Chicago Cubs: 4-game losing streak by the numbers

The Chicago Cubs finally snapped their four-game losing streak against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. Now let’s take a closer look and see what can be amended for the duration of the season.

Many of the Cubs loyalists, including some of our analysts, were beginning to worry that the 2017 team is reversing course, modeling the terrible teams of the past. However, as Chicago mounted their late-inning comeback on Tuesday, those same people regained their faith. As the old saying goes: That’s Cub.

More from Chicago Cubs News

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups
• Cubs: P.J. Higgins deserves to be in the lineup on a daily basis

Even the sparkly new championship rings couldn’t change the Cubs fans’ fickle relationship with their hometown heroes. From offensive lulls and bullpen shakiness to defensive miscues, the Cubs did a little of everything during their losing streak.

Here’s a look at it by the numbers:

Silent Offense

During the losing streak, Chicago slashed .230/.349/.648 with 33 runners left on base and a .214 batting average with runners in scoring position (RISP). Kris Bryant added the teams only home runs, his first two of the season, both coming against the Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Tony Watson.

Reigning World Series MVP Ben Zobrist had a hard time at the plate during the losing streak. He slashed .189/.359/.703 with four strikeouts, three walks, and just two RBI’s in 18 at-bats. It’s hard for a productive offense to live with this little production in the 4-hole of their lineup.

In three of the four games, the Cubs scored three runs or less.  For comparison, last season, this offense averaged 4.95 runs per game, the highest average in the MLB.

Shaky Bullpen

Chicago had a problem holding late leads against the Pirates. In Game 2 of their series in Pittsburgh, Chicago took a 6-3 lead into the seventh inning, and it all fell apart after that. The Pirates put up a five-spot in the inning, capped off by a two-run blast hit by Andrew McCutchen off of Pedro Strop.

The following day, the Cubs took a 1-0 lead into the eighth, and the Pirates put up six runs in their next two frames against Justin Grimm and Koji Uehara. Adam Frazier laced a double off Uehara to begin the scoring in the eighth and a three-run home run in the ninth.

Overall, the bullpen recorded an 8.31 ERA in just 13 innings of work. Grimm had the roughest outings of the staff. In his two days of work, he recorded a 7.58 ERA in two innings. Pittsburgh tagged him for three hits and four earned runs without recording a home run.

Defensive Miscues

All-in-all, the Cubs defense seemed out of practice. Chicago only played one clean game during their 4-game losing streak, Game 2 against the Pirates where they lost 8-to-7. Both of the Cubs’ Gold Glove winners, Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward, committed errors in the field, and Addison Russell added a throwing error of his own. Willson Contreras contributed a fielding error in the first game against Milwaukee.

Next: The Chicago Cubs should be sellers this season

The Cubs are currently third in the NL Central standings, a position they haven’t occupied since 2014. They are currently 2.0 games back of the division-leading Cincinnati Reds (no, this isn’t fake news). They travel to Cincinnati for a weekend match-up that could see Chicago regain the division lead, following their series in Milwaukee.