The Cubs went 3-3 on their trip to Colorado and San Francisco. That isn’t great, but… it’s an improvement over recent weeks. They stand 7.5 games out of first place in the NL Central, which with 90 games remaining is far from insurmountable. And they are just one game behind the third wild card spot.
None of that is going to happen unless the team starts to hit again.
Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the six games.
Three up
Pete Crow-Armstrong continues his surge
PCA batted .346/.370/.654 (9-for-26) over the six games with three doubles,
a triple, a home run, five runs scored and two stolen bases.
He was NL Player of the Week last week — I don’t think that’s quite enough to win the honor again, but PCA is on an 18-game on-base streak in which he is batting .377/.429/.714 (29-for-77) with six doubles, a triple, six home runs, four stolen bases and 14 runs scored. That has raised his OPS from .673 to .806 and, I think, puts him in the All-Star Game conversation.
Here is his first-pitch-of-the-game homer Saturday in San Francisco, his 12th of the year [VIDEO].
He also made another five-star catch [VIDEO].
Javier Assad was dominant again
After his great emergency outing replacing the injured Jameson Taillon a week ago Sunday at Wrigley Field, Assad shut down the Giants for six innings Friday, allowing no runs and three hits.
Assad’s making a strong case to remain in the rotation even when the Cubs’ injured starters return.
Here are his five strikeouts Friday [VIDEO].
Michael Busch’s numbers are quietly on the rise
Busch goes about his business on the field with little fanfare, and so you might not have noticed he had at least one hit in each of the six games on the road trip.
That extended his hitting streak to nine. On the six-game trip he batted .333/.462/.667 (7-for-21) with a double, two home runs, six RBI, four runs scored, four walks and even a stolen base.
That brought his season OPS up to .789. He leads the team with 42 RBI and I would think he’ll start hitting homers soon — he does tend to do that in bunches.
Three down
What is wrong with Dansby Swanson?
Swanson had a decent start to this season but his OPS has dropped below .600, a real danger zone. Over the six games he batted .158/.273/.211 (3-for-19) with eight strikeouts.
He’s still playing solid defense but… that’s not enough. He got a “reset” by sitting the last two home games before the trip, but it did not seem to help.
Same thing for Nico Hoerner
Hoerner got Sunday off after batting .150/.143/.200 (3-for-20) in the other five games on the road trip. He did strike out only once, but after a hot start Nico is batting just .185/.267/.219 over his last 37 games — 165 plate appearances. That’s a large enough sample size to be worrisome.
There are some here who have mentioned the day Nico was hit in the head by a pitch in San Diego, April 29 [VIDEO] as a possible turning point.
He remained in the game and played the next two days before getting a day off.
Up to April 29: .291/.370/.449, four home runs, 26 RBI, 13 walks, 14 strikeouts (31 games, 146 PA)
Since that date: .197/.275/.243, no home runs, eight RBI, 17 walks, seven strikeouts (39 games, 171 PA)
I dunno. Should he have been examined for concussion protocol? Maybe you guys are on to something.
Ian Happ is quietly sliding
Over the six games, Happ batted .136/.231/.409 (3-for-22). He did hit two home runs, one each against the Rockies and Giants, but had just one other hit for the week.
Overall Happ’s numbers are still decent, but the Cubs could use more production there. Or, just about anywhere. Here’s hoping the bats come alive beginning tonight against the Rockies.
