2024 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 58

If you’ve ever been in a long term relationship that eventually ended, you recognize that there is a point that eventually comes. That point when the other person does something that would ordinarily make you mad. But you just aren’t mad anymore. I’ve described this as the don’t care enough to be mad point. Clever, isn’t it? I don’t know if I’ve fallen out of love with the Cubs, but I have more numbness than anger and sadness.

I do feel some amount of karmic retribution from the universe. I’m sure I’m not the only one taking just a little bit of joy in watching the White Sox implode so totally and completely after they thought they’d rebuilt a championship caliber team. I don’t watch closely, but it felt like that team lacked chemistry and then when they made a bad personnel move, the whole cauldron boiled over heinously.

This last month has been cruel. The Cubs have had to see Jeremiah Estrada, Trevor Megill and Bryan Hudson all making meaningful contributions to other bullpens while their own bullpen is dragged down by Kyle Hendricks and Drew Smyly. That on top of the reminder of the Jose Quintana trade every year in the form of Dylan Cease.

The cruelty that is the shedding of the label of an organization that can’t produce pitching is watching talented, young pitchers that they developed succeeding elsewhere. The Cease trade at least has the benefit of being a move that you understood why they made it. Estrada was released for no real good reason. It was a roster crunch, but I didn’t understand the decision when they made it.

In addition to Smyly and Hendricks, the Cubs also have Nick Madrigal and Yan Gomes. How many players can a team carry on its 26-man roster that have no value? Scratch that: It’s whose greatest value outside of whatever clubhouse impact that they have is for the other team. Patrick Wisdom, Miguel Amaya, Hector Neris. I hesitate to lump them in with that first group. But three more guys that aren’t really producing any positive value on the field.

I’m disappointed that I looked at this group of guys and saw an 89-win playoff team. It feels so wrong now. This team is looking increasingly overmatched the last couple of weeks. I realize it is a bad stretch and I realize to some extent I’m overreacting. Things always look worse in the midst of a slump than they are, the same way that things always look better during a hot streak.

I believe a philosopher once said “We stinks.” Maybe that wasn’t a philosopher, but boy is that starting to feel apt. I can’t tell you how much I hope this turns and they get back into some kind of groove. As it stands, this looks like a long painful season. Just enough talent to be competitive but not nearly enough talent to win consistently.

When the anger leaves and you are just left with sadness, the death knell of a relationship is usually well on its way. It’s not unprecedented for me to fall out of love with the Cubs. It happened most recently during about a five-year period preceding the Epstein era. But writing about this every day is a different experience. And not as cathartic as you might hope.

These stretches were precisely why I went to the three stars format. Trying to find some positive amongst the doom and gloom.

1. Offensively, the revival of Ian Happ has been the recent story. Ian had a hit and a walk. Drove in three and scored one. He did more to contribute to the offense yesterday than anyone.
2. Pete Crow-Armstrong had a pair of hits and scored ahead of the decisive play at the plate. I can’t be the only one who wished he were the trailing runner on that play. He and maybe Nico Hoerner were the only Cubs I would have sent in that spot. With Cody Bellinger looming and less than two outs, I would have held that runner at third. Sequencing would change, of course, but I’m fairly certain I could have scored from third on the fly ball that Bellinger hit to end the game.
3. Javier Assad has to get this spot for me. Tyson Miller is tempting, needing only four batters to record four outs. But Javier is fascinating in a game like this. I count this as the third straight start that Javier hasn’t been on his game. And there he was, pitching in the sixth and keeping the Cubs in the game. One of the things that makes a good pitcher a great pitcher is the ability to limit the damage when you aren’t at your best. Javier pitched in traffic all day long. But he also struck out seven and only needed 22 batters to record 16 outs. That was despite five hits and three walks allowed. Your job as a starter is to give your team a chance to win. Javier did his job.

Game 58, May 31: Reds 5, Cubs 4 (28-30)

Fangraphs

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Ian Happ (.222). 1-3, HR, BB, 3 RBI, R
• Hero: Michael Busch (.143). BB
• Sidekick: Tyson Miller (.098). 1⅓ IP, 4 batters, BB, K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Drew Smyly (-.334). 1⅓ IP, 8 batters, H, 3 BB, 2 R, 3 K, WP (L 2-3)
• Goat: Cody Bellinger (-.248). 0-5
• Kid: Seiya Suzuki (-.133). 1-4, 2B, HBP, RBI

WPA Play of the Game: Santiago Espinal’s two-run pinch hit homer with no outs in the seventh inning gave the Reds a 4-3 lead. (.318)

*Cubs Play of the Game: Ian Happ’s two-run homer with no outs in the second gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. (.161)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Yesterday’s Winner: Christopher Morel with 59 of 108 votes. Seiya Suzuki was second with 26.

Rizzo Award Cumulative Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Ben Brown +14
• Shōta Imanaga +12
• Javier Assad +10.5
• Jameson Taillon +9
• Mark Leiter Jr. +6
• Matt Mervis/Nico Hoerner -6
• Miguel Amaya -8
• Adbert Alzolay -10
• Kyle Hendricks -20

Up Next: In game two of the series, Justin Steele (0-2, 4.45) makes another attempt at collecting his first win of the season. On the other side is 24-year-old Hunter Greene (3-2, 3.06). The former second overall pick represents another stiff challenge for the Cubs offense.