The Cubs dropped their weekend series against the Pirates after falling 3-2 on Sunday. After losing three of four to Pittsburgh, the day off Monday could be beneficial for the team to reset and hopefully get shortstop Dansby Swanson (sprained right knee) and second baseman Nico Hoerner (tight left hamstring) back.
The absences of Hoerner and Swanson were noticeable on a couple of sloppy defensive plays. Backup shortstop Miles Mastrobuoni dropped a ball in the first inning that was ruled a single, but it was the type of play Swanson usually would make.
Mastrobuoni also had a throwing error in the eighth inning. First baseman Michael Busch had to stretch out for his throw, causing his foot to come off the bag.
The defensive miscues added to starter Jameson Taillon’s pitch count. He threw 92 pitches in 4⅔ innings, allowed three earned runs and six hits and walked two. Taillon was better than he was on Tuesday against the Braves, but he still couldn’t go five innings. But all of the hits weren’t his fault.
“Defensively, we didn’t help him necessarily,” manager Craig Counsell said. “That added to the pitches, for sure.”
The Cubs are 4-6 in their last 10 games. The team simply isn’t playing its sharpest ball. The offense isn’t scoring enough runs and the bullpen has been unreliable, so the onus has fallen on the starting pitchers.
“Guys have stepped up, but we’re not playing our best baseball,” reliever Hayden Wesneski said. “We all know it. It’s fine. It’s OK. We’ll get through it.”
Besides the sixth inning, when there were men on second and third with no outs — right fielder Seiya Suzuki scored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Christopher Morel — the Cubs rarely threatened against the Pirates.
Conversely, the Pirates were often on base because of the Cubs’ leaky defense and a wild pitch by Taillon. Pittsburgh left 12 men on base.
Injuries seem to be catching up to the Cubs as they prepare to face the Braves, Cardinals and Brewers in their next three series. To beat those teams, they’ll need to be as healthy as possible.
The Cubs have battled through the injuries and the offensive slump fairly well, but the team’s depth can only be tested so much.
“We’ve done a pretty good job of weathering the storm until more recently,” Taillon said. “For a little while, we would pitch our way through some games, and when the pitching would struggle, we would hit our way through some games. Right now, we’re just all going through it together. But it’ll be nice to get Dansby and Nico back, for sure.”
The Cubs could use a refreshed Swanson. In the 13 games he played in after initially hurting his knee April 25, the two-time All-Star slashed .159/.229/.227. He had a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) of 35, 65 points below the league average.
But the Cubs find themselves in second place despite the early-season adversity. To maximize what they can be this season, they’ll need Hoerner and Swanson.
“Just keep fighting,” center fielder Cody Bellinger said. “It’s a tough game, tough stretch, but [we’ve] got to keep going. Keep giving it your best shot.”
