The Chicago Cubs have been a comeback team this homestand, but an eight-run deficit on Saturday turned out to be a bit more than they could chew in a 10-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Starter Ben Brown hit Kyle Schwarber leading off a scoreless game in the fourth and allowed four straight hits, including a bases-loaded pop-up down the left-field line by Max Kepler that fell in front of Ian Happ and started a six-run inning that put the game out of reach.
The short outing was not what Counsell needed from his starter on a chilly day with the wind blowing in at Wrigley Field.
“We need better, frankly,” Counsell said. “To be a starter, the length in the game, we need from him. As a starter, you’ve got to be able to navigate, limit damage to get your way into games. there’s been some bright spots and clearly some good things there but 3 2/3 innings (isn’t enough).”
Brown recognized his mistakes hurt him in the six-run fourth and another short outing didn’t bode well for a long-term stay in the rotation.
“What happened, there just didn’t seem there was an end in sight, which is unfortunate,” he said.
The Cubs are 5-2 on the homestand and will try to win the series Sunday night with Jameson Taillon facing Aaron Nola on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”
Here are eight questions from the homestand.
1. Is Dansby Swanson’s slump a concern?
Swanson has struggled the most this season, hitting .196 entering Saturday’s game and only .174 against right-handers.
The Cubs faced a left-handed starter for only the fifth time in the Phillies’ Jesus Luzardo, who held them hitless until Jon Berti’s single with two outs in the fifth inning. Swanson went 0-for-5, dropping his average to .188.
“As a hitter, he’s streaky,” president Jed Hoyer said earlier this week. “He played well that early homestand, and obviously had a really rough road trip out west and really hasn’t gotten it going yet. But as odd as it sounds, we’ve had a number of guys really hot and guys playing well, and some guys are struggling, and my guess is when the other guys come down a little bit, he’s going to step up.
“He’s streaky in general and has struggled a little bit against right-handed pitching during this stretch, but I think he’ll get it going, and he continues to play amazing defense to help us win, even while he’s struggled at the plate.”
2. How close is Cade Horton?
The Cubs top pitching prospect has a 1.06 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Iowa with 23 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP over 17 innings. The Cubs rotation is seemingly set with Colin Rea pitching well since replacing Justin Steele.
Brown was knocked out of the game after allowing six runs in the fourth inning Saturday, raising his ERA to 6.04.
3. Can Berti stop the revolving door at third base?
Berti had three more hits Saturday after going 2-for-4 on Friday afternoon. He’s trying to nail down a third base job that has already been troublesome — and has looked like the best choice so far. Matt Shaw was demoted to Triple-A Iowa and Gage Workman was designated for assignment and traded Saturday to the White Sox for cash considerations.
4. Will Ryan Pressly have to deal with right knee issues all year?
Pressly had his knee drained this week and hasn’t pitched since April 20 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Counsell said the Cubs are just being cautious and that every player deals with some sort of pain.
“There are degrees of that with every single thing that guys deal with, so the answer is yes, you have good days,” Counsell said. “But I also don’t think that makes Ryan Pressly unique. I think every player has got that issue. By the time we get to August, you can list 26 players with that issue.
“Start of the season, (and) I think that’s why we’re trying to be proactive with it here and take a couple days off and be a little more aggressive with the treatment.”
5. Would Porter Hodge be the closer if Pressly becomes unavailable for a stretch?
Hodge served as the de facto closer last year and converted nine of his 12 save opportunities, posting a 1.85 ERA over his final 31 appearances that began on June 27. But Counsell declined to say what he might do if Pressly is unavailable.
“I don’t feel like I’m answering that question right now, so we don’t need to answer that question,” he said.
6. What does Drew Pomeranz bring to the clubhouse?
The Cubs bullpen needed a second left-hander, and Pomeranz, 36, was Hoyer’s choice. Pomeranz threw his second scoreless inning in two days Saturday, and he brings some experience and leadership to the Cubs. Due to injuries, Pomeranz hadn’t pitched in a major league game since Aug. 10, 2021, with San Diego, and his comeback story is one other pitchers can look to after suffering career-threatening arm injuries.
What kept him going over the last four years?
“Just wanting to pitch,” Pomeranz said. “Last year I didn’t get to pitch (with the Dodgers) and I honestly thought I was done and didn’t really have any desire to play. Some months passed and I was like, ‘Man it would be really nicd to just pitch one more time’ and go out and give everything I got. I finally got a chance to and hopefully that wasn’t the last one.”
7. Is Justin Turner ever going to hit like Justin Turner?
Counsell said Turner’s 39 at-bats entering Saturday were a small sample size, but conceded the 40-year-old veteran “hasn’t produced the way that he’d like to.” Turner came in hitting .154 and was only 3-for-15 against lefties. In his nine previous starts before Saturday, he was hitting .129 (4-for-31).
Counsell said he was confident that Turner would turn things around and that the infielder was adjusting to a new role.
“One thing I’m interested in is that this is the first time he’s been in a little more of a part-time role, which is pretty good when you’re 40 years old, for that (to be) the first time it’s happened,” Counsell said. “It just shows nobody is immune to it, too.”
8. Could the Cubs bring back Schwarber next year?
Hoyer’s biggest mistake as Cubs president was non-tendering Schwarber after the 2020 season when the left fielder, like many others, struggled in the shortened COVID-19 season. In four-plus seasons since leaving Chicago, Schwarber has hit 170 home runs. He still gets long and loud ovations every time he’s at Wrigley Field and will become a free agent after this season.
The Cubs will obviously prioritize re-signing Kyle Tucker, but if Tucker leaves, bringing back Schwarber would make a lot of sense. Schwarber loves Philly, but he also loves Chicago.
“The best line I’ve ever heard on that is from Jon Lester— the best way to get paid is to win,” he told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “So I’ll just focus on that. It’s what I’ve always focused on.”
