Cubs brought Kevin Gausman in to anchor the rotation but he's only pulled them down

After Kevin Gausman was shelled on Wednesday night in Milwaukee, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell described his 'good, then bad' alternating performances since joining the team as 'two different pitchers,' and, frankly, that's exactly what we've seen.

The veteran right-hander lasted just four innings, as the Brewers completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs, all but cementing their fourth straight NL Central title. He allowed six earned on eight hits, including three home runs. Gausman needs to be better and both he and the Cubs are well aware of that fact.

“I just need to pitch better. It comes back to execution,” Gausman said afterwards. “I can’t throw lazy changeups in the zone. Those are always going to get beat. I just need to be better.”

Kevin Gausman has to deliver more consistency in his final Cubs starts

In three of his eight starts with the Cubs, Gausman has fired seven innings. But in three others, he's allowed a combined 17 earned runs, a perfect embodiment of how up and down his performance has been over the last five-plus weeks. Jed Hoyer acquired the right-hander in hopes he and Clay Holmes could give Chicago a 1-2 punch heading into October.

Holmes has been brilliant, his last start aside, delivering exactly what the Cubs hoped for when they acquired him from the Mets. In fact, given his early performance and his repertoire, the righty could make a logical extension candidate for Jed Hoyer, who has work to do in the pitching department this winter.

After the game, Gausman talked about needing to 'be confident and execute' - a laughable proposal given how this team has played in recent weeks. With a 7-12 record over their last 19, I can't say confident is how this Cubs team is making me feel right now.

The team's hold on the top wild-card spot has slipped through its fingers and both the Diamondbacks and Padres are hot on their heels, poised to make the final days of the regular season far more interesting than Cubs fans want. The front office brought Gausman in to set the tone, but instead he's fallen into the same roller coaster tendencies we've seen from this pitching staff all year long.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow