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Chicago Cubs: Opening month of season shows team’s inconsistency
The not so good
With every good, there are some things that are not quite as good.
Most obvious is the rate at which the Chicago Cubs strike out – 26 percent of the time, higher than last season. Much of that is the addition of Kyle Schwarber and the regular starts of free-swinging Javier Baez. Conversely, they are not walking at the same clip either.
Furthermore, like 2016, the Cubs are leaving runners on base. The MLB average is 157 runners left on to this point. Batters for the Cubs have left 182 runners on, third-most in baseball. While it is a bit lower than the pace set last season, the potential for more runs clearly exists.
What will help is getting Schwarber and Ben Zobrist hitting. As of May 1, both key batters are hitting just above .200. Maybe playing the outfield is causing distraction for both players, but the team needs them to start hitting.