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Are the Chicago Cubs' Recent Struggles Reason For Concern?
The Chicago Cubs started off the season 11-6 through their first 17 games. The Cubs and their fans were feeling good and expectations for the team skyrocketed. However, the last 10 games have not been so easy as the Cubs are just 3-7. The north siders lost three of four against the Los Angeles Dodgers, won the series againt the San Diego Padres but were swept by the Miami Marlins. After a hot start to the season, should the Cubs be worried about their recent struggles?
The Cubs are still a good team.
This team is still talented and ready to take the next step. The offense actually out-hit the Marlins in two of the three games during the sweep. On the season the Cubs are third in hits per game (9.56), ninth in home runs (37), second in batting average (.276) and third in OPS (.795). More times than not, the offense does their job and they do it well. In fact, the Cubs have a homered in 11 games straight heading into Monday's series with the Washington Nationals. The offense has shown that the start they had was not a fluke. If the Cubs continue to hit as they are, they will produce more runs and win more games.
Despite a 'rough' outing Sunday, Justin Steele is still a top pitcher in baseball right now. Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly are also having solid starts to their season and it seems like this will continue for the forseeable future. With three solid starters, the Cubs need Hayden Wesneski to step up a little more while as some injuries play out. Jameson Taillon is progressing towards a return and Kyle Hendricks has begun his rehab assignment. Even though Hendricks struggled, it is still nice to see him back on the mound. With all this said, the Cubs have proven to themselves and the MLB that they are going to be a good team this year.
What are the reasons for concern?
The Cubs do have some issues they need to address immediately if they want to compete for playoff spot, though. The biggest issue being their bullpen. The Cubs' bullpen has a 3.98 ERA this season and have not shown many signs of improvement. Keegan Thompson, Mark Leiter Jr. and Adbert Alzolay have been good, but they can not pitch every game. The Cubs lone left-handed reliever, Brandon Hughes, has just been placed on the IL which puts the team in a tough position. They did recall Ryan Borucki from triple-A Iowa, but he is not someone the Cubs should rely on to get outs. For Iowa this year, Borucki has a 12.00 ERA in nine innings pitched. He does not seem like someone the Cubs will be counting on in high-pressure situations. With their early season bullpen struggles, the Cubs will be targeting some relievers come the trade deadline. However, as the team stands right now, they will not win many close games with the bullpen they have.
Should the Cubs be concerned about their recent struggles?
The offense has been good and they are not showing signs of slowing down. However, the bats can only do so much and the team can not just rely on them every game. The Cubs are just 4-8 in games decided by three runs or less. If that trend continues, they will not finish anywhere close to the playoffs.
Should the Cubs be concerned, though? They can count on their hitters to show up everyday, so that is good. Steele, Stroman and Smyly will keep the team in a position to win everytime they pitch as well. The concern for the Cubs will be the rest of their pitching staff. They are going to need to start winning those close games if they want to compete with some of their division rivals.
Overall, the Cubs and their fans should not be overly concerned. Teams go through hot stretches and cold stretches throughout the course of a season. All three games in Miami were decided by one run and could have gone either way. There are definitely some issues the Cubs need to take care of sooner rather than later, but it is too early in the season to be freaking out over a little cold stretch.
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