Commentary: The Cubs should feel good |
It is April 29th, and the Cubs are 17-11.
The Cubs saw the first few weeks of the season met with Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel firing on all cylinders while players like Nico Hoerner and Cody Bellinger limped out of the starting gate. Over the last ten days, baseball hasn’t had a hotter hitter than Nico Hoerner. Michael Busch had a span of five straight games with a home run and went through a stretch of four for his last 23 at-bats with no extra-base hits. Justin Steele was the Cubs’ opening-day starter and was pitching brilliantly before a hamstring injury challenged the Cub's starting pitching depth — he hasn’t pitched since game one. Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger were expected to be the Cubs' biggest offensive threats in 2024 and looked like it early. The pair have combined for eight home runs and 30 runs driven in in the early going. The issue is that both players are on the injured list and will likely be sidelined until late May or early June if everything goes well. Suzuki has been on the injured list for over two weeks and Bellinger was just added on Wednesday. The Cubs have already had to dip into the minor leagues to fill numerous roster spots on various occasions. Eight different pitchers have started games, and four different relievers have recorded a save. The bullpen has been rough — blowing a 3-2 lead on opening day, an 8-0 lead to the Padres, an 11-8 lead against the Diamondbacks, and a 2-1 lead over the Marlins… plus narrowly hanging on to an 8-2 lead to win 9-8 over the Colorado Rockies and dropping a 5-4 contest that the Cubs fought to tie at four apiece in Boston. One of the Cubs’ most trusted relievers, Julian Merryweather, is on the injured list with a fractured rib. Jameson Taillon and Patrick Wisdom opened the season on the injured list and are just making their returns to the big league club. Ian Happ, Nick Madrigal, and Morel have all had to miss games because they were also banged up. Kyle Hendricks’ struggles have been well documented, as the veteran has a 12.00 ERA in five starts in 2024. He leads the MLB in home runs, hits, and runs allowed thus far. He has been placed on the IL with a back injury, and Drew Smyly, one of the Cubs’ only lefties in the bullpen with major league experience. Jordan Wicks was impressive in the Cubs’ rotation in 2024 and was placed on the IL with forearm tightness. Another blow to the Cubs’ rotation that has already been depleted. The Cubs have had to turn to and lean on hitters and pitchers like Mike Tauchman, Ben Brown, Hayden Wesneski, Keegan Thompson, Matt Mervis, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Javier Assad, and Alexander Canario — many of whom either did not break camp with the team or were not expected to be everyday starters. You would likely see all these bad breaks and blown games and assume the Cubs are below .500 and toward the bottom of the NL Central. That is not the case. Perhaps it’s the so-called Craig Counsell effect, but this team has been wildly impressive thus far. Despite all the injuries and blown games, the Cubs have captured series wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Houston Astros, plus sweeps over the Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros. This team is not at full strength and is far from healthy, yet they are battling day in and day out and have an excellent 17-11 record…and it could be even better. For that, the Cubs should feel good.
