5 underperforming Chicago Cubs who need to improve to stick around

Five Chicago Cubs that need to get it together – #2: Adbert Alzolay

Narrowing down this list to number two, we come to Adbert Alzolay. Though he has much promise, Alzolay has really struggled to put it together at the big league level. After posting a 2.95 ERA and 3.05 FIP in four starts for 2020, Alzolay has fallen from grace this season.

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He currently has an ERA of 5.16 in 21 games started and a record of 4-13, the 13 being the most losses by a starter on the season thus far. Though his 4.02 career ERA at Wrigley Field isn’t terrible, as it is a whole number below his overall career ERA of 5.01, it also isn’t the best either.

On the road, he’s been even worse – working to a 5.03 ERA away from the Confines in 2021. Those numbers simply will not help the Cubs do anything moving forward. He has had good starts on the year but has been snake-bitten by the long ball, allowing 24 homers on the year, 19 of which have come from left-handed hitters.

If Alzolay can get back to 2020 form and sustain that level of performance then he will be just fine. Important to note, his 2020 season was an extremely small sample size, but it was consistent for a few starts in a row after starting four games on the year. Moving forward, he cannot be a glaring weakness in the rotation should he look to stick around long-term.