Chicago Cubs: Critical five-game set at Wrigley opens second half action

Chicago Cubs: Time to reignite the fire of Team Bryzzo

Let me begin by saying this. There’s nothing wrong with the Cubs offense. If you need to read that a second time, go right ahead. Reading comments online, you’d think this is a mediocre offense – and that’s just not the case.

Chicago leads the National League in runs, hits, runs batted in, average, on-base percentage and OPS. Javier Baez is a legitimate MVP candidate and guys like Albert Almora continue to play extremely well on both sides of the ball.

The missing piece for this offense? The previously lethal combination of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Keeping both of these guys in the lineup together on a daily basis has proved difficult for Chicago. And, when they’ve been in there, the power hasn’t been what we’ve come to expect.

Rizzo is slugging a full 100 points lower than he did last season, despite his 61 runs batted in. He’s hitting just .246, a far cry from what he’s capable of. Even his on-base percentage has taken a nosedive. Whatever the issue, getting him back to being the big bat in that lineup is key right out of the gates in the second half.

Meanwhile, Bryant continues to hit – but with almost no power. A shoulder injury that sidelined him for a bit at the end of the first half likely explains that. Still, it would be nice to see him come out swinging against St. Louis this weekend.