Cubs blanked by Braves |
CHICAGO - At some point, you need to take a long look in the mirror and figure out what is happening with this offense. Over the past month, the Chicago Cubs (27-24) offense has gone from bad to downright offensive, as they are averaging less than 3.1 runs per game since April 27. That simply isn't going to get it done and it puts all of the pressure on the pitching staff to pitch perfectly to have a chance at winning.
That was once again the case against the Atlanta Braves (29-18) at Wrigley Field on Thursday, as this was a bullpen vs. bullpen game on the mound. It doesn't seem to matter who the Cubs are facing on the mound, as the end result is the same: the Cubs offense fails to do the job and leaves the fans frustrated with the product they are seeing. All it took was one bad pitch from Hayden Wesneski that proved to be the difference as the Braves took care of the Cubs 3-0 to clinch the season series 4-2. Take away that pitch from Wesneski, and this was a wonderfully pitched game early on with Ben Brown getting the start and striking out six through four innings. He left the game at just 66 pitches, and had he been more stretched out than he is now, there is a good chance Craig Counsell would've stuck with him on the mound. Opposing him was AJ Smith-Shawver, who scattered three hits in 4 1/3 shutout innings. Two hits came off the bat of Seiya Suzuki, and the other one came from a Dansby Swanson single. With the score knotted 0-0 entering the fifth, you started to get the feeling that the first team to score would win this game. Unfortunately, it was the Braves who were that first team. The Jarred Kelenic leadoff homer in the fifth put the Braves in front 1-0, and they didn't look back. That homer meant that the Cubs would be playing from behind in all seven of their games on this homestand, which is never a recipe for success. Throughout the first four innings, the Cubs had their chances to break through, especially in the fourth when Mike Tauchman picked up a walk ahead of a Suzuki single only to have both runners stranded on the bases. Then came the bottom of the sixth when the Cubs were looking to break through against a former Chicago Cub in Pierce Johnson. Christopher Morel nearly took Johnson deep to begin his outing, only to have Kelenic make the grab on the warning track. That was followed by an Ian Happ double and a Nico Hoerner walk as the Cubs were mounting a two-out rally. Nothing came from that rally, with Johnson bouncing back to strikeout Michael Busch to end the threat and keep the Braves in front 1-0. Another scoreless inning by Luke Little sent the game into the eighth, where Kyle Hendricks made his first relief appearance of the season. It's no secret that Hendricks has struggled since day one, but this is his opportunity to turn his season around and try to save what has been a rough go of it. Pitching in relief is a different animal and doesn't come without practice. However, with Hendricks going against a team that has owned him in the past, this wasn't the game where you would expect him to be dialed in. What started with a leadoff Chadwick Tromp single was followed by a walk, and just like that, the Braves were threatening once again. Two batters later, one of the biggest Cubs killers in Ozzie Albies cashed in as his RBI single doubled the Braves lead at 2-0. Some would say that single was the Cubs final nail in the coffin for this homestand, but after Albies swiped second the Braves offense wasn't done. Marcell Ozuna capped off the scoring for Atlanta as he added to his MLB-leading RBI total with a sacrifice fly to make things 3-0. Atlanta put two more runners on base in the ninth, but Hendricks managed to pitch out of trouble while the Cubs' offense remained quiet the rest of the way. At some point, you have to think this team will start to hit again, as they have collectively hit .201 since April 27. That won't cut it, and should those types of results continue, you have to think there will be significant changes coming, whether anyone likes it or not. Chicago will now hit the road for a crucial Rivalry Road trip that kicks off Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals. Following that series, Counsell will return to Milwaukee for the first time as the Cubs have a golden opportunity to take over first place in the NL Central. "It was a quiet day ... we didn't do enough offensively."
The Cubs are averaging 2.30 runs/game over their last 10 games. pic.twitter.com/vxBGRXzawn
