After dropping two straight to the last-place Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago Cubs will need a big game out of Jake Arrieta to avoid the sweep and matching their worst record of the year at two games under .500.
The month of June wasn’t terrible for the Chicago Cubs. Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t great either. But July got off to a bad start as the Cubs dropped their second-straight to the last-place Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. Once again, a pitcher making his debut seems to stump the Cubs as they managed just three runs while the bullpen couldn’t hold a three-run lead. The Cubs have hovered around the .500 mark all year, but a loss on Sunday would match their season’s worst record.
The month of June saw the Cubs finish over .500 with a 15-13 record. And there were some encouraging signs, especially from Anthony Rizzo and Ian Happ. But a few of the question marks–looking at you Hector Rondon and John Lackey–didn’t make a strong case for themselves. There were a few promising things in the month, but the Cubs have much work to do to get back to where they need to be.
It seems it’s a common occurrence with the Cubs’ Javier Baez. Each season it seems we’re talking about his role with the team. A few years ago? It was about trading him. Now, not quite untouchable, but pretty damn close. It’s another reason when we see the struggles of some of these young players to not give up on them so quickly. It’s a process, even though we all want it now.
These and other stories you might have missed:
‘Cubs drop second straight to Reds in 5-3 loss’ – Cubbies Crib
‘A mediocre June still leaves Cubs in the running’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Is Baez a long-term piece for the Cubs?’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Davis and Edwards have excelled in relief for the Cubs’ – Cubbies Crib
‘Getting to know the Cubs Victor Caratini’ – Cubbies Crib
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