Chicago Cubs players continue to make team executives squirm as the trade deadline nears.
Again.
Last year the Cubs struggled at the beginning of the season but got hot after the All-Star break before falling one game short of making the playoffs.
This year’s team returned from the All-Star break Friday in last place in the National League Central but still alive in a murky wild-card race. Winning six of eight heading into the break made some wonder if the Cubs would be buyers before the July 30 deadline.
Cubs President Jud Hoyer did not speak before Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in front of a Wrigley Field crowd of 40,691. The Cubs dropped to 47-52 to remain in the division cellar.
While the higher-ups have decisions to make about buying, selling or standing pat, manager Craig Counsell is eyeing the rest of the season as a whole.
“I look at the total number of games we have left to prove ourselves,” Counsell said. “That’s our job. The way we played the first 100-ish games of the season has not left us very much room for error.
“We have to play really well to get back in this and put ourselves into position. I don’t think that it’s determined by the next 10 days.”
Playing really well wasn’t in the cards Friday. The Cubs may have been refreshed after the four-day break but they had a hard time getting the offense going, striking out 13 times.
Justin Steele — who had allowed one run on five hits in 16 innings over his previous two starts, both wins — added two more shutout innings Friday. Then things blew up as Steele (2-4) surrendered five runs on eight hits in the next 1 2/3 innings.
Steele thinks the Cubs still can get hot and grab a wild-card spot.
“We’re in a very similar situation as we were last year,” he said. “We were one game away last year. There are a bunch of different things that can happen where one win turns into a loss or one loss turns into a win.
“We really believe in the group we have. It’s the same guys from last year and we made some additions. We’re better on paper, we just have to put wins in the column.”
The offense mustered just two hits in the first five innings before Christopher Morel singled home Michael Busch in the sixth. Ian Happ brought home Nico Hoerner with a sacrifice fly in the eighth for the other run.
Before the game the Cubs brought up Jesus Tinoco from Triple-A Iowa for bullpen help. Tinoco had an 8.10 ERA in nine games with the Texas Rangers before pitching in the Kansas City Royals minor-league system. The Cubs acquired him Tuesday and placed him on the Iowa roster.
Tinoco pitched two scoreless innings Friday.
They also activated outfielder Mike Tauchman from the 10-day injured list. The Palatine native went 0-for-2 off the bench.
Pitcher Jordan Wicks, who has a right oblique strain, was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day IL, while outfielder Alexander Canario was sent back to Iowa.
“The calendar didn’t work out for Jordan,” Counsell said. “It’s going slower than we originally thought. That’s just the way it goes, and he was experiencing symptoms as he tried to ramp up a couple of times.”
Outfielder Cody Bellinger (fractured left middle finger) will be doing activities soon, but the team is taking it slow with him, Counsell said.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
