The Chicago Cubs dropped game two against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday after blowing them out on Sunday. The Cubs have endured pitching issues throughout the season, and they were on full display as the Cubs again fell the home runs. At the time of this writing, the Cubs have allowed 211 home runs this season, more than any other team.
The long ball has been the kryptonite of the Cubs all season long, and it's not been helped by inadequate pitching. To put that into comparison, the Brewers have only allowed 144 home runs this season to date. That's a massive gap that is certainly cause for concern this late in the season. But do the Cubs really have time to clean up their game in time for the post-season?
The Cubs’ pitching staff is wasting one of baseball’s best defenses
Teams can be really really good and still falter to the long ball. The Cubs boast one of the most stellar defenses in baseball, but it doesn't matter at all if the pitching staff doesn't give them a chance to defend.
Shota Imanaga has been a major proponent of this all season long. 33 of those home runs were given up by him, and it's seemingly getting worse. Shota gave up nine home runs in only five starts in August, and on one occasion, it lost the Cubs the game.
But that's it right there. The Cubs have gotten this far, and remained a solid contender in the MLB not because of home runs, but in spite of them. Could you imagine the dominance the Cubs could have if their pitching had been up to snuff with the rest of the division?
It's already September, and we're approaching the end of the regular season quickly. The Cubs still have over twenty games to get their discipline in order, but will these sort of issues resurface in October baseball? With Craig Counsell indicating that Imanaga's rotation spot is not in jeopardy many questions surface about a post-season rotation and what that may look like.
The Cubs have already downgraded Edward Cabrera from his rotation spot, and rightfully so. If it were my choice, Cabrera wouldn't even be on the roster when Javier Assad is sitting in Iowa.
The Cubs have many decisions to make as the end of the season arrives. Hopefully the Cubs can hold steady and maintain good position for the post-season, Wild Card or otherwise. But if Cubs pitching could raise the bar just a little bit, Chicago will be in a good position to make a deep run.
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