Chicago Cubs: June set the groundwork for July and August

Building the next group

First, the good. Anthony Rizzo has recovered from his slow start and hit the ball well in the month of June.  Rizzo posted a batting average of .320, hit six home runs and drove in 20 while posting an OBP of .429. And he did much of this while assuming leadoff duties for Joe Maddon. He’s recently slid back behind Kris Bryant, but we’ll see if that’s where he stays.

More from Cubbies Crib

• 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 are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

Ian Happ was the hottest thing for the Cubs–then the coldest. Well, June was good to him. Happ hit .271 with eight home runs with 18 RBI. He did strike out 32 times for the month, but it’s still a learning process. He’s striking out better than once for every game played, but the Cubs will take his power potential for the time being.

Justin Grimm is a reason to have faith in Schwarber. Grimm was unable to find the strike zone and was shuttled back and forth to Iowa a few times. In June, he regained his mojo and has been one of the most consistent relievers in the bullpen. He’s posted 0.73 ERA in 13 games, allowing opponents to hit just .051 against him this month. He’s also struck out 16 in 12 1/3 innings.

For every dark night, there’s a bright day

But for every good story, there is a bad one to match. For starters, the defending MVP Bryant hasn’t been the same. Everything seems to be down for Bryant as he tries to get past this rough patch he’s in. He hit just .232 in June, with five home runs and just nine RBI. He also struck out 25 times to just 18 walks. “Bryzzo” was a big part of the Cubs success, but it’s not been there this year. But there’s still time.

The rest of the struggles come on the pitching side. John Lackey (1-4, 5.35 ERA, 11 HR allowed), Jake Arrieta (2-2, 4.85 ERA, 14 walks in 26 IP), Hector Rondon (4.76 ERA in 12 games) and even Carl Edwards (5.40 ERA, 7 ER, 7 H, 2 HR) have struggled.

The positive to take out of all of these numbers? They won’t all continue to struggle this bad. But I also don’t have false hope that everyone will turn it around. Former Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan is an excellent example of how baseball gives, and then it takes away. After winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2009, things were never the same for Coghlan. However, he found a niche in Chicago and helped the Cubs win the World Series. Was he a great player? No. But he became what every team needs to have. A great role player.

There’s no quit in the Cubs

Players like Addison Russell or Schwarber that had early success? There’s no promise that they can repeat that. I won’t bet against them as both are remarkably talented, but we can’t be sure of this. But one thing is true. It’s July. Whatever a team has done so far to be in a good position, it can fall apart. Think the Cubs are done? Ask an old-time Cubs’ fan about 1969 and the New York Mets. And the Central doesn’t have that same sort of talent that the NL East had then.

The Cubs are basically starting July from scratch. 0-0 with a small deficit to overcome. The need to get some of these players back they lost to injury, and then we look to make a push. It’s basically a three-month season for the Cubs here on out. July will be the month that we’ll look back on to hopefully say “that’s when the Cubs turned it around.”

Next: Davis, Edwards anchoring the bullpen

The Cubs won’t be sellers at the deadline unless the wheels come off in the next two weeks. Chances of that happening? Slim. By the time the All-Star break arrives, the rest will be welcomed as the team prepares for an exciting trade deadline. The Cubs will make moves, that I can promise you. How big? Only Theo Epstein knows.