DENVER – Perhaps it wasn’t a surprise that Colin Rea gave up two long balls in the homer-happy environs of Coors Field.
But the right-hander and his fellow Cubs hurlers have only spent a couple days a mile above sea level. They still woke up Wednesday with more home runs allowed than any team in baseball.
Obviously, the thin Denver air isn’t to blame.
“It’s no different than pitching in Wrigley with the wind blowing out,” manager Craig Counsell said before Wednesday’s game, discussing his pitchers’ assignment in Colorado. “It’s kind of the same environment.”
Well, that seems like an issue, with 47 more home games left on the schedule.
See, the Cubs had surrendered 98 dingers to opposing hitters as of Wednesday, a worrisome fact for a team dealing with deep issues on numerous fronts.
While an often punchless offense has defined a multi-week stretch that’s seen the Cubs lose 21 of 28 games, the pitching hasn’t been much better, owning a 5.17 ERA since May 9, the day after completing their second 10-game win streak of the year.
Only the Rockies, coincidentally, had a worse team ERA during that span.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon, who went on the injured list Tuesday and won’t return until after the All-Star break, led baseball with 20 homers allowed as of Wednesday. Lefty Shota Imanaga ranked second, with 17 long balls coughed up. The aforementioned Rea made it three in the top (bottom?) 15 after allowing Home Runs Nos. 10 and 11 on Tuesday night.
Any explanation for this inability to keep guys in the ballpark?
“We throw a lot of strikes. That’s the big thing,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. “When you throw strikes in positive counts, a lot of times that works in your favor. It’s when you fall behind or get in bad counts, that’s when you tend to pay.
“I do think some of them are bad pitch selection. I think some of it is just not executing pitches. And I do think some of it, at times, is batted-ball stuff that won’t sustain over the course of a full season.”
Comprehensive.
Here’s another gruesome stat: The Cubs came into Wednesday having allowed the most first-pitch homers in baseball, with 20.
“We’ve given up more 0-0 homers than we’ve given up in the past,” Hottovy said. “Teams know we throw strikes, … so teams are more aggressive off us. We have to counter that. We have to be willing to take bigger shots earlier in the count.
“Ultimately, it comes back to executing pitches.”
Bettering the bats
As if solving the pitching problems weren’t enough, the Cubs’ coaching staff needs to figure out how to fix the struggling offense at the same time.
Coming into Wednesday, the Cubs had the second fewest hits (200) and runs scored (91) in the majors since the aforementioned May 9.
“The work is positive. I don’t think we’re seeing the results in the game, but you have to stick to the right work,” Counsell said after Tuesday’s game. “That’s important, that you do it, and you have to stick to a plan and a process. I still believe in that, and I think we’re doing the right things.
“It’s frustrating when you don’t get results, for sure. But you’ve got to stick to something. Right now, we’re not seeing the results of it, but we’re doing the right things with some guys that are struggling. And hopefully we can get them going here.”