Crosstown Classic: Cubs need a boost as White Sox come to Wrigley Field

The Cubs found out last year the kind of toll scraping out a midseason comeback and trying to maintain momentum though the stretch run can take on a team.

They found out that they could pull off an improbable climb as the trade deadline approached. But they ran out of steam as the year closed, falling short of a playoff berth.

They aren’t in imminent danger of repeating the past. Entering the first series of the Crosstown Classic this week, two games against the cellar-dwelling White Sox at Wrigley Field, the Cubs sit in a tie for second place in the National League Central, with a 29-31 record.

This time last year, 60 games into the season, the Cubs were eight games under .500 and six games back of a wild-card spot.

There isn’t that same kind of urgency hanging over this team. Between the better record, and so many core players on long-term contracts, the threat of more trade-deadline subtraction doesn’t loom so ominously with each loss.

That doesn’t, however, mean they can let this May rut seep much further into June. The road to the playoffs — one the Cubs haven’t traveled since the short 2020 season — is much easier to travel when it doesn’t include a steep incline. And the division-leading Brewers keep pulling away.

A meeting with the team holding by far the worst record in baseball (15-45) could be the launchpad the Cubs need. But if they lose a game to the White Sox, the fan base may be inconsolable.

“Rough stretches, they feel the same,” manager Craig Counsell said over the weekend when asked if he’d worn this one any differently than similar stretches leading the Brewers. “They just do. You know they’re going to get better. You don’t like going through them. You’re trying to find solutions, trying to find ways to help.”

Asked if this stretch has been informative, Counsell responded with a quip.

“I wasn’t looking to be informed,” he said. “We learn something every day, and your job is to be a learner and learn something every day. So I’m trying to learn something every day about people, about this place. So I would hope I did. Not looking to repeat the experience.”

Offense

The Cubs’ offense has shown signs of improvement the past week, after lackluster results for most of last month.

“We’ve been kind of knocking on the door,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said after the Cubs’ 7-5 win Saturday against the Reds. “Some of the late-inning rallies and things of that nature can really build some momentum, and to be able to get in the win column because of that great effort will definitely spur us in the right direction. And looking forward to tomorrow and the next four months.”

The next day, however, the Cubs managed just two runs in a loss. They still haven’t reached the level of consistency that could power a hot streak.

The Cubs made some recent moves to shake up the bench a bit, most recently calling up David Bote as a home-run threat as the weather warms. But to get there, they’ll need their everyday players, and especially the heart of their batting order to find a rhythm at the plate.

Rotation

Consistent starting pitching has been the backbone of this team, weathering injuries to combine for a top-10 ERA (3.55) entering Monday. The Cubs were the only team with two pitchers among the top 10 in starter ERA (minimum 50 innings): Shota Imanaga (1.86) and Javier Assad (2.27).

As the offense struggled last month, the starting pitching kept the team afloat. But those steady Cubs starters have experienced some blips lately. Imanaga had a historically impressive start to his career, but in his 10th outing of the season, he surrendered seven runs to the Brewers last week. On Sunday against the Reds, rookie Ben Brown allowed five runs for the first time since his debut. A strong rotation likely will continue to be a calling card of this team throughout the season.

Bullpen

The Cubs’ early-season injury bug has largely passed. But the bullpen is the exception. Even after activating right-hander Daniel Palencia and optioning him to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, the Cubs had four relievers on the 15-day IL and two on the 60-day IL.

Roles have changed throughout the young season, and the Cubs traded for Tyson Miller to help weather the injury onslaught — he has posted a 1.17 ERA in seven appearances since the trade and claimed a high-leverage role.

The Cubs are expected to continue to survey external options to improve the bullpen. Right now, that mostly means monitoring waivers, but the trade deadline could open up more possibilities.