With the veteran core mired in a deep offensive slump, Craig Counsell must lean on surging youngsters Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez to ignite a stagnant offense.
The Chicago Cubs have not necessarily played good baseball in the month of June.
They are just 7-8 this month and currently sit eight games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central division. Chicago simply has to be better in all facets if they want to dig itself out of this hole.
That starts with being more productive offensively.
The Cubs rank 22nd in runs scored (100) and 23rd in runs per game (3.7) since May 19. They haven’t been able to hit with runners in scoring position, and several key veterans like Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Alex Bregman continue to struggle.
Swanson is slashing .137/.228/.235 with two home runs, four doubles, five RBI, and four stolen bases over his last 32 games since May 10. Hoerner is slashing .175/.252/.203 with four doubles, six RBI, and five stolen bases over his 36 games since May 8, and Bregman has a .234 batting average with two home runs in his last 28 contests.
Given that the Cubs have been struggling on offense for most of the past month, manager Craig Counsell should consider making two big changes to the lineup. He needs to play Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez regularly.
Neither Shaw nor Ramirez has really seen consistent at-bats this season.
Although Shaw has started each of the past three games for the Cubs, that’s largely due to the fact that Seiya Suzuki is not playing the field right now after injuring his knee this past weekend. That has paved the way for Shaw to see three consecutive starts in the outfield.
But even when Suzuki is healthy enough to play the field, Shaw should have a spot in the lineup. He is 6-for-14 (.429 batting average) with two triples and four RBI since coming off the injured list last week.
The 24-year-old has had plenty of big-time hits during this recent hot stretch, which included a two-run triple in the bottom of the second inning of Wednesday’s win that helped jumpstart Chicago’s offense.
Ramirez has also been in a groove at the plate lately. The rookie is 7-for-21 (.333 batting average) with one double, one home run, and two RBI in his last 23 plate appearances dating back to June 5.
He has only struck out three times during this stretch and came through in a big spot in Monday’s walk-off win over the Rockies.
Ramirez stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, nobody out, and the Cubs trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning. After watching four straight pitches to begin the at-bat, the switch-hitting infielder then roped a 101.9 mph single to the left side to tie the game.
These youngsters need to be in the lineup regularly. Both Shaw and Ramirez are providing a spark on offense and are coming through in key spots. The same can’t be said about the veterans.
