassed in that one. That’s distressing to see. They just couldn’t get anything going offensively. And so it was that the usual Shota Imanaga start didn’t come to be. So often, he’s started after a loss, been dominant and the Cubs got back going in the right direction. When healthy, that’s been the general script for his first two seasons as a Cub. He did his part, but the offense didn’t do its part.
The offense not doing its part has become a bit of a running theme of late. It’s ironic, because all I keep hearing is how badly the Cubs botched the trade deadline. I didn’t hesitate to post my own discontentment when it happened. But also, there is some irony there. The big frustration was the lack of adding a high end starter. I too think that will some day bite them in the butt. But also, it’s a weird thing to grumble about over the last five days. The first six innings of these games have been some combination of adequate to good. Counting Michael Soroka and Ben Brown as a hybrid starter, all five starts kept the team competitive in the game. Starting pitching has been the strongest phase of the team over that time.
They did add a pair of relievers. Andrew Kittredge had looked good his first two times out, but then he was the victim last night. The bullpen has faltered over the last week. That’s a shame, because they did add there. This bullpen now looks pretty strong. Maybe not top tier, but a bullpen that I expect to be pretty dependable. In a small sample set, we’re seeing a stronger bullpen than they had earlier struggle a bit. Earlier in the year, a weaker pen went on an out of this world run and stormed to the top of reliever statistics across baseball. It’s funny sometimes how sequencing, luck and general performance can vary across a very long season. Unfortunately, the bullpen is stumbling at a time when the games have all been low scoring and there was little margin for error.
The Cubs added just one bat at the deadline. But that seemed like the right call. The offense had been one of the best in baseball. They added a really great bat. Willi Castro has a track record of success and can (and has already) play all over the diamond and give some players a day off. The Cubs in a sense now have 10 starters, scattering Castro around to give people a day off. You could have argued for adding a second, bench only bat, since the bench has been so weak on this team. But Justin Turner has come on a bit at the plate and so the question is if you could have added another piece externally that would have tipped the scales.
You can argue that they should have broke the bank for a rental, Eugenio Suarez, who is having a monster season, but again I circle to what is actually happening. Matt Shaw has actually been the most productive Cub hitter since the break. How could you shuttle Seiya Suzuki out of the lineup and have Suarez DH after the monster numbers Seiya put up before the break?
I’ll close with this thought. The biggest blind spot of baseball fans tends to be believing that what is going on right now will remain constant. This Cub team has looked pretty rough at times over the last few weeks. Meanwhile, it feels like the Brewers never lose games. Indeed, they’ve won 44 of 60. That’s a level of dominance we don’t see a ton of in baseball. That’s flipped the script on the whole season. This team can’t control that, save for five games later this month. But it can control getting back to doing the things it does well. The Cubs are still one of the best teams in baseball. They have to get back to what they do and I suspect they will soon.
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Superhero: Dansby Swanson (.106). 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, RHero: Ben Brown (.082). 4 IP, 15 BF, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 ER, 5 KSidekick: Taylor Rogers (.049). IP, 3 BF, 2 KBilly Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.264). 0-4Goat: Carson Kelly (-.166). 0-4Kid: Caleb Thielbar (-.147). 1/3 IP, 2 BF, H, K
WPA Play of the Game: Elly De La Cruz doubled with one out and a runner on first in the sixth inning, tying the game at two. (.243)
*Cubs Play of the Game: Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer in the third inning gave the Cubs a one-run lead. (.200)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Superhero: Shota Imanaga (.227). 61/3 IP, 21 BF, 3 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 7 KHero: Matt Shaw (.125). 1-3, HR, RBI, RSidekick: Ian Happ (.037). 1-3, BBBilly Goat: Andrew Kittredge (-.480). 1/3 IP, 6 BF, 4 H, BB, 4 ER (L 2-3)Goat: Kyle Tucker (-.124). 0-4Kid: Willi Castro (-.121). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Spencer Steer’s three-run homer in the seventh to give the Reds the lead. (.332)
*Cubs Play of the Game: Matt Shaw’s game-tying homer in the fifth. (.164)
Up Next: The Cubs still have not been swept in a full (three-game or longer) series this year. They’ll look to avoid that fate one more time. Cade Horton (5-3, 3.42) will square off with Andrew Abbott (8-1, 2.15) this afternoon. Al will have the full preview for that one this morning.