It’s not entirely true that the Cubs had a 10-game winning streak during the month of May. They, in fact, had the last eight of 10 straight wins to start May. So the reality ends up being that the Cubs started the month with eight straight wins. Then they finished the month 13-16 overall. By itself, that 13-16 record isn’t devastating. Certainly, a number of playoff teams through the years have had losing months. A 5-16 stretch is spectacularly bad. Not season-ending. But, all of their early momentum
appears dead in the water.
Ahead, the June schedule is about as light as it can be. They have 27 games scheduled, pretty evenly split, 14 at home and 13 on the road. They have 12 games, home and home, with the Giants and Rockies who sit at the bottom of the National League and among the worst teams in MLB. This is the opportunity for the Cubs to wipe away May and reassert themselves as contenders in the National League. If they don’t win something like 18 games in the month of June, it’s hard to imagine them staying in contention when things toughen up in July. 18 wins would get them to 50 wins before the start of July.
They should hopefully continue getting healthier as June progresses. It looks like Matthew Boyd should return in the week ahead to reclaim the spot Jordan Wicks is presently occupying. It’s not a moment too soon, either. I continue to advocate for trying to break young potential starters in by way of multi-inning relief outings. Accordingly, I’m not entirely against Wicks getting a shot in low leverage spots to see if throwing max effort can help at all. It is increasingly unlikely he’ll ever get any long-term shot as a starter in the Cub organization at this point.
With Wicks struggling early, Ethan Roberts was pressed into the game early on in a bit of an unusual situation. Roberts allowed an inherited runner from Wicks and then two of his own. This is the roughest outing of the year for Roberts. A messy situation like that isn’t the ideal spot for him. But you hate it for Roberts. He’s been so good this year and had earned seeing a little bit more leverage. If he locks it down there, maybe the game plays out a little differently. But it wasn’t to be.
As the game wore on, the Cubs generated a little bit of traffic, but other than an Alex Bregman homer, they couldn’t get any kind of offense going. The Cubs had seven hits and drew just one walk. It wasn’t enough and they really didn’t apply much pressure on the Cardinals. Another disappointing loss in a disappointing month. Frustrating.
Three Positives:
- Michael Conforto came off the bench in this one and had a double in two plate appearances. He was one of the few Cubs who had a really terrific May.
- Alex Bregman supplied the offense, hitting a solo homer.
- Phil Maton threw a clean inning and struck out a batter.
Game 60, May 31: Cardinals 5, Cubs 1 (32-28)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
- Superhero: Michael Conforto (.051). 1-2, 2B
- Hero: Trent Thornton (.015). 2 IP, 7 BF, BB, K
- Sidekick: Phil Maton (.009). IP, 3 BF, K
THREE GOATS:
- Billy Goat: Jordan Wicks (-.149). 2 IP, 10 BF, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, K (L 0-2)
- Goat: Ethan Roberts (-.133). IP, 6 BF, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
- Kid: Seiya Suzuki (-.068). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Alec Burleson faced Ethan Roberts with runners on first and second and two outs in the third inning, the Cardinals up two. He singled, driving in a run charged to Wicks. (.084)
Cubs Play of the Game: Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with a runner on first and no outs for the Cubs in the first. Such a nice start to the game, a pair of first inning singles. Unfortunately, both runners were stranded. (.055) Michael Conforto’s double with a runner on first and one out in the seventh also registered the same WPA. The two high points of the day for the Cubs, but no runs came from either situation.
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 59 Winner: Ben Brown received 183 of 233 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
- Michael Busch +21
- Ian Happ +10.5
- Nico Hoerner/Michael Conforto +10
- Alex Bregman/Ben Brown +9.5
- Ryan Rolison/Phil Maton -8
- Jameson Taillon -9
- Matt Shaw -10
- Dansby Swanson -13
- Seiya Suzuki -28.5
Current Win Pace: 86.4 wins
Up Next: A much needed off day on Monday and then the vagabond A’s come to town Tuesday for a three-game set at Wrigley Field. The A’s are 28-31, but 17-14 on the road. Their road record suggests that the team might be a little bit better than their record suggests.
Jameson Taillon (2-4, 5.37, 60.1 IP) looks set for the opener. Taillon was 0-3 with a 6.66 ERA in May, so he needs a strong bounce back. That has to start with keeping the ball in the park. He allowed 10 homers in just 25.2 innings in May. All together, it’s 19 homers in 55.2 innings on the season. The Cubs don’t have enough healthy options, but his spot in the rotation has to be in jeopardy. I’d be inclined to replace Jordan Wicks on the roster with Javier Assad, giving the option of going to Assad early in this one if things don’t click fast for Taillon.
23-year-old Gage Jump (0-1, 7.20, 5 IP) looks to make his second career start. The 73rd pick in the 2024 draft by the A’s debuted at home against the Mariners and allowed nine hits and a walk in just five innings. Things weren’t massively better for him in the minors this year either. Jump allowed 22 runs, 19 earned in 38 innings across nine starts. The number to circle was 56 strikeouts in 38 innings. So the stuff exists. It’s a matter of him learning to harness.
The Cubs need to get back to that patient approach and apply a lot of pressure. Jump throws left-handed. Notwithstanding the rough performance Sunday night, the Cubs have been one of the better teams in MLB against lefty starters this year. By just about any metric, the A’s bullpen has been a bottom 10 one in MLB. If they can keep these games close, they should be able to pull games out late.
Time to get back locked in.
