Challenges and Potential for Cubs in Their Recent Series

The Chicago Cubs entered their series against the San Francisco Giants with a crucial win under their belt, hoping to build momentum. The victory was a relief after narrowly avoiding a sweep by the worst team in the majors at Coors Field. Their record stands just one game above .500, tied for third in the National League Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by 7.5 games.

Pete Crow-Armstrong Shines at the Plate

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been a key performer despite a slow start. As of Friday, he maintained a 15-game streak of getting on base. Over his last 31 games, Crow-Armstrong achieved a .267/.363/.509 slash line with a 145 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+). He recorded seven home runs, five doubles, and 16 RBIs. His performance contributed to his first National League player of the week award.

Knowing exactly what I want to do each at-bat, Crow-Armstrong said. You see people take good pitches, and they get more good pitches to hit, so just executing on those good pitches that I’m getting.

Ben Brown’s Stellar Pitching Performance

Ben Brown emerged as a standout in the Cubs’ rotation. The right-hander was added to the lineup on May 8, following Matthew Boyd’s knee surgery. Before his recent start against the Giants, Brown held a 1.44 ERA across six games, boasting 34 strikeouts with only eight walks. Notably, he hasn’t allowed a single home run in 31 1/3 innings. His efforts earned him one of the lowest ERAs in baseball during this period.

This is often how it happens, said manager Counsell about Brown’s opportunity. You get bad news, you get sent down or aren’t where you want to be, but are you ready when the next moment arrives?

Lack of Offensive Power

The Cubs’ offensive struggles are evident as they rank low in slugging percentage, especially during a stretch marked by a 10-game losing streak. Their three-homer game last Thursday was their first since April 25. From May 16 onward, the Cubs rank 28th in slugging percentage (.364), while their Isolate Power (ISO) sits at 27th in the league.

This issue affects most players, with Dansby Swanson hitting a 46 wRC+ and .242 SLG, Nico Hoerner at a 64 wRC+ and .247 SLG, and Seiya Suzuki at a 64 wRC+ and .330 SLG despite a recent grand slam.

Hitting, it’s really simple: when you get pitches to hit, those are the ones you’ve got to hit hard, and there’s been some hard-hit balls, but for the most part, we haven’t done that enough, Counsell explained.

The Cubs need to capitalize on pitches that are hittable to improve their offensive performance.