Chicago Cubs: Some days, good pitching beats good teams – no matter what

Too often this season, the Chicago Cubs offense unloads on a team only to fall quiet the next night. But, sometimes, it’s a credit to the opposing pitcher.

This year’s version of the Chicago Cubs are not as good as last year’s. And thats OK.

Lord only knows how much you all will put me through the ringer for that comment, but it is what it is. It’s important to not only know that – but accept it. During their 103-win campaign a year ago, the Cubs came back from late deficits, pulled through with clutch hits on a near-nightly basis and cruised to a division title.

At the halfway point in August, we already know that to not be the case in 2017.

On Monday night, Chicago scored 15 runs in a rout of the Cincinnati Reds. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Jon Jay led the way offensively. Even Mike Montgomery came on as a reliever, but delivered a run-scoring double. It felt like the Cubs of old were back.

Then, the team narrowly avoided being shut out on Tuesday. Cincinnati escaped with a 2-1 victory. The Cubs opened both the eighth and ninth innings with two men on and nobody out against the Reds’ bullpen. Between the two frames, they tallied one lone run.

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

Not exactly encouraging.

Sure, we can lambast the offensive performance of the club. With runners on third and less than two outs, the Cubs rank dead-last in the league in conversions. Guys like Kyle Schwarber and Ben Zobrist have struggled since Opening Night.

But that’s definitely not the entire story.

Take the August 2 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The night prior, Chicago scored 16 runs in a blowout win. But, as we saw this week against the Reds, the next night brought frustration and failed execution. The team fell by a 3-0 final, tallying a mere three hits on the night.

I decided to look at the Arizona starter that night: Zack Godley. And, you know what, he’s having himself a nice little year. Entering action Wednesday, the right-hander owns a sub-3.00 ERA in 100-plus innings of work – spanning 17 starts. Opponents are batting just .204 against him in 2017.

That’s a pretty decent body of work.

After topping the Marlins 11-1 in late June, the Cubs suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss on June 23. Jose Urena, the Miami starter that night, tossed six scoreless frames – good enough for his fifth-straight win. He struck out only three and walked three as Chicago went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

Credit to the right-hander. He kept rolling from there. Opposing hitters are hitting below .230 against him and, although his ERA is far from eye-popping, he’s put up solid numbers – thanks to some quality outings.

I can go on and on looking at every single time the offense sputtered after an outburst. Saying the blame doesn’t fall on the shoulders of the reigning World Series champs would be foolish. But to suggest the pitchers who have controlled the Cubs’ bats in these games deserve little credit would be even more so.

Next: How long will Cubs be without shortstop Russell?

The Chicago Cubs need to get some consistency at the plate. They’ll do it by working counts and pushing opposing pitchers. But, even then, there are going to be nights where things head south and squaring up a ball seems impossible. It’s just part of the game.