Cubs Week in Review: Untimely Power Outage, Multi-Phase Lapses Haunt Team

[RavenCub30]

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

There comes a time in all sports (but perhaps especially in baseball) when there's no more space for analogies. For the Chicago Cubs and their steadily loosening grip on a postseason spot, that time is now. Another week of missed opportunities only increased the urgency: the North Siders need to start playing good baseball again, without delay. Suddenly, the comforting thoughts of an inevitable postseason appearance for the Cubbies have given way to nagging worry—to the anxiety of the grind.

As the jubilation from last Sunday's walk-off win versus the Orioles waned, the Reds rolled into Wrigley looking to bolster their own postseason chances. Unfortunately for supporters of the home team, they did exactly that. The Cubs could only muster three hits versus the Reds Monday night, in an offensive struggle for both clubs. The discouraging story of the day, however, was the second-inning exit of the team's trade deadline acquisition, Michael Soroka. Brought in to alleviate the strain in a banged-up starting rotation, the big right-hander succumbed to previously identified shoulder discomfort. From there, Cincinnati was able to do just enough to get by with a 3-2 victory.

One of the more heartening trademarks of this year's club has been its ability to quickly bounce back after a loss, but that didn't quite manifest in the middle game of this tilt. Chicago dropped the contest 5-1, but what kept fans tossing and turning that night was the remarkably poor performance of new Cubs reliever Andrew Kittredge. Featuring an astounding lack of control, Kittredge surrendered four earned runs, effectively crushing his squad's chances of a comeback victory. It was a sinking moment for the home team, and the fans couldn't contain their frustration. Kittredge left to a cacophony of boos.

The Cubs lost the series, and lost ground in the division, but teams like this one don't stay down for long, and they did salvage the finale. Not far removed from his infamous appearance in the previous contest, Kittredge seized his opportunity for redemption by recording the franchise's 20th immaculate inning, striking out the seventh inning side on nine enthralling pitches. That was just a cherry on the pitching sundae, after Cade Horton continued his ascent to becoming a reliable starter. The rookie tossed 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball. The power started to flicker back on for the offense, with Seiya Suzuki, Justin Turner, and Nico Hoerner all making key contributions in a 6-1 win. 

After an off day Thursday, Chicago arrived in St. Louis to commence a three-game set opposite the hated Cardinals. Staff ace Matthew Boyd danced out of early trouble in the first handful of innings to give his club a fair shot, though some of that trouble was of his own making. Scattering seven hits, however, the Cubs' offense could not deliver a clutch hit to scratch even a single run across the plate. The Cardinals took the game 5-0. 

If this squad rounds back into form in time to make a serious playoff run, nights like Saturday might do it. Facing Andre Pallante, a starter with a 4.95 ERA, the visitors emphatically answered the call with an explosive outing in the batter's box. They plated runs in each of the first five innings. The club smashed statement-making clutch knocks, including a three-run bomb from Michael Busch, and a breakout performance from prized third baseman Matt Shaw, who enjoyed perhaps his best game as a big-leaguer. His 2-for-3 night not only helped earn his club a cathartic sigh of relief, but gave this organization a tantalizing glimpse of a promising future. Chicago evened the series with a 9-1 victory.

On the heels of one of the year's most important wins, the Cubs are in position to take the series from St. Louis in front of a national audience on Sunday night. While a series win would not absolve the squad of its recent sins, it would herald the return of this club's mojo and recapturing its balanced offense, which its reputation in 2025 has been built around. This week was more than a letdown. Slumps such as the one the Cubs are mired in are agonizing, but also threaten to make us lose sight of what's right in front of us. With the heavyweight five-game set with the Brewers still to come, Craig Counsell needs to establish a World Series attitude in the minds of every ball player on his roster. What this week showed is that it can be hard to climb out of a funk, but doing just enough of the little things—remembering where and who you are—can bring you back.

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[Arlen]

A defender shouldn't be allowed an out by knocking a player off the base, in any way. Period. That includes doing it by the tag, itself.