Chicago Cubs will have their hands full against loaded Mets staff

Chicago Cubs need to find ways to manufacture more runs

On the year, Joe Maddon‘s Chicago Cubs are barely above league average in terms of offense, scoring 4.91 runs per game (league average is 4.85). The same rings true with their 98 OPS+ which narrowly exceeds the league average of 97.

We all know by now that the Cubs score a lot of runs via the long ball. The team ranks fourth among National League clubs with 203 home runs – and they’re on pace to set an all-time franchise best in that category. It’s also the first time Chicago has ever had four players with 25+ homers in a season – and there are still five weeks left in the season.

They hit a lot of homers, don’t make a lot of contact and swing and miss a lot – the result? A very sporadic offense that makes you drink on some days – well, every day – just for very different reasons. Maddon recognized that the Nationals beat the Cubs three times this weekend by doing what he wishes his group would do – play dynamic baseball.

"“What [Washington] demonstrated,” Maddon told MLB.com, “is even if you’re not hitting home runs on a particular day, you can manufacture runs. … Incorporating all kinds of methods within your one lineup is definitely the best way to do it. And right now, they are really taking advantage of [hot hitters] at the top with great speed and great contact ability.”"

What to take away from all this? As exciting as this team can be if they don’t get past their overreliance on the home run, this season could end far sooner than any of us would like. It starts this week at Citi Field.