Fun(?) with Cubs Numbers: 1000, 15/8, 37/28, 2, 12

I went to see an early screening of Masters of the Universe last night, and I really wish it had been a late showtime. The Cubs were up 4-2 when I walked out of the theater, so all I got to see was them pissing down their legs for the last few innings. Not that any of us should expect a different outcome with the way they’ve been playing over this 5-18 stretch that dates back nearly a month.

Though there are still 100 games to play, some already see this as a season on the brink. Or maybe it’s already gone off the cliff. I see it as going from lying in an open country field with a whole universe of stars winking back at you to driving into the city and finding that the light pollution obscures all but the very brightest pinpricks of celestial sparkle. There was a time when we couldn’t come up with enough superlatives to describe this team. Now we’re searching for any scrap of optimism like a junkie fiending for another fix.

Before I get to waxing more poetic, let’s just get into some of the numbers:

Happ’s 1,000-hit milestone

Ian Happ was stuck in a rut for much of May, enduring a stretch of 59 plate appearances in which he batted .122 with a 42 wRC+ and a 44.1% strikeout rate. Craig Counsell sat his cleanup-hitting left fielder for two games as a mental reset, then inserted Happ into the two-hole before dropping him to fifth. Over 36 PAs in that lower spot, Happ is batting .343 with three homers, a 207 wRC+, and a 22.2% K rate. Not bad.

That includes a 2-for-4 effort in the latest loss to the A’s, which put Happ at 1,001 career hits. He’s now 45th among active big leaguers and 37th in Cubs history, in case you were wondering. What I’m wondering, however, is why the blue hell Dansby Swanson hasn’t gotten a similar break. His Gold Glove defense at short isn’t so much better than Nico Hoerner’s that the Cubs can’t afford to sit him.

Over his last 75 PAs, Swanson is batting .136 with a 34 wRC+ and one homer. His double on Wednesday night was his second extra-base hit since May 19, over which time he’s actually cost the Cubs in terms of win probability. This might go without saying, but that means the Cubs have been appreciably worse with Swanson in the lineup over the last few weeks.

Isn’t this exactly why Pedro Ramirez is in Chicago? It’s well past time to give Swanson a day or two off.

Ignominious streaks of 15 & 8

With their second loss to the A’s, the Cubs became the first team in MLB history to follow a 15-game home winning streak with an eight-game home losing streak. That latter skid should come to an end tonight, but we’ll see.

Time is a thief: 37 & 28

Time flies when you’re having fun and it slows to a crawl when there is no joy, which is why that 15-game run felt like a week rather than 37 days. And it’s also why going four weeks (and counting!) between home wins has felt like an eternity. My kingdom for any semblance of consistent play.

Alcantara’s baserunning blunders: 2

There was almost a third late in Wednesday’s game when he was almost back-picked at third base in the 10th inning, but Kevin Alcántara’s baserunning may be part of why Craig Counsell doesn’t trust him. The Jaguar has only gotten eight plate appearances in 11 team games since being called up, and he wasn’t in the lineup against lefty Jeffrey Springs.

That might stem from him being caught stealing on a botched attempt in Tuesday’s game, though the issue runs a bit deeper. Remember when Counsell flipped out on the team early in spring training when they were being lazy during baserunning drills? Turns out, Alcántara was the source of his ire. The lanky outfielder hasn’t been given much of an opportunity to prove he belongs, which sure seems to indicate the Cubs aren’t too concerned with giving him more run.

He’s out of options this year and can no longer be stashed in the minors, and we’ve seen nothing to suggest the Cubs see him as a full-time replacement at either corner outfield spot. Alcántara has also lost a lot of steam with outside evaluators as he slips down the prospect rankings. Time will tell, but I’m getting very strong Alexander Canario and Nelson Velázquez vibes.

12 games against awful opponents

Regardless of how they finish against the A’s, the Cubs will have 12 games against the Giants and Rockies to follow. Those two are battling it out for the worst record in baseball, so there should be plenty of fertile ground to at least get back to winning two of three. Or so we hope.