The Cubs went 3-4 over the past week, which isn’t great… until you remember that they had lost eight in a row before the week began, and then the first two games of last week.
So let’s go with this: The Cubs have won three of their last five. Something to build on, anyway.
Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.
Three up
Ian Happ. Yes, Ian Happ.
Happ went 0-for-3 in the first game of the road trip and 0-for-4 in the last one.
In between, in the other five games: .417/.417/.917 (10-for-24) with three doubles, three home
runs and 11 RBI. Overall on the trip, then: .323/.344/.710. That’s a pretty good run, and Happ, as you know, is a very streaky hitter. Hopefully the streakiness will continue in a positive way this week at Wrigley Field.
Here’s his longest homer of the week, 407 feet in St. Louis on Friday [VIDEO].
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s bat came alive
At last, over the last seven games, we saw signs of the PCA we saw last year.
The best of it was the four-hit game he had against the Cardinals on Saturday, which included this massive 444-foot home run into a group of fans chanting “Overrated!” [VIDEO].
Then PCA ended that game with yet another five-star catch [VIDEO].
Ben Brown has arrived as a starter
In Brown’s two starts last week, one in Pittsburgh and one in St. Louis, he threw 13 innings, allowed seven hits and three walks (0.769 WHIP) and posted a 1.38 ERA (two earned runs). He struck out 13.
Here are the seven K’s he registered against the Pirates [VIDEO].
Brown has allowed one home run this year — to the very first batter he faced on Opening Day (Jacob Young of the Nationals). The 51.1 innings he’s thrown since then without allowing a homer is the longest active homerless streak for any MLB pitcher.
Great stuff, Ben.
Honorable mention to Alex Bregman, who’s on a 10-game hitting streak and homered Sunday. Maybe he’s finally coming out of it.
Three down
Jordan Wicks needs a return trip to Iowa
Two starts, 6.1 innings, 13 hits, one walk (2.211 WHIP), 11 runs (all earned, 15.63 ERA).
I’m beginning to wonder if a change of scenery would work for Wicks. But would anyone trade for him after those two bad performances in Pittsburgh and St. Louis?
Moisés Ballesteros, same as Wicks
Ballesteros went 3-for-15 (.200), all singles, with five strikeouts in five games on the road trip. For the month of May he batted .102/.206/.153 (6-for-59) with one extra-base hit (a home run) and 18 strikeouts.
Give Kevin Alcántara and Pedro Ramirez some DH at-bats and let Ballesteros get his batting stroke back in Triple-A.
Dansby Swanson’s bat has disappeared
Swanson did have one two-hit game in Pittsburgh but overall batted .136/.321/.182 (3-for-22) on the trip with nine strikeouts. The six walks make the OBP decent, but overall in May Swanson batted .151/.233/.215 (14-for-93) with 24 strikeouts.
He continues to play stellar defense, but that bat has got to get going.
You all know about the home run issues for Shōta Imanaga and Jameson Taillon, so I won’t belabor them.
