5 things we learned about Cubs in April
When the Cubs lost 5-0 in Atlanta on Tuesday night, it marked the fourth time already they’ve been shut out through 23 games this season — matching their season total for the pandemic-shortened 60-game season in 2020.And even in that shortened season it didn’t happen the first time until their 44th game.Their fourth consecutive loss also dropped them to three games under .500, assuring they will not finish April with a winning record as they try to play their way into strong enough position to avoid a clearance-sale selloff at the July trade deadline (No, Joc Pederson, that’s not four months away).“I don’t think any of us feel like we’ve hit our strides,” veteran right fielder Jason Heyward said after Atlanta rookie Ian Anderson stifled the Cubs on one hit and a walk in a seven-inning start. “But I think it’s still early to be talking about any kind of stride.“If anything we feel fortunate that we’re not 10 games out of first place right now.”Four games out seems small consolation.But as first baseman Anthony Rizzo, manager David Ross and Heyward have pointed out, it is early.Which might not be the panacea they think it is, if the Brewers pitching is as real as it looks so far — and some of the Cubs’ isn’t.“We also understand how quickly these things can change, in two days, three days, with the way our division is,” Heyward said.Yeah, like how they won four straight games, thanks in large part to that three-game sweep of the Mets, only to follow that by losing four straight to the Brewers and in Atlanta.Maybe Javy Báez (hamstring) and Kris Bryant (biceps) are back to full health within the next day or two to help the lineup — with Pederson (hand) not far behind.Maybe Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies bounce back from slow starts to their seasons — and the Cubs actually join the other 29 teams and produce a seven-inning start.For now, here are the five truths that April revealed about the Cubs:(Yeah, we know there are three games left in the month, so save it. We don’t need three more games to know what we see.)
Former MVP Kris Bryant is still the best hitter on this team, and has shown that again in no uncertain terms — and even while much of the rest of the lineup has struggled — after being skewered on social media and local airwaves for the past year or so.
Even a case of biceps discomfort that sidelined him Tuesday after playing through it for most of the past week did not stop him from hitting the tying grand slam on Monday night that boosted him to career highs for April in homers (six) and RBIs (16) — and keeping up a four-week pace that would put him on track for his best career season.
Not bad for a three-time All-Star. And not bad timing for a guy who gets the chance to cash in as a free agent after this season.
After struggling down the stretch in 2019 and the opening month of last year’s short season, Kimbrel righted himself in September and has carried that Hall-of-Fame-closer look into this season.
The seven-time All-Star hasn’t allowed a run since August and has given up just one hit in eight appearances so far this season — flashing an occasional 99 on the radar gun and locating his breaking ball.
Enjoy the lights-out show while it lasts on the North Side. Because as much as Kimbrel’s shut-down, ninth-inning form is the stuff of championship-caliber teams, that also makes him the drool-worthy stuff for contending GMs across baseball at the trade deadline.
The Cubs led the majors in innings from the rotation in 2020, which turned out to be the backbone of a division champion.
This time around, not so much. When play began Tuesday, only two teams in the majors didn’t have a seven-inning start from its rotation. Then Anderson pitched seven scoreless against the Cubs, and the Braves were on the board.
The usually reliable Zach Davies — acquired in the salary-dump trade of Yu Darvish to San Diego — has a 9.47 ERA through five starts and calls this “one of the worst stretches of my career.”
Adbert Alzolay has looked electric at times but has watched a boatload of runners score against the bullpen after he put them on. And even ace Kyle Hendricks had his usual April sorting-out period exacerbated by a skipped start (flu symptoms) that led to the worst first inning of his career and a rough-looking April line.
The starters are 7-9 with a 5.19 ERA — and that’s with Jake Arrieta (3-1, 2.57) putting up a good month.
As has been the case during their six-year run of winning seasons, the Cubs will go as far as their rotation takes them.
So buckle up.
Where have you gone, Dexter Fowler? Cub nation turns its lonely eyes to you … and can almost hear what’s left of a fading echo: “you go, we go.”
Fowler went, all right. And when he did, so did any semblance of production from the leadoff spot from anyone the Cubs tried as an everyday solution — a trend now into its fifth year with the April struggles of Ian Happ.
Happ was bumped down the order this week in favor of Nico Hoerner.
Stay tuned.
The Cubs won the inaugural team Gold Glove last year with six Gold Glove finalists, and that team fielding prowess is probably why — as Heyward says — they’re fortunate not to be 10 games out of first. It was the biggest difference between them and the NL-East-leading Mets in a Cubs sweep.
But the offense is still — as former team president Theo Epstein said in 2018 — “broke.”
They often don’t see the ball so well once they put down their gloves, striking out more than anyone in the league except the Brewers and ranking near the bottom of the league in misses on swings in the strike zone (looking at you, Javy Báez).
Consequently, they're hitting a league-worst .206, and they’ve got those four shutouts already — halfway to their last full-season (2019) total. And it took them 108 games in 2019 to get shut out four times.
In fact, in the span of a week they scored 13, 16 and 15 runs in three victories — but averaged 2.75 runs in their other 20 this season.
Of course, it’s only April. And it could be worse.
They don’t play the Dodgers until May.
