Cubs Week In Review: Faltering Cubs Stay Afloat, but Lead Narrows

[RavenCub30]

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

I suspect I'm not the only one who felt this sentiment, but until very recently, I allowed myself to believe in the myth that Chicago's North Side baseball club had essentially locked up the NL Central. Oops. While Craig Counsell and his clubhouse could still take the division crown near the end of September, the last two weeks of baseball have proved that no one in this league will go down without a fight.

Wincing in the aftermath of last Sunday's 14-6 drubbing at Wrigley Field at the hands of a capable Seattle Mariners club, the Cubs loaded up their personal effects and took off for a seven-game trip to end an unremarkable, even turbulent month of June. Up first: the hated rival St. Louis Cardinals. Busch Stadium is "Big Mac Land," but at the outset of this four-game tilt, the only big thing the North Siders received was a massive slice of humble pie. Serving as the last straw for Ben Brown's demotion to Iowa, the Cubs were throttled by their arch nemeses. The Cards decked Brown, and the visitors answered with only seven hits and two runs in an 8-2 defeat, 

As their division lead dwindled, the Cubs got tied up in a slump of poor swing decisions and costly throwing errors. In other words, they started playing not to lose, rather than to win. This notion was reflected with Jameson Taillon, one of the sturdier hurlers for this club, toeing the rubber in game two. The offense briefly resuscitated itself with a five-run third inning, marked by a three-run bomb from the electric Seiya Suzuki, but that was far from enough. The Cards came roaring back with two runs of their own in that frame to cut the lead to one, followed up by a decisive four-run inning in the fourth to give Oli Marmol's squad the lead for good. The Cubs dropped the second game 8-7. 

Reaching a pre-All-Star break tipping point that could have shaped this club's outlook in a much different light, the Cubs bounced back in game three. Matthew Boyd is as good a stopper as this organization has right now and with his club needing it, he delivered a masterful performance. While his counterpart Erick Fedde was touched up for seven earned runs, Boyd spun six scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 2.65. People had started to wonder out loud where the Cubs' intimidating offense went, but in this contest, they returned. Michael Busch led the way to an 8-0 victory. 

To qoute Cubs play-by-by announcer Boog Sciambi: "This is a series split that feels like a win." A win is a win, but it feels just a bit more significant when you hold your opponent to a goose egg. Chicago delivered a statement win in the series finale. Making his much-anticipated return from the injured list, staff ace Shota Imanaga looked as good as the team could have asked. He went five flawless innings, restoring an aura of confidence and electricity on the mound that felt like it had been missing. Not to go unnoticed, the bullpen remained brilliant, combining for four innings of shutout ball. Busch requested the naming rights to the Cardinals' house by becoming the first person of that surname to blast a home run. The Cubs tallied a 3-0 win at (Michael) Busch Stadium.

In baseball, and indeed in sports, players switch sides all the time. It's a routine part of the game, but in some circumstances (such as the one that swapped Cam Smith and Kyle Tucker between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros), it feels anything but routine. Cade Horton had a rough start in the first game of the Cubs' first entanglement with the Astros since that trade, including giving up a three-run homer to Smith. Houston won, 7-4.

Less than a full day after Smith recorded his indelible moment, however, Tucker got his. Coming just a triple away from the cycle, the Cubs' superstar right fielder punished his former squad, highlighted by a three-run blast over the wall in right field. His three RBIs were contributions to an all-day barrage of Cubs offense. Everyone in the lineup (except Pete Crow-Armstrong) recorded a hit. Though it was a pedestrian day for Crow-Armstrong at the tail end of a pedestrian week, he did still draw a walk and bring in a sac-fly RBI. Colin Rea delivered a respectable outing, pitching five innings and surrendering only two runs. Not only did the Cubs clobber their way to a 12-3 win, but in doing so, they calmed some of the nerves starting to swirl around the clubhouse.

Taillon is currently the most divisive starting pitcher in the Cubs' rotation, although (unfortunately) not the least volatile or the worst. While Taillon largely held his own in the series finale, his squad's performance was emblematic of how things have gone recently when he takes the hill. Houston was a problem for Craig Counsell's club in the final game of this three-game set. A staggering inability to come through with clutch knocks stymied the Cubs at Daikin Park. The North Siders left seven runners on base and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Heading into a day off, the Cubs dropped the contest 2-0, and came up on the short end in the series as well. Taillon couldn't escape the fifth inning, although Houston's only runs came on a skyscraping Crawford Boxes Special by Jose Altuve.

Victims of their own shortcomings and lapses, the Chicago Cubs are on a slide. They've squandered a commanding lead in the NL Central. The Rockies scratched out a win over the red-hot Brewers Sunday, so the Cubs still have a two-game cushion, but that's not much—and the Cardinals and Reds are close behind Milwaukee, too. It's only fair to retain some confidence, as the team is still on pace for over 90 wins, but the race is very much on. They still have a lead, but it's no longer a comfortable one.

View full article