Chicago Cubs: A tale of two games for the team so far in Cincinnati

Chicago Cubs: Darvish pitched better than his line indicates

There’s not much to say about Cole Hamels‘ clunker on Thursday. The offense bailed him out after the veteran southpaw failed to reach the fourth inning. It was just his second start back from the IL, so I’m not putting too much stock into his struggles.

That being said, it was pretty clear he did not have it in the series opener. Hamels allowed five runs, four of which were earned, walking a pair and striking out two. The real story pitching-wise from Thursday came in the form of Tyler Chatwood, who turned in three scoreless innings, striking out five and picking up his fifth win of the year.

On Friday, right-hander Yu Darvish pretty much maintained what he’d been doing on the mound. He struck out nine and did not walk a batter, extending his ridiculous strikeout-to-walk ratio. Since July 3, he’s put up a 53-to-2 strikeout to walk ratio – but he’s won just two of those seven starts, with the team going 3-4 in that stretch.

Despite allowing only four hits across six innings against the Reds, one glaring problem presented itself: three of those four hits left the yard. This tied his season-high, as he also allowed three long-balls back on May 25 against, you guessed it, this same Cincinnati ballclub.

“He had really good stuff,” Maddon told MLB.com. “Home runs hurt us, hurt him tonight, but gosh, he was really good again. Pitch efficient. Exceptional stuff. We got beat by the 2019 homer today. That’s just all there was to it. He threw the ball really well.”

The Japanese-born hurler has struggled with the home run all year. While his FIP (4.75) and ERA (4.43) aren’t where you’d like them to be, if you look at his xFIP, which adjusts his home run rate to 10.5% of fly balls induced, it falls dramatically to a much more palatable 3.85.

So while he’s dramatically cut back on the walks and is pounding the zone with great regularity, Darvish will have to find a way to keep the ball in the yard if he wants to take the next step.

Chicago Cubs: Team didn’t get the job done with runners on

On Thursday, the Cubs went 4-for-11 (.363) with runners in scoring position. But in Friday’s loss, the club went 1-for-10 (.100) – repeatedly squandering what looked like strong opportunities. At the end of the day, it wound up proving costly.

The Cubs’ five through nine hitters were pretty much dead weight, going 0-for-20 in the game. As a team, the Cubs managed just five base hits on the night – walking four times and striking out 13 times.

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Nicholas Castellanos provided the only spark for the offense, blasting a solo shot to center field in the early innings to get things going. Chicago’s only other tally came when Anthony Rizzo got hit by a pitch from Amir Garrett in the eighth, pulling the Cubs within three runs at 5-2.

“When your team has gone to the playoffs four years in a row,” said Maddon, “it’s hard to accuse them of a lack of hunger. What I have seen this year is teams have caught up. That’s what I’ve talked about. It’s not the same sashay that we’ve had maybe a couple years ago to get there. It’s tougher.

There’s little doubt this Cincinnati team has improved. All you have to do is look at the rotation they’re trotting out in this four-game set. Former Dodgers lefty Alex Wood took the ball in the opener, Bauer shut down the Cubs on Friday and Maddon’s club has two tall tasks lined up for Saturday and Sunday in the form of Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo.

Chicago Cubs: It’s time to have a short memory

We know about the Chicago Cubs and their inability to consistently win games on the road this year. Their 22 wins away from Wrigley Field are the second-fewest among all National League teams, ahead of only the lowly Miami Marlins.

It has to get better. Chicago is in the midst of a lengthy road trip where they could really start to separate themselves from the rest of the division. They’ll finish up the next two games against the Reds before heading to Philadelphia for three and Pittsburgh for three. Those games against the Reds and Pirates are particularly important.

Castellanos has given the offense a major boost in his nine games with the team. The bullpen is a concern given how shorthanded it is (Kyle Ryan is on the bereavement list, Craig Kimbrel is on the IL alongside Brandon Morrow) and the team is working through what appears to be a fairly significant injury to Willson Contreras.

It’s on Maddon and the club now to step up and start inching their way toward October, one game at a time. It all starts with putting a disappointing showing from Friday behind them, re-focusing and handling business in Cincinnati come Friday night.