Chicago Cubs: “They’re definitely coming for us”

As the season’s end draws more and more near, the Chicago Cubs are beginning to find themselves on more tenuous footing in the NL Central.

“They’re definitely coming for us. We can feel it.” This is what Chicago Cubs losing pitcher Kyle Hendricks said after Wednesday night’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a bit of straight talk from the Dartmouth grad, a bit unlike many post-game remarks by professional athletes.

On the other hand, it was hard to argue with since the Brew Crew had just taken not only the game, 5-1, but the series, 2-1, and moved within a game of the Small Bears.

Worse, on Thursday Chicago had to fly to DC to make up a game while Milwaukee had a day off, and the 4:05 p.m. game with the Nationals might very well be rained out as well, considering the relative proximity of Hurricane Florence. Then, the team had to immediately return home to play the Reds while Milwaukee slept in late before their game Friday with Pittsburgh. All in all, it was a Friday the 13^th on Thursday.

The press covering the Cubs was in a mild panic getting worse. Chicago Tribune writer Mark Gonzales posted an article early Thursday enumerating three issues Chicago needed to face – one more or less immediately, and two for the playoffs, possibly. The first was a need for offense, particularly considering Daniel Murphy’s slump. The other two had to do with Lorenzo Cain becoming a Cubs killer, and the fact that Brewers reliever Josh Hader is “scary good.”

For those who haven’t seen Hader pitch, Gonzales is correct. Imagine Randy Johnson a bit shorter but with a more violent delivery. Although he may not throw quite as hard as Johnson in his prime, he is a more frightening presence, has a 10-15 mph gap between his fastball and his breaking pitches, and is conveniently wild here and there. He faced ten batters in Milwaukee’s two wins in Chicago, gave up a hit and struck out nine.

While the Cubs don’t have Hader on their regular season schedule anymore, Brewers opponents do.

Roughly half an hour after Gonzales article appeared, his Tribune colleague Steve Rosenbloom posted an article under the title “Can the Cubs find a hero to stop the stink?”

Enough said regarding mood? Maybe not quite. Rosenbloom noted that Murphy’s lead-off on-base percentage is a “rickety .216” after going hitless against Milwaukee, and ESPN’s Jesse Rogers quoted Murphy on facing the Brewers as follows: “I got my teeth kicked in.”

But this isn’t all just about mood. It’s about an advantage Milwaukee has – more dominant pitching. Four days ago it was noted that the Brewers had ten pitchers with WHIPs below 1.20. Playing the Cubs this week made that figure 11. Pitcher No. 12 is Jhoulys Chacin, whose record is 14-7. His WHIP is exactly 1.20.

The Cubs have eleven pitchers with WHIPs below 1.20 as well, but only two of them are starters, Cole Hamels and Alec Mills, and between them, they have only started only ten games for Chicago. Brewers’ pitchers with WHIPs below 1.20 now have started 75 games at this point.

The Chicago Cubs may be in first place, but — Cubs, that sound you hear behind you? It may not be footsteps as much as an oncoming freight train.