Chicago Cubs: One month into his career, Jordan Wicks has a first-inning problem

Chicago Cubs rookie left-hander Jordan Wicks is less than one month into his MLB career, but one thing is already becoming clear … he has a first-inning problem.

Don’t be mistaken. Wicks has been very good for the Chicago Cubs, maybe even exceptional, in his five starts to date. Opponents are packing a meager .624 OPS against him, he allowed a home run to the first batter he faced and hasn’t thrown one since, and, although primarily a ground ball pitcher, he’s striking opponents out at a rate of seven per nine innings.

But that first-inning issue is becoming a thing. It showed up big-time Sunday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, when Arizona posted three runs before Wicks could retire a second batter. He then proceeded to hold Arizona scoreless until leaving the game with one out in the fourth.

It’s not the first time for Wicks, whose late August debut in Pittsburgh got off to a rocky start when KeBryan Hayes hit his second big league pitch into the left field seats.

The first inning has been a big problem for Chicago Cubs pitcher Jordan Wicks

As of Sunday night, Wicks has worked 27 innings in his five starts. He’s given up eight total runs, of which five scored in the first inning. That works out to a 9.00 ERA in the first inning and a 1.23 ERA for all innings Wicks pitches after the first.

He’s hardly the only pitcher who has trouble retiring batters at the game’s outset. In fact with rare exceptions, the first inning has almost always been historically the most productive inning for scoring. The presumption is that it has to do with two things: the fact that an offense gets to set up its attack only for the first inning, and the idea that some pitchers may have trouble adjusting from bullpen to game conditions.

Wicks is likely to have two more opportunities to demonstrate his ability to get somebody out in the first inning. He will probably face the Colorado Rockies next weekend at Wrigley Field and the Milwaukee Brewers in a final weekend game at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

However he does, his 2023 debut is likely to be judged successful. Even given his first-inning problems, he left Sunday’s effort with a credible 2.67 ERA. But Wicks also had to burn through 25 first-inning pitches, a major reason why he only lasted one out into the fifth.

That’s one more reason why he has to improve his first-inning game.