The Chicago Cubs were able to survive all their pitching injuries for longer than you would have expected, but those are now catching up with the team. The rotation carried the group for a bit; however, that group is regressing, which means the offense needs to step up. A 20-3 stretch covered up the warts and while the team should still be fine in the long term it’s probably the perfect time to make some changes.
Craig Counsell made a switch in mid-April, which preceded the team’s first 10-game winning streak of the season, and it wasn’t minor either. The Cubs’ manager changed the team’s leadoff hitter and he should do it again.
Nico Hoerner’s Slump
Nico Hoerner agreed to his new contract extension on Opening Day and then went on a one-month heater. He was coming up with clutch hit after clutch hit, slugging more than he has in the past, and became the team’s spark plug on offense. Yet, that hot stretch is over for Hoerner, and now he’s becoming part of the problem.
Nico Hoerner:
March 26-April 17: .342/.420/.553
April 18-May 18: .202/.290/.272
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Since the beginning of May, Hoerner has a slash line of .190/.288/.254, and as the guy who you almost always counted on to come through in a big spot, Hoerner is down to a .231 batting average this season with runners in scoring position.
But he’s not the main issue when it comes to that. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki have been absolutely dreadful w/RISP, killing the team so many times as we approach the two-month mark of the season. Yet, it’s been a team-wide issue since Opening Day.
It’s just that this particular cold streak by the offense has been so much worse than what we saw through the first three weeks of the year.
First 16 games: 86 wRC+ (24th) .244/.333/.314 (186 PA, 3rd in MLB, 7-9 record)
Next 23 games: 119 wRC+ (6th) .259/.358/.439 (289 PA, 1st in MLB, 20-3 record)
Last 9 games: 41 wRC+ (26th) .136/.255/.235 (95 PA, 10th in MLB, 2-7 record)
So, it’s not only Hoerner, Happ, or Suzuki. Alex Bregman has been bad overall, but at least he’s showing signs of progress in the past 10 days. Meanwhile, Moises Ballesteros has hit a rookie wall, but luckily, veteran Michael Conforto has stepped up. The Cubs need more of it.
I won’t say I have the perfect answers, but you have to think that Counsell makes a few changes soon, if not on Tuesday night. Michael Busch began the year as the leadoff hitter, but he was moved a couple of weeks into the season. Hoerner will break out of his slump, but throughout his career, he hasn’t exactly been that great against right-handed pitchers. You cannot have a guy with an OBP below .300 leading off, just can’t.
Maybe Counsell moves Busch back to the top as the left-handed hitting first baseman has been on fire since April 17, slashing .294/.426/.505 with four home runs and a 165 wRC+ in his last 30 games.
As for the rest of the lineup order, guys just have to hit. Sure, I’d love for Happ and Suzuki to get split up because of how awful they’ve been in clutch spots, but it’s not like other guys are coming through either.
We’ll see what Counsell has up his sleeve, but he has to do something different, even if it is only one change at the top of the lineup.
