‘I have to determine it out’: Bregman shoulders blame for Cubs’ offensive woes

CHICAGO — The Cubs have spent the final month watching their pitching depth disappear.

The accidents have been inconceivable to disregard. Justin Steele is out. Matthew Boyd stays sidelined. Cade Horton is injured. And after Jameson Taillon exited Sunday’s sport with a left hamstring pressure, the Cubs seem to have misplaced one other beginning pitcher.

However contained in the clubhouse, there’s rising recognition that the staff’s latest slide can’t be pinned solely on the pitching workers.

“I’ve had loads of alternatives with runners in scoring place and I should be higher,” Bregman mentioned. “Plain and easy. I should be higher for this staff. They introduced me right here to play good Baseball and I have not performed good baseball. I have to determine it out.”

Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million contract final offseason. By 65 video games, he’s slashing .243/.327/.342 — every of which might be profession lows for the All-Star third baseman, who averaged an .846 OPS over his first 10 large league seasons.

“I have to play higher,” Alex Bregman mentioned. “Offensively, it has been terrible.”

Nonetheless, the struggles should not restricted to 1 participant.

Dansby Swanson was held out of the lineup for consecutive video games over the weekend as Counsell tried to offer the veteran shortstop a psychological and mechanical reset amid one of many hardest offensive stretches of his profession (.180 common in 62 video games). The Cubs have continued trying to find solutions all through the lineup whereas relying closely on Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has emerged as one of many membership’s few persistently productive bats throughout the latest skid.

Since Might 1, Chicago ranks twenty fifth in Main League Baseball in runs scored (134) and second-to-last in batting common with runners in scoring place (.201). The membership has struck out extra usually with runners in scoring place (172) than any staff in baseball this yr, and the Cubs’ .239 staff batting common ranks nineteenth within the Majors.

The Cubs – now 34-32 and seven 1/2 video games behind the Brewers within the Nationwide League Central – have misplaced 18 of their final 23 video games and received only one sequence for the reason that starting of Might. Whereas the rotation accidents have created challenges, the lineup has struggled to offer constant assist, significantly in key conditions.

That actuality was on show all through the weekend in opposition to San Francisco.

On Saturday, the Cubs loaded the bases twice after Pete Crow-Armstrong’s game-tying homer however did not capitalize, leaving 9 runners on base by seven innings. It took Crow-Armstrong’s second residence run of the afternoon — a game-tying blast with two outs within the ninth inning — and a walk-off win within the tenth to forestall one other loss.

Twenty-four hours later, the offense once more got here up quick.

After Taillon exited within the second inning, Javier Assad threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, permitting one hit and one stroll whereas placing out 5. He retired 12 consecutive hitters at one level and left the mound to a standing ovation.

However the Cubs supported him with just one run in a 2-1, 10-inning loss.

They loaded the bases within the fourth inning and got here away empty. They put runners on within the eighth and ninth innings and had been unable to attain. Within the tenth inning, Crow-Armstrong superior to 3rd base with one out however by no means crossed the plate.

These missed alternatives have change into a recurring theme.

Earlier than the Giants sequence started, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledged that Chicago’s position-player group stays the inspiration of the roster.

“Our position-player group is deep and it is fairly set,” Hoyer mentioned Friday. “The spine of this staff is our place gamers. They should play effectively for us to be staff.”

The Cubs know that has not occurred persistently sufficient.