SAN FRANCISCO – The Cubs stumbled to the halfway point of the season with a 4-3 loss to the Giants on Wednesday that kept them rooted in last place in the National League Central.
They pushed their low water mark to seven games below .500 (37-44) and extended their losing streak to four games.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer remarked last week that the Cubs had “played the same game, pretty much, for over a month now.” And that “Groundhog Day” effect has only intensified since.
“We try and separate the days and treat each game for what it is,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said Wednesday. “And I think we've done a decent job of that on the mental side. But of course you feel those things. And I don't think it changes any one pitch or the way you approach the game, but it's been a lot of those [one-run losses.]”
The Cubs lead the league in one-run games (33) and one-run losses (19). Offensive struggles with runners in scoring position and a shaky bullpen in the face of injuries to high-leverage relievers have been common themes.
While the injury-induced challenges are real, it could be worse. They could be the Giants, who have had to lean on call-ups and bullpen games with a rotation decimated by injuries. Even so, through three games in San Francisco, the Cubs have failed to run up the score.
“It's funny how this game works, right?” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said this week. “The starters have been awesome. When we've had times to push leads out, haven't been able to. But at the end of the day, I’ve got a lot of belief in these guys in here. And we've proven that we're capable of doing that. And time and time again, we're giving ourselves those chances, and you'd like to think that at some point the tide will turn.”
The Cubs’ clubhouse leaders have spoken about belief in postgame interviews all week. They’ve said they’re encouraged by the conversations they’re hearing around them.
“We're breaking down stuff, talking baseball,” veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks said. “The focus is all on the right stuff. And we're grinding, everybody's locked in on the game in the dugout pulling for each other, we’ve got each others' back. Sometimes that energy can come and go, but it's been steady all year.”
So, what’s missing? Because the Cubs’ rut dates back to late April, dragging on far longer than anyone expected.
“That's what makes a tough team so good, is the ability to continue to bounce back, to persevere, to continue to step forward, right?” Swanson said. “There's no other option.”
They're not going to arrive at the ballpark the next day and proclaim that they've given up on a disappointing season.
“Regardless of what the outside noise is, what the inside noise is, at the end of the day, we've just got to show up and win ballgames,” left-hander Justin Steele said. “Winning will solve everything. And we're one winning streak away.”
The Cubs went on one of those mad-dash streaks last season leading up to, and through, the trade deadline. They went from 10 games under .500 in early June to 12 games over in early September. But their season ended in a sputter as they barely missed the postseason.
Coincidentally, that climb began in San Francisco and ended with the Cubs sweeping the Giants at Wrigley Field. At least in that respect, history is not repeating itself.
“Even if the personnel is similar, every year is so different – good, bad, everything in between,” Hoerner said. “I feel like that's something I'm slowly learning. And there were positives to last year, but we did ultimately come up short. So, I don't want it to be like last year.”
