The Cubs came into this weekend’s series with the Cardinals as one of the hottest teams in baseball. They had won nine of their last 12 and were beginning to creep up on the division-leading Brewers.
Now they’re entering a three-game set with the White Sox in a much worse place.
The Cubs lost 11-4 to the Cardinals on Sunday to drop the final two games of the series. Shortstop Dansby Swanson will get an MRI and is headed to the injured list after injuring his left oblique on a third-inning swing, and starting pitcher Edward Cabrera returned from the IL to give up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.
No, that’s not the way to step into this series against the crosstown rival for the biggest-ever Cubs-Sox series at Wrigley Field and the teams’ most high-stakes matchup since the 1906 World Series. The Sox have a 5 1/2-game division lead, just swept the Tigers in Detroit, beat the Cubs twice in May and have powerful bats that can punish a staff’s mistakes, which St. Louis did by scoring 19 times between Saturday and Sunday.
Swanson won’t be around to help cover for any pitching issues. And that will be an adjustment because Swanson has played in 119 of the Cubs’ 125 games this year and at least 147 in his three full seasons since joining as a free agent.
“I just want to play and do everything I can to win,” Swanson said. “In the meantime, people call me ‘Coach’ for a reason, so I can find some fun ways to be useful.”
Swanson will watch Nico Hoerner shift to shortstop and rookie Pedro Ramirez get the bulk of the playing time at second base. Though Hoerner is a strong shortstop, the Cubs know their defense – the team strength – will be somewhat diminished without Swanson for at least 10 days and possibly much longer if the MRI brings back bad news.
“We can cover it; we have great athletes on our team and good depth but there’s no replacing Dansby,” Hoerner said. “Any time you have moving parts in the middle of the field it is a challenge.”
Getting the most from Cabrera’s also been a challenge, and the Cubs didn’t receive much from him Sunday.
Cabrera had been out since June 24 with a left hamstring strain but wasn’t exactly giving the Cubs quality before that injury. He had a 5.10 ERA in 72 1/3 innings and was falling well short of justifying the Cubs’ decision to send the Marlins a package led by outfielder Owen Caissie for Cabrera’s services.
Nothing he did Sunday indicated he should be counted on the rest of the year, and the Cubs might feel the same way about Cabrera as a starter. Manager Craig Counsell said the team will discuss whether Cabrera will take his next turn in the rotation.
Cabrera got only 10 whiffs and Counsell said the separation between his changeup and fastball was not enough to make a difference.
“It didn’t go well,” Counsell said.
Cabrera said he has a blister on his right middle finger – which was bandaged when he talked to the media – but Counsell didn’t mention that during his postgame briefing. Early in the game, Cabrera said he just experienced a “sensation” and tried to pitch through it but felt it the most in the fourth, which is when he was removed and told Counsell and the staff.
If the blister isn’t an issue, Cabrera is optimistic he’ll remain in the rotation.
“100% [confident],” he said through a translator.
The Cubs will not be at 100% when they see the Sox.