The stats prove how disastrous the Chicago Cubs' recent road trip was

For all the talk of how the Chicago Cubs' Pythagorean record earlier in the season proved that the team was actually better than they were playing, the stats that the team compiled over the course of their recent road trip would suggest that the team played as bad as their 2-7 record would indicate.

The idea of a Pythagorean record for Major League Baseball teams has always been a flawed concept. For those not aware, the Pythagorean record is where a team's expected record is calculated based on the runs scored and runs allowed. When things were going right for the Cubs during the month of April, the team's Pythagorean record suggested that they should have been even better but that does not take into account the fact that the Cubs were blowing out teams like the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics while losing most of the one-run contests they were involved in.

After the Cubs' 2-7 road trip, the team has a record of 20-26. Their Pythagorean record, according to FanGraphs, still suggests that the team has been better as their record is calculated at 25-21. Again, though, that is carried by the fact that when the Cubs are winning, they have blown teams out.

The Cubs, as constructed, were a team that would need to win at the margins if they were going to have any hope of contending this season. The Cubs were constructed in a way that they were going to win with their pitching success and defense. There has been minimal success from the team's bullpen and the bottom of their lineup has been plagued with below-average production with the likes of Trey Mancini, Tucker Barnhart, and Nick Madrigal struggling.

Chances are the Cubs are closer to the team that took the field over their recent road trip and not the team that exceeded expectations during the month of April.

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