MLB Hoosiers (Sept. 12): Schwarber, Cubs Struggling to Score, and Concern Sets In
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Major League Baseball season went from a marathon to a sprint. It's 60-game schedule is almost over, and every game matters a little bit more now.
So when you hit the skids, and it lasts a while, concern sets in. That's what has happened with former Indiana great Kyle Schwarber. The Chicago Cubs left fielder is in a huge slump. He got a single in the second inning on Saturday in the Cubs' 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, and it snapped an 0-for-20 whitewash that lasted a full week.
He's hitting just .205 on the season now, and what's problematic for the Cubs is that he's not alone. Their All-Stars are all in a funk this season. Third baseman Kris Bryant is hitting just .200, shortstop Javy Baez is at .203 and first baseman Anthony Rizzo is at .213, and the Cubs as a team are near the bottom in most of the National League's hitting statistics.
Despite that, they are still in first place. So it's all to figure with just two weeks to go in the season.
“There’s certainly still time to define ourselves this season,” Cubs general manager Theo Epstein said earlier this week. “That’s the nature of this year. I don’t think anyone is going to put too much importance on individual stat lines or individual performances.
“It ultimately will be remembered as how we handle things, what we do as a team, and one big hit down the stretch to win some big game and whether it’s the division or one big hit in October or a great performance can define a season.”
The Cubs have a .226 batting average, which is 13th in the NL. Schwarber has 10 homers and 21 RBI, but has struck out 54 times.
With 16 teams making the playoffs, the Cubs are certainly in good shape. They got off to a hot start, and were 13-3 through 16 games. But since then, they're just 14-17 and they've been unimpressive. The weekend has been a perfect example. They went 17 innings without scoring a run until they exploded for four runs in the ninth inning to stun the Brewers.
Those moments, though few and far between, are enough to keep them in first place. For the moment, they have a three-game lead on the St. Louis Cardinals.
“The more of these you stack up just gives you that added confidence to continue to fight back,” Cubs manager David Ross said Saturday night. “These type of things carry into other games. Once you’ve done it, face one of the best in the game (Brewers closer Josh Hader) and beat them at the back end when things weren’t going well throughout the day, that’s extremely rewarding as a group and mentally gives you a lot of momentum and a lot of positivity when things might be going bad.
“You continue to trust in your teammates. Those things are important, especially going forward if we want to continue on the championship path we want to be on. You log those type of wins and remember those when you’re down a bit.”
Epstein knows Schwarber and the rest of the Cubs' stars are perfectly capable of delivering down the stretch. He's not the least bit worried.
“If you look at some of the some of the stat lines at this point, it’s not surprising that we haven’t hit on all cylinders as a club,” Epstein said. “You can slip down around and say if our big boys do get going and perform up to their norms, even just the rest of the year, that should put us in a really good place offensively, the way the rest of the lineup is contributing.”
Hoosiers in the Pros on Saturday
- Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs: Schwarber went 0-for-4 in the Cubs' 1-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Schwarber has been in a huge slump lately, and his batting average is down to .203. He hasn't hat a hit in his last seven games, going 0-for-19 during that stretch.
- Aaron Slegers, Tampa Bay Rays: Slegers did not pitch in the Rays' 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. The Rays are 30-16 and in first place in the American League East with 14 games to go. They are the first AL team to 30 wins and have a 4.5-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays.
- Alex Dickerson and Caleb Baragar, San Francisco Giants: Their game with the San Diego Padres was postponed because of a positive COVID-19 test. Friday's game was postponed as well. The series is scheduled to resume on Sunday afternoon.
- Kyle Hart, Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox placed Hart on the 10-day injury list on Sept. 2. He is eligible to return, but the Red Sox have not announced any roster moves regarding Hart as of yet.
- Jonathan Stiever, Chicago White Sox: The White Sox have called up Stiever to start Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The game starts at 2:10 p.m. ET. With his call-up, he's the seventh Indiana player in the pros this season, which has never happened before. Stiever was drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
- Josh Phegley: Phegley started the season with the Chicago Cubs, but was designated for assignment last month.
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