The Chicago Cubs have had an interesting first half of baseball this season in which they started hot in April before cooling down. In May and June, they went on consecutive hot and cold streaks and the fans wonder if the team that always says they are competing turns into sellers again at the trade deadline. But there are many reasons that the Northside should be happy about and also see improvement while we move past the All-Star Break.
Pitching
The starting pitching has been mostly solid. Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele have proven themselves to be the aces the Cubs needed. While they have an off game once in a while, they have brought stability back to the Cubs rotation that was needed after mediocre pitching the past year. Along with them, Kyle Hendricks returned from the injury list a couple of months into the season, and it looks like he is finding his rhythm again.
Then there comes the sore spots in the rotation: Jameson Taillon and Drew Smyly. When the Cubs signed Taillon in the offseason, it looked like he would be a solid part of the rotation but he has been struggling heavily in this season so far. With a 6.05 ERA, it feels like every game he starts will end in a loss. But, he just pitched well against his former Yankees team, so maybe the second half will be kind to him. With Smyly, he almost pitched a perfect game earlier in the season. However since then, he has struggled with a 4.50 ERA. It doesn’t seem that bad, but compared to the top three it needs improvement.
The Bullpen has improved also. The additions of Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather have helped the team in close games. Adbert Alzolay has become the new closer who dominates. The pen has been through changes as Merryweather and Michael Fulmer struggled in their first few outings. But, they have improved during the final stretch and look like they are continuing success in the future. The problem like the starting pitching is consistency. They are usually reliable but sometimes they are in the game for too long. If they can tweak the way each of them is played then I see good things.
Offense
The main point of focus during this first half is the offense. Now at first, the offense had been dominant in the first month of the season. But for the most part, it looks like the same offense the Cubs have had for years. There are times like the nights before when they destroy the scoreboard, but at other times they go silent. It is hard to see who has a good bat cause anytime they start producing, it can go away. There are, however, some exceptions to this of course.
Mike Tauchman came out of nowhere and surprised every Cubs fan with a reliable bat and became our leadoff hitter. Cody Bellinger after coming off injury has shown that he still has power in his bat. While Christopher Morel has cooled off from his hot start, he still gets it done. Nico Hoerner is still pretty good at the plate with Dansby Swanson still out on injury.
Issues with Inconsistency
But with the good, comes the inconsistency. While Seiya Suzuki is doing alright at the plate and great in the field, he is looking like he is going through a sophomore slump. Ian Happ has not shown the power constantly as well. Both Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart are not giving the numbers that Wilson Contreras had in the past. Though Patrick Wisdom is finally showing some power again, he is still batting .200. The main reason I believe the Cubs are where they are now is the lack of consistency in the bats. They have good players on the team, that is for sure. However, if some do not contribute to most of the games, then it will be just another mediocre team that sells at the trade deadline.
The Motto of Never Giving Up
There is one thing that shows that this team does care: They know when to not quit. The Mariners’ game at the start of the season is a great demonstration of that. When they were down 7-0 in the third inning, they stepped up and came right back up. When it seems that all is lost, someone brings some momentum to the team. Even if it ends in a loss, they know that the fans want to see the effort in their play and the fans are what bring this team hope. While this team hasn’t had a good record or been in the playoffs in a while, the fans have always shown up. The energy they bring even in a tough season like this means something.
This team and this fanbase deserve to have a good team again and since the trade deadline is looming who knows? Maybe next season will be different. For now, the Cubs are still figuring it out, but if that makes them a better team in the future, then I welcome it.
Check out my Cubs Season Preview:https://www.backsportspage.com/chicago-cubs-2023-season-preview/
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