MLB
Cubs Are Coming Around Winning Eight Of Ten Games
The Cubs are on a hot streak right now, winning eight of ten games. And embarking on a four-game win streak in the process. The offense has looked good these past ten games, scoring 54 runs. And allowing just 24 runs in that stretch of games. Besides a few starts here and there, The Cubs pitching has looked a lot better with Lester, Hendricks, and Quintana all finally hitting their grooves. The Cubs however still have a problem with getting hits with men in scoring position. That’s seemed to be the one constant struggle throughout this season so far.
Getting on base and getting hits is always nice, but doing it with RISP is even better. Getting base knocks is essential to get the rally started. However for The Cubs, once they get the runners in scoring position. It seems the hitters shut down and become to swing happy. There have been multiple occasions on which The Cubs have had bases loaded with less than two outs. And fail to get a man across home plate. That for me has been the biggest frustration so far this season.
Starting Pitching Steps Up
Winning eight of ten games is never easy, but it certainly does help when you have all the pieces of the puzzle working at the same time. Like I said earlier, the pitching has only given up 24 runs in the past ten games. Which is an excellent start for a rotation in which multiple of its pitchers have struggled. Chatwood hasn’t been an improved version of himself as we hoped we would get. He still walks way too many people for comfort. And in my eyes is close to getting replaced in the starting rotation.
With the way Mike Montgomery has pitched in his last two starts, it may not be that crazy of a thought. Able to go six innings in one start and 5.2 in another, while only allowing a single run, one walk, and nine strikeouts. Is something that should be looked at, the low walks is something that may be the determining factor. Cubs are second in the league in walks given, so having someone who shows control wouldn’t be so bad.
Offense Sparks And Scores Runs
Almost everything about the offense these past ten games have been entertaining to watch. The Cubs are getting more men on base and are taking their walks when needed. This team is slowly trending in the right direction. However, there is still a lot of work to be done, and The Cubs need to keep the ball rolling. Everyone has looked a lot better at the plate and with their approaches. The only player I haven’t seen improvement from is Addison Russell. He’s hitting the ball hard just not placing it where he wants to. And some of his at-bats it seems that he is just swinging at anything that looks even relatively close.
I think The Cubs need to move on from Addison, with how poorly he has been hitting with men in scoring position. At a prime spot in the lineup, Russell has only been able to manage 14 RBIs. He also has twice as many strikeouts as walks. I hope it’s just a major first-half slump, and he’ll break out of it after the All-Star Break.
