Chicago Cubs: No Reason to Panic About Weekend Struggles
The Chicago Cubs were just swept over the weekend by the Pittsburgh Pirates at home, but now is not the time to panic.
Entering the weekend, the Chicago Cubs sat at 6-3 on the season. After hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games at Wrigley Field, the Cubs now enter the week at 6-6. Let’s just say it was not an ideal weekend for the North Siders.
With Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester taking the mound for the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, a three-game sweep by the Pirates seemed improbable, if not impossible. However, here we are.
On Friday, the Cubs led 2-1 entering the sixth inning. Hendricks and relief pitcher Justin Grimm gave up three runs in the sixth and they took a 4-2 loss to the Pirates and Gerrit Cole. Tough loss, but it happens.
The game on Saturday really stung. Highlighted by a Kris Bryant long home run, the Cubs took a 4-0 lead in the first inning. However, with the wind howling out at Wrigley Field, the Pirates were able to come back and win the game 8-7. A three-run shot by Andrew McCutchen off of Pedro Strop in a five-run seventh inning was the big blow.
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Lester and Jameson Tallion battled on Sunday and the Cubs starter went seven scoreless innings. He left the game with a 1-0 lead. However, the bullpen (namely Koji Uehara and Grimm) could not hold the lead and the Cubs lost 6-1. No matter how you look at it, it was an ugly weekend for the defending World Series champions.
Stay Calm
However, there is no reason to panic.
The Cubs’ bullpen was obviously shaky throughout the weekend. There should be concerns about Grimm and Strop, but Uehara had looked great until Sunday. He is going to be a perfectly capable middle reliever. Hector Rondon and Wade Davis have been lights out, and Carl Edwards Jr. is an incredible option out of the pen as well. It may take a while for Joe Maddon to figure out who he can trust, but this Cubs bullpen is still extremely talented.
The Cubs offense has struggled to score runs to start the season. However, are we really worried about Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and company’s ability to score runs? Come on, these guys are going to figure it out.
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No team is perfect. The Chicago Cubs have flaws like every other team in baseball. That being said, they are still far better than most. The weekend sweep by the Pirates is certainly less than ideal, but it is far too early to worry about this Cubs’ team.
Sit back and be patient. The Chicago Cubs will soon make us forget about this minor bump in the road.