The Chicago Cubs learned the hard way last season how difficult and taxing it can be to dig out of a hole to stay in the postseason hunt.
As the offense continues its six-week flounder, especially with runners in scoring position, it’s creating an eerily similar and concerning trend as the Cubs approach the midpoint of the season. The Cubs’ 34-38 record entering Monday matches their mark last year through 72 games, except they feature a negative run differential (minus-17) instead of a positive run differential (plus-17).
The timing of poor play nearly aligns with the timeframe of last year’s costly slump, and as president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledged Monday afternoon, the offensive challenges are almost indistinguishable.
“When we came out of those struggles we hit,” Hoyer said. “You go back and we were scoring eight, nine runs a game, we were opening games up and I think that’s what’s ultimately going to lead to us getting out of this rut this time is going to be scoring runs. We’re going to have to do it the way we did last year.”
Their efforts to recover from falling 10 games under .500 took a toll, which concerns Hoyer if the Cubs keep dropping series. Being in chase mode makes it hard to give players days off and creates no margin for error.
“I hope not to relive that but, yeah, we need to start playing well soon to get out of that,” Hoyer said.
That it is again the offense falling short during this bad stretch makes the struggles particularly frustrating for Hoyer and the organization. For the pitching staff, the offensive slump puts unsustainable pressure on them to perfect. This becomes even more heightened for the relievers, most notably in the late innings when games have often featured the Cubs up or down a run or tied.
The Cubs have already played in 29 one-run games (13-16), three more than any other team in the majors this season. Seven of the Cubs’ last 12 games have been decided by one run (3-4).
“That’s a really hard way to live,” Hoyer said. “We’ve played the same game pretty much for over a month now.”
While Hoyer reiterated that the answers must come from the organization, he also made clear that does not mean he isn’t on the phone all the time talking to other teams to look for possibilities.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t doing that,” Hoyer said. “I’m also realistic about what the trade market is and the opportunity so I think that yes, of course, if there was the right offensive player that could come in and could spark us we would absolutely look into that. It’s just very difficult to find this time of year.”
As Hoyer and the front office weigh their options in the coming weeks leading up to the July 30 trade deadline, the Cubs must determine how much prospect capital from a deep farm system they are willing to give up.
“The team’s performance is going to have a significant bearing on that,” Hoyer said.
