Chicago Cubs: Finding positives from the losses

It’s hard to try and comb through the losses that the Chicago Cubs have suffered and try to find something to grab a hold of and say “hey, this wasn’t so bad.” Losing three straight series, with two of them against a Brewers team that has one of the worst records in baseball is tough to handle.

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Historically the Milwaukee Brewers have always played the Cubs well no matter how good or bad either team is. Some teams just have a way of winning against another team within the division; every sport has those situations. During the Red Sox vs. Yankees run where the two teams dominated the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays always played both teams tough and would win their fair share of those games and this was before the Rays were a top team – they were just a young and hungry team trying to make their way; a lot like this Cubs team is.

The difference between the Rays of then and the Cubs of today is that the Cubs are doing well enough to contend right now. Despite the recent losses that have piled up on the Cubs, they have had a very good start to the season. The bats started out hot, the bullpen was excellent, and the starting pitching was doing well while Jon Lester was getting himself accustomed to his new life in the National League.

Now the bats aren’t as hot as they were in April, the bullpen has done a complete 180 degree turn, and the starting pitching has slipped some, but Lester is pitching much better and is showing signs of the pitcher the Cubs expected when they signed him.

Addison Russell has been hitting the ball very well as of late. Even with the 12 game hitting streak that he had ending, he still has shown that he’s adjusted quickly to major league pitching. Even with the outs that he’s made, he’s hitting the ball hard. His strikeouts are still higher than you’d want to see, but that is also a team issue that needs to be addressed.

Kris Bryant finally hit that first home run that was keeping a lot of people waiting. That pressure of getting the first homer is gone and can be forgotten; now he can settle in and play.

Miguel Montero also has been hitting the ball better as of late. Over the past week, Montero has posted a stat line of .357/.550/.714, with a home run, two doubles, and four runs batted in. While I know that Joe Maddon likes the three catcher rotation, maybe playing Montero more often would be better for the Cubs.

James Russell is back now with the Cubs, and that will hopefully help the struggling pen out. I have said and written that I thought Phil Coke was a good addition at the beginning of the season, he has turned lately from being a dependable arm to one that is unreliable. Maybe it would be time to considering making a move with him and calling up a fresh face.

The first month of the season got the hopes up of everyone who wanted to see the Cubs start contending a year earlier than the front office had expected, even those that were not necessarily Cubs fans had to be impressed with how well they were playing.

Maybe this Cubs team that we’ve seen in the past week is showing who they are right now – key words being right now.

A young team will take their share of lumps and that is a good thing. Facing adversity and battling through this is expected and should be welcomed. It is better now that they face it so they can be better prepared for later on in the season. If they can weather through this storm right now and come out stronger, maybe everyone will look back at this as the moment this Cubs team was made.

Next: Cubs pen in desperate need of 'relief'

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