It’s only early June, and there is still so much baseball to be played; we have seen teams turn it around many times before, but my oh my, what is going on with this Cubs team? Currently sitting at 29-31 and 7.5 games back in the NL Central, the Cubs' offense has been terrible (to put it lightly); in the last three weeks, the Cubs are either in 29th or dead last in batting average, OBP, SLG, and OPS. Chicago has now dropped six straight series after dropping both series to the Cincinnati Reds and Milawkee Breweres (both NL Central opponents!). If the Cubs are going to start turning it around, it will need to happen sooner rather than later, with the all-star break and the trade deadline rapidly approaching.
5/27-5/30 @ Milwaukee
Game 1: Loss, 5-1
Game 2: Win/10, 6-3
Game 3: Loss, 10-6
Game 4: Loss, 6-4
This series presented itself as a crucial matchup for the Cubs. Craig Counsell’s return to Milwaukee, going up against the NL Central-leading Brewers, would indicate what kind of Cubs team is being put out on the field, as Milwaukee is a talented ball club. The Cubs showed signs of uncompetitiveness, being outscored 24-17 and only picking up one win. However, there were bright spots, mainly the seven innings of no-hit ball featured by Ben Brown.
5/31-6/2 vs. Cincinnati
Game 1: Loss, 5-4
Game 2: Win, 7-5
Game 3: Loss, 5-2
The Cubs then returned to Wrigley to take on the Reds of Cincinnati, which also showed a lot of uncompetitiveness. Pete Crow-Armstrong and David Bote rejoined the big league in an attempt to spark the lineup that doesn't have a qualified hitter hitting over .270. The Cubs should've won game one, but due to a 9th-inning mistake made by third base coach Willie Harris, the Cubs would squander the winning run in scoring position. Game 2 would feature the hideous error by Suzuki but also a redemption grand slam and a two-run shot by Dansby Swanson, which ended up being the deciding factor. Game 3 wouldn’t feature much offense either, only two runs on eight hits, and Ben Brown didn't have the ball spinning as he did against Milwaukee.
Hitter of the Week: Seyia Suzuki
After coming off an almost month-long IL stint and not looking his best, Suzuki's bat came alive this last week, hitting .333/.400/.667 with 2 HR and 7 RBIs. Suzuki’s biggest hit of the week came right after he dropped a routine fly ball that cost the Cubs three runs against the Reds; however, in the next half inning, Suzuki tied the game with a grand slam. Talk about immediate redemption, right?
Pitcher of the Week: Justin Steele
Pitcher of the Week quickly could've gone to Ben Brown, but due to the Cubs rookie giving up five earned runs against the Reds on Sunday, it had to go to the Cubs ace Justin Steele. Steele finally looks like he’s returning to his all-star self after pitching 12.0 innings in his two starts this past week. Steele held an ERA of 0.75 and a BA of .222, all while striking out 13. With a healthy Justin Steele, the Cubs rotation could be one of the best in the bigs, as long as the struggling offense can give some support.
Other Highlights
Series to Come
6/4: White-Sox vs. Cubs (C. Flexen vs. S. Imanaga)
6/5: White Sox vs. Cubs (E. Fedde vs. J. Tailon)
6/6: Cubs vs. Reds (J. Assad vs. H. Greene)
6/7: Cubs vs. Reds (J. Steele vs. N. Lodolo)
6/8: Cubs vs. Reds (B. Brown vs. A. Abbott)
6/9: Cubs vs. Reds (S. Imanaga vs. F. Montas)
Main Image via Getty Images
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