Chicago Cubs: Yu Darvish ties the MLB record for no-decisions

It’s clear the Chicago Cubs’ Yu Darvish has been better than last year, but not the high-price rotation piece we’d hoped for. This year, he’s been too good to lose–but not good enough to win.

If you went to a restaurant with the Chicago Cubs’ Yu Darvish, you shouldn’t expect him to decide on drinks or appetizers.  Darvish has stretched his franchise record of no-decisions (excludes openers) to 10 games. He ties Randy Lerch and John D’Acquisto for the MLB record which both set the mark in the 1977 season. He’s pitched well enough not to lose, but not well enough to win. No matter the case, it’s a record one would probably choose to not have.

“Not only frustrating — weird,” Darvish said after the game. “I am not losing. I am not winning. It’s just weird. I want to win.” h/t Tony Andracki, NBC Sports Chicago

In his 10 no-decisions, Darvish hasn’t been overly impressive. During that streak, he’s posted a 4.64 ERA with 64 strikeouts compared to 25 walks; and in eight of those 10 games, it was a one-run decision. The team is 3-5 in those contests. Early in this bizarre streak, Darvish was struggling to get past the fifth inning. He’s turned the corner in that regard, as he has been able to get into the sixth inning in six of his last seven.

But it isn’t all that hard to figure out why he’s not winning–or losing–games. Over those 10 games, his ERA is 4.64, as mentioned earlier. His run support per inning (while he’s in the game) is 4.6, according to Baseball Reference.

There’s not much difference there. Clearly, that’s attributed to this streak. Per game, he’s getting 4.8 runs. That is, in most cases, good enough to win.

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So while Darvish has been better as of late, he’s going to need to be better than he’s been.

With Kyle Hendricks on the IL, Darvish’s starts will become more critical as he could be the one to help swing either a winning streak–or a losing streak.

I think we can all admit that in the second year, he’s fared better than year one. But this is year two of six of a $126 million deal he signed last offseason.

To a man, he’d admit he needs to be better. He’s been open and upfront with the media, and he’s made no excuses.

Even Joe Maddon has been happy with what he’s seen in recent weeks but sees room for improvement.

“He’s throwing the ball really well. If there’s anything to look at, if he could just put a topper on after we score a couple points — him getting out there clean and coming back in, I think that would really help get away from the no-decision situation.

It’s been a tough road back for Darvish, and many fans aren’t on his side when they see this streak. You can put the money on the back burner because at this point it’s irrelevant. He’s getting paid too much, but that’s not all that different for most pitchers. When Darvish is right, he’s outstanding. That’s what fans need to be rooting for. If you wish for him to fail, you might want to do a quick assessment as a fan of the Chicago Cubs.