The Cubs don’t need a full offensive rescue mission tonight. They need a different kind of inning.
Chicago’s lineup has spent the season looking like one of the most dangerous groups in baseball, leading the league in runs (850), RBI (804), slugging (.428), wRC+ (114), and fWAR (37.8). But the last 10 games told a different story, and that stretch is part of why the Cubs slid into the second NL Wild Card spot.
The biggest issue has been power. Over their final 10 games, the Cubs managed only nine home runs and went 5-5.
Their batted-ball profile shifted too: soft contact and ground balls went up, while fly balls and line drives dropped below their season marks. At the same time, the strikeout rate has stayed about the same, but the walks have dipped, falling from a league-best 10.6% to 8.7%.
That combination has left the offense in a rough spot. Craig Counsell pointed to the lack of squaring up balls against Michael King last night, and that fits the larger picture: the Cubs just haven’t been getting the damage contact they need.
So if the long ball isn’t there again, the answer has to be pressure. More pitches.
More traffic. More small advantages.
That’s especially true with Nick Pivetta on the mound. He’s not an elite arm, but he has put together a 1.42 ERA in four starts since returning from an elbow injury. If he’s sharp tonight, the Cubs can’t afford to wait around for a mistake that never comes.
The path starts with patience. Seiya Suzuki has seen 4.31 pitches per plate appearance, Ian Happ 4.26, and Pete Crow-Armstrong 3.99, with Alex Bregman and Michael Busch not far behind. Chicago needs those kinds of at-bats to force Pivetta to work, run up his pitch count, and maybe get him out of the game early.
If the Cubs do get on base, the next step is making life messy. Push first to third.
Keep the defense moving. Let Pete Crow-Armstrong or Nico Hoerner turn a routine inning into a scramble.
That kind of pressure only matters if the Cubs actually reach base, which is why the walks become so important when the extra-base hits aren’t showing up.
The Cubs have spent all year proving they can score in different ways. Now they need that version again, because manufacturing runs may be the only way to keep this season going.
In Other News...
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For the Cubs, its one more reminder that this postseason meeting comes with a little extra bite, even before the teams step on the field. San Diego and Chicago are set to open the series Tuesday at 7 p.m. PT, and with both clubs carrying plenty of pressure into October, the chatter surrounding Machados comment only sharpens the spotlight on a matchup that was already drawing eyes. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the Cubs have no margin left as the series moves to Game 2 on Wednesday. After getting shut down in the opener, Chicago has to find a way to steady itself fast, because the pressure shifts right back onto a team that was already facing a must-response spot from the moment the final outs were recorded. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Crow-Armstrong Just Reached Another Level Of Cubs Stardom
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The cards grading only adds to the appeal, with PSA calling it Gem Mint 10 and the autograph earning the same mark. For Cubs fans, the sale is another sign of how Crow-Armstrongs historic 2023 season still hangs over everything he does, after he became the first Cub to reach at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season. What comes next for his on-field stardom may matter even more, and that is the part worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]