Starting pitching falters, clutch hitting disappears, and injuries mount. Discover the key lessons learned from the Cubs' tough series loss to the Dodgers.
It has been a while since the Chicago Cubs lost a series.
The Cubs took two of three games from the Philadelphia Phillies last week, swept the New York Mets last weekend, and swept the Phillies earlier this week. However, they couldn’t win their fourth straight series, losing two of three contests to the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend.
This weekend series was a good test for the North Siders. The Dodgers are widely considered the favorite to win a third straight title, and the Cubs will likely have to go through Los Angeles to get back to the World Series.
So, here are three big takeaways from this series.
Starting Pitching Has To Be Better Against Top Teams
The Cubs' starting pitching has been fantastic in the early going. The team entered this series with the fifth-best rotation ERA (3.37) while allowing the fifth-fewest hits (99) and issuing the fourth-fewest walks (39).
But the starting pitching was not at its best in this series. Jameson Taillon allowed four runs across five innings on Friday, Colin Rea gave up six runs across 3 ⅓ innings on Saturday, and Shota Imanaga allowed three first-inning runs on Sunday.
Each of those starting pitchers put the Cubs in a rough spot early. They were down four runs after four innings on Friday, down five runs after four innings on Saturday, and trailed by three runs after one inning on Sunday. This group was not consistent over the weekend.
Cubs Couldn’t Get That Big Hit In Both Losses
The Cubs crawled their way back in Friday’s game and got some big hits from Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson in the later innings. However, those key hits were not present in either of the team’s losses on Saturday and Sunday.
With the Cubs trailing 8-4 in the top of the sixth inning on Saturday, they had a chance to make things interesting. Chicago had bases loaded with nobody out before Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong both struck out, and Miguel Amaya hit a weak grounder back to the pitcher.
Then, the team had bases loaded again with one out in the top of the second inning on Sunday. Nico Hoerner struck out, and Bregman hit a grounder to the shortstop. The Cubs just couldn’t come through in the final two games of the series.
Injuries Continue To Pile Up
The Cubs have dealt with their fair share of bullpen injuries in the early going. Pitchers like Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, and Ethan Roberts all find themselves on the 15-day injured list.
Unfortunately, things have gotten worse for the North Siders. The team placed standout reliever Riley Martin on the 15-day injured list before Sunday’s series finale against the Dodgers. Martin is currently dealing with left elbow inflammation.
He is yet another reliever who has landed on the IL this month. The Cubs currently have 10 pitchers on the IL, and Martin will now head back to Chicago to get further testing on his elbow. He has a 2.16 ERA across 8 ⅓ innings this season.