These Cubs are in a very dangerous spot right now

The Chicago Cubs are entering a dangerous area. Just as winning begets winning, losing tends to lead to more losing. When was the last time the Cubs won a series? I’ll tell you, it was the first series of the year against the Brewers. They have split a couple along the way but the opening salvo marked the only series win so far.

That’s unsustainable if they intend to have any say in the progress of the season. They are endanger of becoming just a nuisance for other teams, a team that will win a game occasionally but doesn’t really matter.

What can be done from here if the Cubs are to turn it around?

What’s the answer? I am not sure there is one with the current team. Starting pitching has been inconsistent, to say the least. An excellent effort by Marcus Stroman to allow the Cubs to salvage a game in Milwaukee notwithstanding, we don’t have starting pitching we can rely upon so far.

The bullpen has performed over and above expectations but they are being called upon more than they should because of the problem with starting pitching. They are bound to wear down from overuse soon (just remember what we saw last season).

The Cubs offense shown flashes, most notably,  Ian Happ, Patrick Wisdom and Nico Hoerner, but as a whole the hitting has not been dependable. Seiya Suzuki’s fast start has degenerated into frustration as pitchers appear to have figured him out. As a consequence, his swing and miss and caught looking statistics are rapidly trending in the wrong direction.

Two hitters the Cubs depended upon, Willson Contreras and Frank Schwindel, have yet to make much noise, though in Contreras’ defense he has been dealing with injury. Jason Heyward, Rafael Ortega and Nick Madrigal are largely non-factors, although Ortega does have a fair on-base stat due to his ability to take a walk.

Jonathan Villar has provided some pop, but his defense has been a real liability. It looks as if he is best used as a DH. The return of Alfonso Rivas to the team energized the offense to a degree but he can’t do it alone.

Finally, there’s the defense. After going without an error for the first four games, the Cubs have made 12 in the last 19 contests. In order to make up for other deficiencies, these Cubs need to play almost errorless ball.

It’s early but the trend is a dangerous one

Basically I see the current team as becoming mired in losing one series after another and disappearing from any serious consideration. The arrival of the Los Angeles Dodgers is likely to exacerbate the downturn.

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In my assessment, David Ross doesn’t have the team that he needs to even approach .500 ball. At the current rate the Cubs will lose over 100 games. Something needs to change. The question is, “Can the players currently on the roster turn this around?” I guess we will see.