Reviewing the Cubs' May
It's been a wild ride for Cub fans over the last month. They came into the month on a 5-game winning streak. They promptly canceled that out with an equally long skid, which included a Cardinal sweep. Naturally, they followed then skid with another win streak, again 5 games long. The rest of the month remained a bit of a roller coaster, and they finished 14-13 on the month. Now they stand in 2nd place in the central, 4 games behind the Brewers.
You're bound to find plenty of good and plenty of bad in a spring adventure such as this. I'm going to take a closer look at both sides, starting with the good stuff.
The Positives
Quality hitting
The Cubs' offense has been excelling in nearly every aspect of the game. In May the Cubs were 1st in the NL in OBP, SLG, Walks, and Runs. There were also only two clubs that struck out less (Pittsburgh and Washington). There is one glaring issue that needs improvement, we'll get to that later, but the offense really has been great in the young season.
Bryzzo back in action
The season started off slow for the power couple, more specifically for Anthony Rizzo. However, things have been great for them in May. Rizzo and Bryant slashed .303/.408/.576 and .282/.368/.536 respectively. The two also combined for 44 RBI's and 13 HR's. Cubs' baseball just wasn't the same without them leading the charge. Here's to hoping we don't have to watch that again for a while.
Lights out 'Pen
There has been a dramatic change for the better for this bullpen since 2017. They still walk a lot of batters, but that really is the only negative. The Cubs' relievers rank 1st in batting average against with a measly .202, and they rank 3rd in ERA with 2.68.
It's hard to spotlight any one player because they've all been so good. What is really great though is the talent that has been brought up from the minors. We have seen appearances from Cory Mazzoni, Randy Rosario, Rob Zastryzny, and Justin Hancock. The four of them have combined for 19.1 innings and have allowed just 7 hits and 2 runs. Although Hancock is the only one to get consistent time so far, it is awesome to see so much potential for the future of the 'Pen.
The Negatives
Stranded runners
I mentioned earlier that there was one big problem with the Cubs' offense. As many of you probably guessed, I'm talking about hitting with runners in scoring position. The Cubs are slashing a very poor .220/.308/.330 with RISP this season. Their strikeout rate also skyrockets in scoring situations. I mentioned that the club doesn't strikeout often, but they have 136 strikeouts with RISP, only the Rangers have more. This is incredibly frustrating to watch, and I can only imagine what the players feel.
Fortunately, the Cubs have still been able to keep scoring plenty of runs so far, but that won't always be the case. The Cubs strand a league leading 4.17 runners at 2nd and 3rd per game. That will come back to bite you in a lot of close games, and come October, assuming they get there, it will be their doom if they don't turn things around.
Starters still shaky
The starting rotation has yet to live up to it's potential. Lester and Hendricks have been fairly solid, but have not produced quite as much as we expect. The rest of the rotation has been severely under-performing. Quintana, Darvish, and Chatwood have a combined 4.23 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 14 combined starts in the month of May. Darvish has also been put on the DL twice. We did see a great start from Montgomery in Darvish's absence, but he will have to go back to the 'Pen shortly. Q and Yu have shown some improvement in a couple recent starts, but with how inconsistent they have been, it's hard to say if that will continue.
This is incredibly frustrating when you know how good they can be. We should have three or four aces in this rotation, but instead, as of right now, it feels like we barely have two.
The Overview
This month followed patterns that we have come to expect from this team. They are very streaky, and can never seem to get all cylinders firing at once. There always seems to be enough bad to off set the good, and they keep hanging around .500.
The key to them breaking loose and taking command of the Central is rotation consistency. They have gotten away with poor RISP performance in the past. The Cubs have been in the bottom half of the league in hitting with RISP all of the last three years. It's just part of how they are, due to their approach at the plate. Their record is always dependent on their starting pitching.
In 2016, the rotation was about as elite as they come, and the team dominated start to finish. The Cubs struggled the first half of 2017 when the best ERA in the rotation was Eddie Butler's 3.88. After the All-Star break, every starter's ERA was below that mark, and sure enough, the wins started rolling in.
If the starters can find some consistency, there isn't a doubt in my mind that will win this division. If they don't, well, it will be a gloomy October in Chicago.
