Article: This Week In Cubs Baseball: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

[Josh Illes]

The Cubs finished the week with a winning record. That's the good news. The bad news is that the bullpen continues to let them down. A change in reliever roles may have already occurred, but more changes will be necessary if the team is to right the ship going forward. In a week somewhat marred by injuries to Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ, here is your recap of all things Cubs.

Image courtesy of © Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Record Last Week: 4-3
Runs Scored: 37
Runs Surrendered: 32
Standing: 2nd in NL Central (2 GB)

Transactions
04/15/24 -Chicago Cubs recalled LF Alexander Canario from Iowa Cubs
04/15/24 -Chicago Cubs placed OF Seiya Suzuki on the 10-day injured list. Right oblique strain
04/17/24 -Chicago Cubs transferred RHP Julian Merryweather from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right shoulder strain
04/17/24 -Chicago Cubs selected the contract of RHP Colten Brewer from Iowa Cubs
04/17/24 -Chicago Cubs optioned LHP Luke Little to Iowa Cubs
04/17/24 -Chicago Cubs optioned RHP Daniel Palencia to Iowa Cubs
04/17/24 -Chicago Cubs recalled RHP Hayden Wesneski from Iowa Cubs
04/18/24 -Chicago Cubs activated 3B Patrick Wisdom from the 10-day injured list
04/18/24 -Chicago Cubs signed free agent RHP Julio Teheran to a minor league contract
04/18/24 -Chicago Cubs activated RHP Jameson Taillon from the 15-day injured list
04/18/24 -Chicago Cubs optioned RHP Hayden Wesneski to Iowa Cubs
04/18/24 -Chicago Cubs optioned 2B Miles Mastrobuoni to Iowa Cubs
04/20/24 -Chicago Cubs recalled LHP Luke Little from Iowa Cubs
04/21/24 -Chicago Cubs optioned LHP Luke Little to Iowa Cubs

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Game Recaps
Monday, April 15th. Cubs defeat Diamondbacks 3-2

• Michael Busch entered the Cubs record books by homering in his fifth straight game.

• Ben Brown continued his excellent start to the season, holding the D-Backs to one hit and one run over six solid innings.

• The hero of this game was Nico Hoerner, who scored from second on a wild pitch to tie the game in the ninth inning, and then chopped a shoulder-high fastball into right field to plate the winning run in the 11th inning.
  https://www.mlb.com/gameday/747213/video/bryce-jarvis-in-play-run-s-to-nico-hoerner

Tuesday, April 16th. Diamondbacks defeat Cubs 12-11

• Kyle Hendricks and Adbert Alzolay continued their early season struggles as the Cubs snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

• The only Cubs starting position player to not get a hit in the game was Michael Busch, who entered the game having homered in five straight games.

• An absolutely historic way to lose a game: 

Wednesday, April 17th. Cubs defeat Diamondbacks 5-3

• Hayden Wesneski arrived on an overnight flight from Iowa to give the Cubs four shutout innings out of the bullpen, and Craig Counsell certainly recognized just how badly needed his performance was:

• Cody Bellinger showed some signs that he is starting to heat up.

Friday, April 19th. Cubs defeat Marlins 8-3

• Rainout on Thursday allows the Cubs a much needed day off after nine straight games on the west coast.

• Jameson Taillon made his season debut and looked as good, maybe better than ever.

• Dansby Swanson continues to provide production from the two-hole while Seiya Suzuki remains out with oblique strain.

Saturday, April 20th. Marlins defeat Cubs 3-2 (Game 1)

• Adbert Alzolay blew his fourth save of the season after only blowing three saves all of last year.

• Nico Hoerner remains scorching hot at the plate

• Did I mention that Adbert Alzolay blew another save?

Saturday, April 20th. Cubs defeat Marlins 5-3 (Game 2)

• Hector Neris took over at least temporarily for Adbert Alzolay in the closer role and nailed down the save to secure the win.

• Shota Imanaga continues to impress in the early going. He has only walked two batters in 21.1 innings on the season.

Sunday, April 21st. Marlins defeat Cubs 6-3

• Kyle Hendricks continues to struggle, although some signs of improvement are definitely there.

• Ian Happ left Friday’s game with left hamstring tightness. In the three games he has missed, the Cubs are 1-2.

• Nico Hoerner is now officially scorching hot at the plate.

• Splitting a four-game series at home to one of the worst teams in baseball may be something that comes back to haunt this team.

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Best Moment of the Week
Michael Busch ties a Cub record with his fifth straight game with a home run.

When the Cubs traded away Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope for Busch and Yency Almonte, it was quite a gamble by the somewhat conservative Cubs front office. On the one hand, Busch is exactly the type of player that a team desperately trying to take the next step toward contention should take a chance on. He was ready to play full-time at the major league level, but he was blocked at that level with the Dodgers because they had all-star level players playing in front of him. On the other hand, in his limited time in the big leagues, Busch had not shown any real results. Well, he is showing results now. On Monday, he showed that the Cubs gamble has already paid off with an entry into Cubs history when Busch tied Christopher Morel, Sammy Sosa, Ryne Sandberg, and Hack Wilson as the only Cubs players to ever homer in five consecutive games.

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Worst Moment of the Week
Adbert Alozolay’s fourth blown save of the season

The Cubs bullpen is clearly a work in progress. At times it has looked good, namely during the series in Seattle just last week. Other times it has looked exceptionally bad, as was the case for multiple games in the two series this week. Alzolay hasn’t been the only culprit, but he is the one with the title of “closer” so his struggles will always be magnified tenfold. Game one of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Marlins was one such time. The Cubs had struggled on offense but had gotten some great pitching from Javier Assad and three different relievers to get them to the ninth inning clinging to a one run lead. This was the type of game that closers are meant for. Alzolay did not meet the moment though, giving up a two-run home run to Bryan de la Cruz to put the Marlins ahead for good. The fact that there was a save opportunity later that same day in game two of the doubleheader that went to Hector Neris instead of Alzolay is extremely telling. The Cubs do not have a closer as of this moment.

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Weekly Notes

• Ian Happ remains out with a left hamstring injury but has not been placed on the injured list. In fact, he told reporters on Sunday that he may be available to hit if needed in Sunday’s game. Hopefully Happ is back in the Cubs starting lineup soon.

• Ben Brown’s versatility is starting to become a weapon for Craig Counsell. After starting Monday’s game and giving the team six strong innings, he was able to come into Saturday night’s game in relief of Shota Imanaga and pitch two scoreless innings to get the game to the ninth inning. It will be interesting to see how Counsell uses this weapon going forward.

3 Stars of the Week
3rd Star -  Dansby Swanson
2nd Star - Shota Imanaga
1st Star - Nico Hoerner

Looking Forward
Tuesday, 4/23 - Astros @ Cubs (6:40 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD

Wednesday, 4/24 - Astros @ Cubs (6:40 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD

Thursday, 4/25 - Astros @ Cubs (1:20 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD

Friday, 4/26 - Cubs @ Red Sox (6:10 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD

Saturday, 4/27 - Cubs @ Red Sox (3:10 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD

Sunday, 4/28 - Cubs @ Red Sox (6:10 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD

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[Guest234]

Alzolay is going to be Carmormolized. 

[Billy62]

Interesting week from the perspective that this team is not in the same place that it was just a couple of years ago. It is a contender now and almost everything about it seems to be scrutinized. Have they changed the hot dogs at the park? Its not a sprint to the finish line, its a marathon. Players will go down and come back from injury, hitters will get red hot and in turn have periods when they are ice cold. Pitchers will have periods when they throw the ball well, and also periods when they don't. The problem is when does it become a problem? And when is it just a normal ebb and flow of the game? I was a little encouraged by the performance of Hendricks. Outside of that absolute monster blast that he surrendered early in the ballgame, he really wasn't hammered around the ballpark as he had been. A lot of weak contact, seeing-eye singles, and bad luck saw him give up a few more runs than you would like. But overall he threw the ball a bit better. More movement, and was pretty good at moving the ball in and out of the zone. Alzolay has definitely had some trouble closing out ball games. Is this a temporary setback? Or is this the beginning of something else. Personally, I think it is just a setback. Support he gets from the team (especially loved the phone call from Swanson), and even support from the fans is essential into getting his head back in the game. The bullpen needs some work. I'd be lying if I said that Nerris does not make me a bit nervous. But, its still early, and he does have his moments, so maybe he can work through his inconsistency. Look, we didn't spend much on our bullpen this winter. We were banking on this crop of youngsters to right the ship from last year. Merriweather going down was a big blow. Some of these kids are throwing the ball quite well, Brown for instance has been a joy to watch. A couple are struggling, but it is early. But we are a contender, and the logic of not being able to win a pennant in April, but being able to lose one claws at your soul. Bellinger is starting to heat up, and so is Morel. We got some time before we can expect Suzuki back. Still we are 13-9 out of the gate, I have seen a myriad of north side teams in worse shape at this point in the season. In our division everybody is playing good to decent ball and it looks like it is going to be a dogfight all season. So, do we worry? Or just stick to the plan? I honestly don't know. I feel in my stomach like the team is going to be ok, but I don't know it for certain, and that makes me like all of you, a bit nervous.

[Josh Illes]

37 minutes ago, Billy62 said:

Interesting week from the perspective that this team is not in the same place that it was just a couple of years ago. It is a contender now and almost everything about it seems to be scrutinized. Have they changed the hot dogs at the park? Its not a sprint to the finish line, its a marathon. Players will go down and come back from injury, hitters will get red hot and in turn have periods when they are ice cold. Pitchers will have periods when they throw the ball well, and also periods when they don't. The problem is when does it become a problem? And when is it just a normal ebb and flow of the game? I was a little encouraged by the performance of Hendricks. Outside of that absolute monster blast that he surrendered early in the ballgame, he really wasn't hammered around the ballpark as he had been. A lot of weak contact, seeing-eye singles, and bad luck saw him give up a few more runs than you would like. But overall he threw the ball a bit better. More movement, and was pretty good at moving the ball in and out of the zone. Alzolay has definitely had some trouble closing out ball games. Is this a temporary setback? Or is this the beginning of something else. Personally, I think it is just a setback. Support he gets from the team (especially loved the phone call from Swanson), and even support from the fans is essential into getting his head back in the game. The bullpen needs some work. I'd be lying if I said that Nerris does not make me a bit nervous. But, its still early, and he does have his moments, so maybe he can work through his inconsistency. Look, we didn't spend much on our bullpen this winter. We were banking on this crop of youngsters to right the ship from last year. Merriweather going down was a big blow. Some of these kids are throwing the ball quite well, Brown for instance has been a joy to watch. A couple are struggling, but it is early. But we are a contender, and the logic of not being able to win a pennant in April, but being able to lose one claws at your soul. Bellinger is starting to heat up, and so is Morel. We got some time before we can expect Suzuki back. Still we are 13-9 out of the gate, I have seen a myriad of north side teams in worse shape at this point in the season. In our division everybody is playing good to decent ball and it looks like it is going to be a dogfight all season. So, do we worry? Or just stick to the plan? I honestly don't know. I feel in my stomach like the team is going to be ok, but I don't know it for certain, and that makes me like all of you, a bit nervous.

I like that approach to the season so far. I share the sentiment that it is a marathon, and I also find the things that go right more interesting than the things that go wrong. I think that Hendricks will be fine. He's not really experiencing a huge dropoff in underlying metrics. It's more of a location problem, possibly a pitch mix issue, both of which he should be able to solve in fairly short order.

Alzolay, on the other hand, does have some issues when it comes to the metrics, specifically the shape of his pitches, and I am worried about him. Neris would not be someone I would go with as closer just looking at numbers, but some pitchers are better when they are in the role of closer and maybe he's one of those guys I don't know...

I've been seeing Dansby catching some flak lately from the fan base generally, and I just don't get it. I'm with you, when he's doing things like trying to help Alzolay, or helping Morel with his defense, or even just stepping in to Suzuki's spot in the batting order while he's out, those are the things he's being paid to do. His overall production matters, but as long as his approach is at this elite level I'm just going to sit back and watch him work and try to enjoy it.