Cubs offense is a mess |
From April 14th to May 21st, due to injuries, the Cubs were without one or more of Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger, and Nico Hoerner in their lineup every day.
The Cubs were able to tread water initially, winning or splitting five of the first six series after the first injuries. Eventually, though, the Cubs’ offense ran out of steam. The Cubs have lost five of their last six series since early May, and the entire lineup seems to be in a month-long slump. The organization-wide and fanbase belief was that once the Cubs got their best players back in the lineup, the offense would find the groove that it had early in the season—but that has not been the case. In May, the Cubs have been held to three runs or less 14 times out of 24 games, including four shutouts and a pair of 1-0 wins. The Cubs have encountered some difficult starting pitchers (Sonny Gray, Paul Skenes twice, Jared Jones twice, Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Max Fried), but they have also been shut down by pitchers like Bailey Falter, Mitch Keller, Robert Gasser, and AJ Smith-Shawver. The Cubs have scored three times before the sixth inning in the 15 days. The entire offense is struggling, as the Cubs own the second worst team OPS in May (.632), the league’s worst batting average (.211), the third worst runs per game, and have the fifth most strikeouts as a team during that time frame. Plus, the Cubs have been completely zapped of any power in their lineup, even with players like Bellinger and Suzuki back in action. In the last 15 days, the Cubs have been tied for last in the big leagues in home runs, with just six in the previous 12 games. They’re also dead last in runs over the last 15 games with just 33. In the previous seven games, the Cubs have hit just two homers — both off the bat of Ian Happ in Sunday’s loss vs. the Cardinals — before that, it had been over a week since the Cubs had homered, and that one was a meaningless drive from Miguel Amaya in a 9-3 loss. Before that, the last time the Cubs homered in a win was on May 15th vs Atlanta, when Mike Tauchman and Sieya Suzuki went yard. Up and down the Cubs lineup, you see struggles. Seiya Suzuki was off to an All-Star type of start before his injury, but since returning from the IL in mid-May, Suzuki is hitting just .193 with two extra-base hits and 11 strikeouts. Michael Busch tied the Cubs record for most consecutive games with a home run in April, but he has not looked like a competitive hitter in May. He is hitting just .176 during that span, with one home run (a walk-off dinger vs San Diego) and 31 strikeouts. Dansby Swanson’s numbers are, unfortunately, similar. In 15 games this month, Swanson is hitting just .163 with eight hits and 16 strikeouts. Christopher Morel was the lone spark on the Cubs’ offense when Bellinger and Suzuki were on the shelf but has been in a slump for most of May. Morel’s average is .184 — and his production is slightly skewed because six of those 16 hits have been long balls, so his slugging percentage at .402 is well below league average but still one of the top marks on the team during that span. Catchers Miguel Amaya and Yan Gomes have been nearly automatic outs at the plate. The pair combined for just ten hits this month, and both posted averages below .150 for May. Patrick Wisdom has been okay this month, with a team-high .452 slugging percentage — but to be fair, it is in a limited sample size. Cody Bellinger has had an okay month overall, but below average for somebody with Cody Bellinger’s standards. He is hitting .284 in May and has a pair of home runs — but he is not at the level you need him to be. Mike Tauchman has been the team’s most consistent hitter in May. He leads the team in hits and runs over the span. To give credit where credit is due, Nico Hoerner has been one of the only Cubs not slumping over the last week. The Cubs have also struggled as a team with runners in scoring position, as they have just been unable to come across the big hit in all of these tight losses. During the season, the Cubs are hitting just .233 with runners in scoring position, but that number has steadily declined throughout May. The Cubs are hitting just .182 with RISP since April 29th. You have to expect some positive regression for the Cubs — but we’ve been saying that for a while, and the results have not improved. One thing is sure: this has gone on long enough, and the Cubs can’t afford this skid to last much longer. You can’t keep losing games where your starter pitches seven scoreless innings, like the one the Cubs lost on Monday when Justin Steele pitched. Let’s let the late, great Harry Caray take it from here. “LETS GET SOME RUNS”
