Chicago Cubs: Slow second half start has team looking for a spark

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(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

The Chicago Cubs have a reputation as a second half team. Since 2015, they relied on late-season surges to put away rivals. Will that be the case again?

In 2015, the Chicago Cubs were seven games over .500 at the All-Star Break. From there, they went on a 54-25 run en route to the team’s first postseason appearance since 2008. The next season, though the second half wasn’t as significant because of the quick start, they went 50-23.

Last year, the team faced an uphill battle heading down the stretch. Again, they answered the call, going 49-25. However, this year as of Aug. 8, they are just 8-8 – a record that’s certainly not the harbinger of a great second half. So what factors are contributing to the second half struggles?

An inconsistent offense

It is true the Cubs are among the leaders in the National League in a number of offensive categories. But this belies a season-long streaky offensive performance. For example, in the 17 games before the All-Star Break, the Cubs scored 6.8 runs per game and batted .310 with runners in scoring position. But from then through Aug. 7, the Cubs scored 4.3 runs per game and have batted just .248 with RISP.

Additionally, the Cubs have scored three or fewer runs in 47 of 109 games and are 12-35 in those contests. At the opposite end of the scoring spectrum there are 15 games where the Cubs have scored ten or more runs and, in those games, the Cubs are undefeated. In the 33 games where they have scored five or more runs, they are 22-11.

There are long stretches where the Cubs score three or fewer runs, then bursts of scoring, followed by another drought. While this on-again; off-again offense is producing satisfactory results in the regular season it will make for a short postseason.

Chicago Cubs: Issues with the rotation

The departures of Jake Arrieta and John Lackey meant the Cubs knew they would have two holes to fill in the starting rotation. That brought Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood to the North Side. As we know, both have struggled tremendously from the word ‘go.’

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Chatwood, plagued by control issues, issued a career-high number of walks and posted a career-worst WHIP. Though he initially managed to work around those walks by giving up a paltry amount of hard contact, the walk rate was ultimately unsustainable as his strikeout rate began to decline.

Darvish, bitten twice by stints on the DL, this latest time with tendinitis, has appeared in just eight game, in which he pitched to a 4.95 ERA, a career-worst 1.425 WHIP and 4.87 FIP. His recovery has been slow but is showing signs of gaining steam. Still, there is no word on when he will return to the mound.

Starters Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana have also put up career-worst marks in ERA, WHIP and FIP. This has added pressure to a bullpen that has been the steady rock of the team. Nonetheless, the pitching struggles led Theo Epstein to trade for relievers Jesse Chavez and Brandon Kintzler and veteran southpaw Cole Hamels.

Chicago Cubs: Casualties of the disabled list

The Cubs have finally been hit by the injury bug after relatively injury free season in 2016 and 2017. Kris Bryant, Bradon Morrow and the aforementioned Yu Darvish are just the latest to fall to injury.

Drew Smyly began the season on the DL recovering from Tommy John surgery. Both Carl Edwards, Jr. and Eddie Butler (now with the Rangers) spent time on the DL and Brian Duensing and Anthony Bass are currently out of action, as well.

Looking ahead

The Cubs lead the NL Central with the best record in the National League. They play most of their remaining games at home and are currently playing the NL-worst San Diego Padres and then AL bottom dwelling Kansas City Royals. The return of Kris Bryant, Yu Darvish and Brandon Morrow will bolster the roster and give Joe Maddon better options in the lineup and out of the bullpen.

A spark is needed. That spark could be the return of those three or it could be the performance of Hamels, Kintzler and, Chavez. It could come from one of the established players such as Javier Baez and Willson Contreras who are having career-best seasons. Or maybe from one of the younger players like David Bote.

Baez is firmly in the mix for NL MVP honors. dark. Next

It’ll be a fun rest of the season watching these Cubs put it all together at the end.

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