While most of you are focused on today’s MLB Trade Deadline, which comes up at 5 p.m. CT, I thought I’d take time to update you on some good — and not-so-good — Cubs performances over the past week.
Here’s who’s been hot and not for the Cubs over their seven games against the Cardinals and Yankees.
Three up
Nico Hoerner is on a hot streak
The Cubs second baseman batted .423/.444/.654 (11-for-26) over the seven games. He had a four-hit game in St. Louis and hit two home runs, his first since April. One of those homers was a key part of the win
against the Yankees Saturday — it tied the game in the seventh inning.
Since the All-Star break, Hoerner is batting .400/.409/.523 (26-for-65) with nine runs scored and 13 RBI in 16 games.
Alex Bregman is also heating up
Bregman’s bat began getting stronger just before the All-Star break and over the seven games against the Cardinals and Yankees he had three multi-hit games and overall batted .429/.484/.750 (12-for-28) with six doubles, a home run, three walks and eight runs scored.
Overall in 17 games since July 11: .304/.385/.580 (21-for-69) with seven doubles, four home runs, eight walks, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored.
Keep that up and he’ll be near his career norms by the end of the year.
David Peterson put together two outstanding starts
In his two starts against the Cardinals and Yankees, Peterson allowed three earned runs in 12 innings and struck out 11. The Cubs won both those games. Since Peterson’s awful start at Wrigley July 3 against St. Louis, he has posted a 1.52 ERA and 0.887 WHIP and has returned to being the ground-ball pitcher the Cubs thought they were getting — in those four starts, 35 ground-ball outs of 71 total outs recorded.
This was a very good trade by Jed Hoyer.
A hat tip to Pedro Ramirez, who started five of the seven games and batted .333/.474/.400 (5-for-15). That OBP is an eye-opener — Ramirez walked four times over the week and has a .370 OBP in 109 PA this season. Looks like a keeper to me.
Three down
Ian Happ remains ice cold
Despite a two-hit game in St. Louis, Happ batted just .148/.233/.259 (4-for-27) over the seven games. He did have three doubles and walked three times, but had eight strikeouts.
Craig Counsell has been giving his infielders rest from time to time. I think Happ could use a day off, too.
Dansby Swanson’s bat is also chilly
Swanson did get a day off during the week, but it didn’t seem to help, as he batted .048/.091/.048 (1-for-21) in the six games he did play, with eight strikeouts.
Swanson has become a real streaky hitter, much as Happ is. It would be nice for them both to go on hot streaks starting … right now.
Michael Busch is also not hitting
Busch had a rough week, batting just .161/.188/.161 (5-for-31).
He could probably also use a day off. The thing is, the Cubs don’t really have a backup first baseman — Carson Kelly played first for an inning Sunday after Counsell sent Justin Dean in to run for Busch. But I don’t think Counsell really wants Kelly to start at first base — he’s done that just once this year, April 13 vs. the Phillies.
If that happens, I doubt it would happen during the Dodgers series, anyway.
