Chicago Cubs will miss the playoffs
It seems so hard to fathom. The Cubs have a loaded roster and play in a division led by the rebuilding Milwaukee Brewers at 45-40. How can Chicago possibly not fight through this rough patch to at least make the playoffs?
Quite simply, the Cubs have played 82 games and done nothing to indicate that they’re going to turn this thing around. Offensively, Chicago’s mighty bats have been stagnant. The Cubs rank 12th in home runs and 16th in runs scored.
Chicago is seventh in team ERA, which is good. But even that comes with an asterisk. While the ERA is fine, the Cubs rank tied for 21st in quality starts. This is the same rotation that was tied for the most quality starts in baseball a season ago and had three starters finish in the top-10 in NL Cy Young voting.
Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo have both hit for power but haven’t hit for much average. Addison Russell has struggled at the plate, while Kyle Schwarber has been demoted. Jon Lester has been okay, but his ERA is more than a full point higher than it was a season ago. Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks have struggled. John Lackey has been awful.
The Cubs are only 2.5 out of the NL Central lead, but they are also closer to the third place St. Louis Cardinals.
That’s been the theme of Chicago’s 2017 season. Most positives have been accompanied by a negative. It’s just been a lackluster season, and it’s hard to imagine that turning around.
Now, if you’re a Cubs fan, buck up. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and got swept in the ALDS in 2005. The Giants won the World Series in 2010 and missed the playoffs in 2011. Yet Boston won the World Series again in 2007 and 2013, while the Giants won in 2012 and 2014. Both teams overcame that disappointment. So, an October without Chicago doesn’t spell long-term doom for the Cubs. But in 2017, it’s getting harder and harder to see them in the playoffs.