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Three observations as Cubs sweep AL-best Orioles in Baltimore

11 months agoAndy Martinez

The Cubs completed a much-needed, three-game sweep of the AL-leading Orioles with an 8-0 win in Baltimore. Justin Steele threw 7 shutout innings and the Cubs used big days from Michael Busch (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 3 runs) and Seiya Suzuki (3-for-5, 2 2Bs, 1 3B, 3 RBI) to power the offense. Here are three observations from the 3-game set.

A three-headed monster

The Cubs’ front three of their rotation is the envy of almost any team. The Orioles saw how dominant they were firsthand.

Jameson Taillon (2.99 ERA), Shota Imanaga (2.97 ERA) and Justin Steele (2.71 ERA) all threw quality starts against the Orioles, who were the top-scoring team (464 runs) in baseball when the series began.

Baltimore’s potent offense mustered just a pair of runs in 27 innings.

“Two runs in three days, credit to all those guys,” Manager Craig Counsell said after the game. “The starters were awesome. You hold that lineup to 2 runs in three days, you’re doing really well.”

The rotation should receive a boon, too, this weekend. Javier Assad (3.04 ERA) could start this weekend in St. Louis, giving the Cubs four quality starters as the All-Star break approaches.

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RISPy business

Since the Cubs went 8 games over .500 on April 26, the offense, especially situationally has struggled. From April 27 through June 30, the Cubs hit .185 with runners in scoring position, the worst mark in baseball and 30 points lower than the next closest team (White Sox, .215).

The Cubs were 11-for-41 (.268) with runners in scoring position in the series. Since the calendar flipped to July, the Cubs are hitting .308 with runners in scoring position, the 8th-best mark in baseball.

Part of the Cubs’ struggles in those two months was the offense failing to score like they did in 2023 when they scored the 6th-most runs in baseball. Their struggles in scoring led to closer games, relying on a bullpen that was injured, inexperienced and often inconsistent.

Being able to score in clutch situations is a difference-maker that didn’t really exist for two-plus months for the Cubs.

Speaking of Offense

The Cubs received some bad news on their offensive front Thursday when Cody Bellinger was placed on the 10-day IL with a left middle finger fracture. There’s no clear timetable on a return, but Counsell said he’ll be shut down through the All-Star break before being re-evaluated.

Later that night, the Cubs showed how they can thrive without him — and it involved some hitters who sandwiched Bellinger in the lineup, Busch, Ian Happ and Suzuki.

The trio was 6-for-13 with 6 RBI and 5 runs in the series finale. The three have been solid this season — Busch has a .841 OPS, 138 wRC+ and 12 homers, Happ has a .803 OPS, 129 wRC+ and 14 home runs and Suzuki has a .786 OPS, 122 wRC+ and 12 homers.

The Cubs will need contributions up and down their lineup, but there will be more emphasis on those three with Bellinger out of action.