Cubs catcher Carson Kelly quipped Sunday that the easiest way to turn the page on a difficult loss – and a tough series – was to board a flight and prepare to open a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves.
The cold bats, though, didn’t thaw in the Atlanta heat. The Cubs mustered just five hits and dropped the series opener against the Braves 4-1.
The loss saw the Cubs’ (81-63) lead for the top spot in the NL Wild Card fall to 2.5 games. The San Diego Padres host the Cincinnati Reds later Monday night.
Here are three takeaways from the loss to Atlanta (65-79):
Slumping bats
The Cubs’ lineup didn’t exactly have the greatest follow-up over the weekend to an 11-run outburst on Friday afternoon. The Cubs scored four runs over the next two days, dropping the three-game set to the Washington Nationals.
Part of that was the wind, sure – the Nationals scored just eight runs and five of those came against Daniel Palencia in the ninth on Sunday.
But those bugaboos continued Monday in Atlanta, where the Wrigley winds aren’t a factor. The Cubs lineup mustered only one hit through five innings and at one point, Atlanta starter Bryce Elder retired 12 straight hitters.
The Cubs were able to create some scoring opportunities later in the game – they had the bases loaded with two outs in the sixth and had the tying run at the plate an inning later – but could never collect the big hit to put a crooked number on the scoreboard.
That’s been the story of the Cubs’ offense in the second half. They’ve created chances to put up a big inning, but have failed to do so. Sure, being without Kyle Tucker hurts that, but before their West Coast road trip to end August, Tucker wasn’t exactly delivering in those situations, either.
Long relief
The Cubs haven’t really had a long-man in the bullpen this year. Colin Rea was expected to be that at the start of the season, but Justin Steele’s season-ending injury thrust the right-hander into the rotation in April.
They’ve been able to manage for the most part without that arm in their bullpen, but they have some intriguing options over the final 18 games to fill that role. Sure, a long reliever isn’t the sexiest or most pressing need for a team with 99.9% playoff odds, but it isn’t something that can be overlooked.
The Cubs are very likely to carry only three starters in the Wild Card round but would want a multi-inning option or two. Picture this situation in the three-game Wild Card series: one of the games is a blowout, for or against the Cubs. You want a pitcher who could eat innings and cover the final outs of a game to protect the bullpen for the rest of the series.
One of those choices pitched Monday, covering the final six outs for the Cubs: Aaron Civale. Claimed off waivers from the White Sox before the playoff roster deadline on Sept. 1, he pitched three scoreless innings that day against Atlanta. He allowed a solo home run to Matt Olson in the eighth but could be that option come October.
The other, Michael Soroka, is nearing a return after landing on the injured list just two innings into his Cubs debut after being acquired at the trade deadline. Soroka pitched 16 games in relief last year, posting a 2.75 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 36 innings.
That role isn’t the most critical job on a playoff roster, but it’s one that can’t be overlooked, either. Those are the kind of things Counsell and the Cubs will be looking at over the final two-plus weeks of the season.
This guy, again?
The Cubs will be glad for Thursday to come. No, things aren’t that dire in this series, but after Wednesday’s finale they won’t have to face Ozzie Albies anymore, a noted Cubs Killer.
Albies started the scoring for the Braves, hitting a two-out, solo home run in the first inning off Shota Imanaga. The Braves tacked on two more runs as Ha-Seong Kim singled then scored on a Drake Baldwin double. Baldwin scored on Ronald Acuña’s single a batter later.
In 41 games against the Cubs, Albies is slashing .398/.451/.711 (1.162 OPS) with 11 home runs and 26 RBI. This season he is 7-for-15 (.467) with three home runs and four RBI.
The Braves aren’t having the season they were hoping for — 14 games under .500 clearly tells that story — but there’s still plenty of intriguing hitters in their lineup and it’s why teams can’t be taken lightly, regardless of what their record says.