SAN FRANCISCO — At least the Cubs avoided being swept with their 5-3 victory over the Giants in 10 innings Thursday in the finale of a four-game series.
But the win did nothing to change the fact that the night before, they’d stumbled to the halfway point of the season with a 4-3 loss that pushed their low-water mark to 37-44, seven games below .500.
“I’m not one for predicting out at the beginning of the year, but I definitely would not have expected us to be at this point,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said before going 3-for-5 on Thursday with a two-run homer in the third inning. “And I expect us to be better moving forward. But obviously, you have to do it.”
Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, remarked last week that the Cubs had “played the same game, pretty much, for over a month now.” The “Groundhog Day” effect has only intensified since. 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 after injuries to high-leverage relievers have been common themes.
While the injury challenges are real, it could be worse. The Cubs could be the Giants (39-43), who have had to lean on call-ups and bullpen games to make up for a decimated rotation.
Even so, over the first three games in San Francisco, the Cubs failed to run up the score.
“It’s funny how this game works, right?” shortstop Dansby Swanson said this week. “The starters have been awesome. When we’ve had times to push leads out, [we] 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 clubhouse leaders have spoken about belief all week in postgame interviews, saying they’re encouraged by the conversations they’re hearing.
“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? This rut dates back to late April, having dragged 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.”
Said left-hander Justin Steele said: “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. Winning will solve everything. And we’re one winning streak away.”
The Cubs put together one of those mad-dash streaks last season, leading up to and past 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, their climb began in San Francisco and ended with a sweep of the Giants at Wrigley Field. At least in that respect, history isn’t repeating itself. The Cubs left San Francisco on Thursday having lost three of four games in the series and four of seven against the Giants since last week.
“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.”
