Chicago Cubs: June set the groundwork for July and August

The Chicago Cubs June wasn’t all that bad. But to be honest, it wasn’t that great either. When looking at the numbers, you have to believe if the Cubs can hang in there they’ll be alright.

If you’re a Chicago Cubs‘ fan, you are very aware of the phrase “June swoon.” It’s what many Cubs fans will refer to when talking about when a season fell apart. This June wasn’t exactly pretty for the Cubs. They say their World Series hero in Kyle Schwarber sent down to Triple-A Iowa. They also lost Kyle Hendricks, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist to the disabled list. And on top of that, they had a brief scare with Kris Bryant. But it could be worse.

The Cubs played over .500 ball in June–although they have been hovering around it all season. The Cubs finished 15-13, and we’ll pretend we haven’t seen the game from today. This is all about the month of June. Some of the numbers the Cubs put up are encouraging, as a few players are trending upward. But it doesn’t mean they all are.

Let’s be honest, though. This division is a dumpster fire. The Milwaukee Brewers have a three-game lead–with a 44-39 record. The Cubs are holding on to second place in the Central by the slimmest of margins. But that very well could be enough as they try and find an identity, something I don’t think the Brewers have either.

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.

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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.

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.