MIAMI — Desperately desiring a sweep towards the second-worst staff in baseball, the Chicago Cubs adopted up their highest offensive appearing of the season Saturday with every other dud on Sunday.
They fell again below .500 once more next a 7-2 loss to the Miami Marlins, making Saturday’s 14-run outburst look like a mirage.
“We didn’t miss out on anything with hard-hit balls today,” supervisor Craig Counsell stated. “They just kind of beat us with fastballs. Just didn’t have a good day on offense at all.”
Javier Assad served up house runs to 2 of the primary 3 batters he confronted, next settled all the way down to tone smartly via seven innings. However Julian Merryweather imploded within the four-run 8th, hanging the sport out of achieve.
The Cubs had been held to 6 hits via Adam Oller and 3 relievers, failing to realize grassland on Atlanta, which remained 5 1/2 video games forward within the 3rd Nationwide League wild-card spot with 31 video games residue.
Counsell known as it a “good series,” however conceded it will had been a “great series … but we couldn’t finish it.” He known as it “a little reminiscent of the Toronto series,” the place the Cubs received the primary two towards the Blue Jays and misplaced 1-0 within the finale.
Listed here are six questions from a weekend in Miami that began smartly and ended badly.
1. Do the Cubs have to switch their targets now?
Ian Happ showed it was once nonetheless “one series at a time” for the Cubs.
“Keep winning series like this, that’s the goal,” he stated. “Obviously a sweep would’ve been great, but anytime you win a series on the road you take it as a positive.”
Twenty-two of the Cubs’ ultimate 31 video games are towards sub-.500 groups, giving them a prospect to a minimum of finish the season with 84 wins. That might be one higher than latter week’s overall, after they fell one recreation trim of the 3rd NL wild-card spot.
That’s no longer the function, after all, however it might technically be an development from 2023, as Chairman Tom Ricketts would refuse hesitation indicate in his season price tag renewal letter.
On paper, it looks as if a maximum favorable time table for the Cubs.
“That’s your opinion,” Counsell stated earlier than Sunday’s loss.
True, despite the fact that it’s an opinion according to numbers …
“Just looking at the schedule, it hasn’t helped in the past,” Counsell stated with fun. “You’ve got to play the games in front of you. I see a lot of difficult games. There is a major-league game in front of you. It’s hard to win, and that’s how you kind of treat it and approach it. Some of the road series appear to be challenging to me.”
Two highway order on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies will definitely be tricky.
The remainder? Meh.
2. How wicked was once dropping a recreation to the Marlins?
Marlins supervisor Skip Schumaker could be the favourite to be the nearest White Sox supervisor. If this is the case, he’s getting stunning enjoy managing a terrible staff. The Marlins are so wretched they despatched in a pinch-runner for Jesús Sánchez next Merryweather deliberately walked him within the 8th, however Sánchez became round for the dugout earlier than the runner, Cristian Pache, going to first.
Merryweather threw to first on an enchantment and Sánchez was once dominated out for no longer touching first.
Counsell stated he “didn’t really know the rule, but the fact that (Sánchez) didn’t touch first base just looked odd, so we appealed just to make sure.”
Counsell hadn’t ever unhidden it occur earlier than. No person queried had ever unhidden it occur earlier than.
“Not even in Little League,” Cubs radio analyst Ron Coomer stated.
That’s what makes baseball stunning. You by no means know if you happen to’ll see one thing for the primary while.
3. Will Pete Crow-Armstrong in the end go as much as the zenith of the lineup?
Crow-Armstrong got here into Sunday’s recreation hitting .302 in August with a .362 OBP and .981 OPS in 20 video games. He was once timed at 14.08 seconds working across the bases Friday, the quickest of six inside-the-park house runs this season. Each and every while he reaches bottom he’s a blackmail to scouse borrow moment, if no longer moment and 3rd.
However Counsell credit the development from the base of the circumstance as an element within the staff’s progressed play games in August and reiterated he’s no longer taking into consideration transferring Crow-Armstrong within the rapid presen.
However along with his pace and talent to form runs, does Counsell believe PCA a presen top-of-the-order hitter in 2025?
“I haven’t put a lot of thought into that,” Counsell stated. “You want good offensive players at the top. Ideally, do they run well? Absolutely. Getting on base I would probably prioritize (up top), or just be a really good offensive player over speed. I think Pete has the attributes to move up there, for sure. It’ll happen at the right time.”
4. Who’s the nearer now that Héctor Neris is long gone?
Counsell hasn’t named one, however rookie Porter Hodge and veteran Jorge López seem to be co-closers for the while being.
“We’ve talked about Porter just throwing strikes, that’s the thing for him,” Counsell stated. “Friday he struggled a little bit, but did enough of the good things. Eleven balls and 11 strikes, that’s probably not how you want to proceed every day. But it’s something he can get better at and he will. In Porter’s case, it’s just (getting an) opportunity.”
López closed for a wicked Baltimore staff in 2022, posting 19 saves with a 1.68 ERA earlier than being dealt to the Minnesota Twins for potentialities.
“He’s throwing 97 (mph) and if the hitters don’t think they’re strikes, they’re right on the corners, that’s a pretty good formula,” Counsell stated.
Since López is a independent agent next this season, it is sensible to present Hodge extra alternatives.
5. Will the Cubs shed Shota Imanaga’s workload i’m sick the stretch?
Imanaga has 140 innings below his belt in his first main league season. His occupation prime in Japan was once 170 innings in 2019. Previous this season the Cubs had him skip a begin to aim and top his workload.
“At this point, we’re not looking at it,” Counsell stated. “He’s going to pitch on his days. If there is a reason to make a change there and give him an extra day, we’ll certainly consider it. But at this point, whenever Shota shows up, that’s his day to pitch.”
Jordan Wicks threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings Sunday in a rehab get started Sunday for Triple-A Iowa and has a minimum of another get started. He figures to be a September call-up when the Cubs may move with six starters.
6. Is David Bote nonetheless within the group?
Bote was once designated for task Friday, however the Cubs introduced next the sport that Bote cleared waivers and was once outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. He’s incomes $5.510 million, and the Cubs are anticipated to say no his $7 million choice for 2025 next the season.
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