Aaron Civale’s bullpen dominance and Nico Hoerner’s resurgence fuel Chicago’s Wild Card push, while Ian Happ’s late-season slump threatens his lineup security as the postseason race intensifies.
The regular season will officially end in one week.
The Chicago Cubs will try to end the regular season on a high note. They currently own the top Wild Card spot in the National League, but both the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres are right behind them in the Wild Card standings.
With the playoffs right around the corner, here are two Cubs players who are currently hot and one player who is not.
Hot: Aaron Civale
The Cubs picked up veteran Aaron Civale late in the season as a pure depth-piece move. Civale had a 5.42 ERA across 74 ⅔ innings pitched with the Athletics to start the season, and the Cubs just needed some healthy arms at that point in the year.
However, Civale has been one of the Cubs’ best relievers since being acquired in a trade in late July. The 31-year-old right-hander has a 1.39 ERA and 23.3% strikeout rate in his first 16 appearances with the North Siders.
Once viewed as a pure depth move, Civale now has a realistic shot at making the Cubs’ postseason roster. He has allowed just one earned run over his last 19 ⅔ innings pitched (0.46 ERA) and remains a key bullpen option for manager Craig Counsell.
Not: Ian Happ
It has been tough sledding for Ian Happ lately. The switch-hitting outfielder has been a liability in this Cubs lineup for most of the month. He is slashing just .205/.367/.333 with one home run, two doubles, and five RBI across 16 games this month.
Happ has really not carried his weight in this lineup for most of the second half. He has a .219/.335/.388 slash line with seven home runs, nine doubles, and 24 RBI over his last 57 games. Those numbers just haven’t helped this Cubs offense.
With the playoffs a little over one week away, Happ only has a few games remaining to figure things out. If he doesn’t, he will likely lose some at-bats in the postseason to lefty smasher Tyrone Taylor.
Hot: Nico Hoerner
There were Cubs fans who were concerned about Nico Hoerner’s production at the plate to begin the season. He had just a .235 batting average with four home runs, 18 doubles, 35 RBI, and 12 stolen bases in his first 77 games through June 24.
But since June 24, Hoerner has returned to being a force in this Chicago lineup. He has a .296 batting average with four home runs, 11 doubles, 35 RBI, and 10 stolen bases over his last 75 games. The most important thing is that he’s getting on base at a high level again.
Hoerner has also hit the ball well this month, as he has a .316 batting average in his last 14 contests. If he can keep getting on base and hitting for a high average, that will help this offense in the postseason.
