The Kryptonite for these top 10 MLB teams
By Bill Felber
Kryptonite for Top 10 MLB Teams
Chicago Cubs (10-2).
Cubs starters have been superb. Between them, Kyle Hendricks, Yu Darvish, Tyler Chatwood, Jon Lester, and Alec Mills have allowed just 16 earned runs and 45 hits in 74 innings of work, a 1.95 ERA.
At 5.25 runs per game, the offense has been more than adequate, if not great. The Cubs are second in the NL in on-base percentage, second in slugging average and – at .777 — first in OPS.
Through Wednesday, they had played 110 innings of baseball in 2020 and trailed in only 16 of them…that’s 14.5 percent.
They’re in first place in the NL Central by a margin of four and one-half games. The next largest lead in either of the league’s other two divisions is a one-half game. If you assume that a .500 record will get you into the post-season derby, the Cubs can play .416 ball the rest of the way and qualify.
They’ve done all that despite their obvious weaknesses: some of the worst relief pitching in recent history. Their projected closer, Craig Kimbrel, has a 32.40 ERA in three appearances, having allowed nearly twice as many baserunners (eight) as outs he’s recorded (5)….and more runs (6).
Kimbrel’s been the biggest problem, but not the only one. The pen as a group has allowed 28 earned runs in 35 innings of work, a 7.20 ERA. Nine Cubs relievers have ERAs above 5.00, five of them above 10.00. One-quarter of all the runs allowed by Cubs pitchers this season have scored in the ninth inning.
The challenge for Cubs manager David Ross is simple; find a solution to the bullpen issues. Those knowledgeable in the statistical side of baseball have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to go far toward post-season success without a reliable bullpen. The Cubs may be about to test that proposition.