A devastating eight-game skid and a decimated pitching rotation have the North Siders reeling. Discover why injury woes and offensive slumps are forcing a youth movement at Wrigley.
The Chicago Cubs are slumping right now.
After losing 8-5 to the Houston Astros in Sunday’s game series finale at Wrigley Field, the Cubs have reached a new low. They have lost eight straight games and have been swept in back-to-back series.
This has been a rough stretch for the Cubs. They are just 2-12 in their last 14 games and have seen the Milwaukee Brewers leapfrog them in the National League Central standings.
So, what’s the problem with this team right now? Let’s look at a key takeaway from their current eight-game losing streak, one thing to note heading into Memorial Day, and one change that needs to be made right now.
One Takeaway: The Starting Pitcher Injuries Have Finally Caught Up
The Cubs began the regular season with Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Edward Cabrera as their five starters. Justin Steele was also expected to return from his elbow injury sometime around Memorial Day.
Two months into the season, the Cubs rotation looks much different. Horton is out for the season, Boyd is dealing with a meniscus injury, Cabrera just went on the injured list due to a blister, and Steele suffered a setback in his recovery ramp-up.
These injuries were always going to catch up to the Cubs. Since May 9, the North Siders have the second-worst rotation ERA (6.61) in baseball, only behind the Rockies (7.08). This 6.61 ERA during this stretch doesn’t even include Imanaga’s recent outing against the Astros, in which he allowed seven runs across six innings pitched.
Going from a rotation consisting of Horton, Boyd, Imanaga, Taillon, and Cabrera to Colin Rea, Ben Brown, Imanaga, Taillon, and potentially Jordan Wicks (who was called up on Sunday) is a big difference.
One Thing To Note: Ian Happ’s Two-Game Absence
Ian Happ has been reeling at the plate lately. He is in a current 1-for-24 slump with 14 strikeouts and has been one of the team’s most unproductive hitters in the month of May. Happ is batting just .188 with three home runs, six RBI, and 34 strikeouts in 20 games this month.
Given this recent stretch offensively, the Cubs decided to give him both Saturday and Sunday off. Manager Craig Counsell hopes this mental reset will help Happ regain his confidence and return to producing at the plate.
The plan is for Happ to be in the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Pirates. So, it’ll be interesting to see how much these two days off really helped. Players like Seiya Suzuki have benefited from a few days off in the past.
One Change: Start The Rookies
There are very few things that are going the Cubs' way right now. The starting pitching has regressed, the bullpen has struggled, and the offense can’t hit. Something simply has to change.
Chicago should let the rookies get some starts over the next week. Look at what Pedro Ramirez did in his first career start in Sunday’s loss. He came up big with an RBI double in the bottom of the second inning to provide a spark on offense.
The Cubs should give both Ramirez and Kevin Alcantara some run in their lineup moving forward. The team needs to do something differently because the regular Cubs starters aren’t getting the job done.
