Chicago, IL- On the fourth of July, the Cubs currently stand at 37-46. They are nine games under .500, which is an indicator that the Cubs are possibly out of a playoff race. However, there are factors that could explain why the Cubs could make a remarkable comeback into contention.
Looking at the performance of the Cubs in June, it was impressive. For a team that was 20-33 at the end of May, the expectations were suppose to be another disappointing season for the Loveable Losers. Dusting the rust off their shoulders, the Cubs actually played as one of the best teams in the National League in June. They started the month with a loss against the Brewers, but then immediately went on a five-game win streak. On that win streak, they swept the Mets and took two of three from the Marlins. Next in a series against the Pirates on the road, they lost three of four. But that low point didn't last long, as the Cubs split a four-game series with Phillies in Philadelphia right after. Following the series against the Phillies, the Cubs took two of three from the Marlins in Miami. Despite all these great stretches, the Cubs hit a slump coming back home in two NL Central division series against the Pirates and Reds, where they lost a combined four out of six games. The last series at Wrigley for the month, the Cubs split two games apiece with the Nationals (the two losses came on a doubleheader day). Ending the month on a high note, the Cubs beat the Red Sox in a 2-0 victory on June 30.
While the 15-13 record was marvelous, a few performances really stood out for the Cubs looking forward. First, the bullpen improved dramatically with solid contributions by Neil Ramirez, Carlos Villanueva, Wesley Wright, and Hector Rondon. Neil Ramirez showed some promise, as he claimed a spot in the bullpen after the departure of Jose Veras. Villanueva had an impressive month, going 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in nine games. Wesley Wright was even more impressive, as he did not allow an earned run in ten games. Hector Rondon converted four saves out of five opportunities. Also a part of the pitching staff, some starters stood out in the rotation. Jake Arrieta continued his breakout season, as he went 4-0 with a 0.92 ERA in six starts. His last two starts were impressive, as he carried no-hitters deep into the game against the Reds and the Red Sox. Travis Wood loosened up from a tough beginning to his season, as he went 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA in five starts. Also, Jason Hammel had a solid 3.45 ERA in five starts. Some bats stood out such as Luis Valbuena, Starlin Castro, and Anthony Rizzo. Valbuena continued to put up strong numbers in his breakout season, as he hit .275 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. Starlin Castro (.296 average with 4 HR and 21 RBI) and Anthony Rizzo (.295 average with 7 HR and 16 RBI) both kept improving their bounce-back seasons in June.
With the good, comes the bad, as some Cubbies brought the team down during the hot stretch. Despite the good save conversion rate, Hector Rondon finished the month with a 9.35 ERA. After a hot start, Jeff Samardija started to cool off, as he had a 5.45 ERA in the month of June. Edwin Jackson did what he does best, as he brought the team down again with a record of 2-3 and a 6.23 ERA in five starts. With Wellington Castillo on the disabled-list, the Cubs had a dilemma at the catcher position with John Baker and Eli Whiteside starting behind the plate for most of the month. Moving on to the offensive side of the game, players such as Junior Lake and Nate Schierholtz carried over their struggles from the beginning of the season into June. Schierholtz hit .195 with 2 HR and 13 RBI, and Lake batted .190 with 3 HR and 6 RBI.
Adding up the positives and negatives, the Cubs seem to have more promise than disappointment heading into the second half of the season. The Cubs are finding ways to win with clutch hitting. The bullpen is putting the pieces together, and now stands ranked at ninth in MLB according to ESPN. The Cubs may be 12.5 game out of the NL Central division lead, but are only 8.5 games out of a NL Wild Card. Now coming off of a sweep of the Red Sox, the seats should start to fill up, as the Cubs are becoming entertaining once again on the North Side.
-Daniel (DanielDoreCTC)
-(all stats courtesy of MLB.com)
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