The Chicago Cubs lost their series against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, and the Cubs have finally been humbled (again). After their second ten game win streak in a very young season, the Cubs have risen to national prominence once again, and have earned themselves a slight grip on the NL Central. The Cubs didn't panic, and they took the blow with grace while dropping two in a row to the rangers, and not in a pretty way, either.
The Rangers controlled the series through their pitching, a sore spot for the Cubs after multiple injuries have derailed both the bullpen and the starting rotation. After the Cubs took game one with decisive authority, they never really found their footing, and the Rangers pitching staff made sure of it.
Texas provided a needed reality check
With the Atlanta Braves on the horizon, it's worth noting the things the Cubs got wrong against the Rangers, to help identify where improvement is needed the most. The offense was stagnant after game one, collecting only seven hits to the Rangers sixteen. The Rangers managed to plate nine of those sixteen hits, but the Cubs failed to do so every time.
Creating momentum where none exists has been the Cubs strong suit so far this year, but against the Rangers, they failed to perform particularly when they had runners in scoring position (RISP). Game two left nine RISP. The Cubs have done well against average pitching, but against a solid rotation like Texas has, the bats just weren't there.
The Cubs pitching was not horrible, definitely not as horrible it could be given the state of the injury list. But critical mistakes led to many additional runners on base than necessary, and when you compound multiple mistakes, it can easily slip into nine unanswered runs like it did here. Edward Cabrera had a particularly rough outing in game 2, allowing seven hits and five earned runs. The Cubs could have done with better pitching in this series, but given the thin margin for error the Cubs teeter on right now, nobody is fast to point fingers.
Seiya Suzuki continued to look like the Cubs most dangerous hitter
Suzuki has been remarkably consistent in the first months of the season. In this series alone, he was a model for what a good hitter should be. Even when the offense fell flat, Suzuki still managed to reach base in all three games, and he continued drawing walks against excellent pitching. Even when the linuep stalled, Suzuki still looked capable of changing a game with a single swing.
Michael Busch had a strong game 1 as well, knocking in three and drawing two walks. Ian Happ continued his streak of reaching base, even reaching an historic high. Still, if the Cubs are touted to have a resurgence against the Braves, Suzuki is highly likely to be a, if not the, centerpiece of the response.
The Cubs leave Texas with a series loss, but that's not anything to dwell upon. The MLB is a test of longevity, not something that should be handled at high speed. The Cubs have a long way to go to continue their hold on the NL central, but for now, its already time to set sights on the Atlanta Braves, the tough next series facing the Cubs.
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