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AIPROPX ReportChicago Sun-Times · 1h ago
Hey, neighbor! Cubs begin pivotal stretch starting Monday with four-game series vs. Brewers
Pessimistic Cubs fans can take solace in the fact that history shows their team still has a chance of seizing its first National League Central title since the COVID-shortened 60-game 2020 season.
It was only last season that the Guardians overcame an 11-game deficit with 23 games left to overtake the Tigers for the American League Central title.
And the 2018 Cubs held a five-game lead with 25 games left, only for the Brewers to win four of six games against them during a nine-game span to cut their lead to one before overtaking them for the division title.
The Cubs finished that season with a tiebreaker loss to the Brewers for the NL Central title and a wild-card defeat to the Rockies, prompting left-hander Jon Lester to suggest that perhaps they needed a certain part of their anatomy ‘‘knocked in the dirt to appreciate it. Maybe we needed that.’’
Unfortunately for the Cubs, the Brewers have shown no signs of complacency in their quest for their fourth consecutive division title and fifth NL Central crown in six seasons. They’re destined for their eighth playoff berth in the last nine seasons.
And manager Pat Murphy won’t let up, even with a comfortable lead as the Brewers open a four-game series Monday at Wrigley Field that starts a span of seven games in 10 days against the Cubs.
On Tuesday, Murphy pulled rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt after he failed to execute a bunt, then didn’t hustle on a shallow pop that fell safely but cost him a double.
Two days later, Pratt fouled a bunt attempt but finished the at-bat by hitting a sacrifice fly and received a hero’s welcome from his teammates, including several who had lectured him after his lapse Tuesday.
The Brewers have the best record in the majors, thanks in part to executing the details that have resulted in the largest run differential in the game, despite hitting the fewest home runs.
Murphy has pushed his players to their limits throughout the season, even scheduling infield practice before the second game of a three-game series at Arizona during a stretch of 18 games in 17 days before the All-Star break.
‘‘Being tired is for guys who pick another profession,’’ Murphy said after being asked by a reporter about not letting up on the pregame workload during a tedious stretch. ‘‘Professional bowling is not as taxing. I don’t know. But if you’re tired, get another job.
‘‘I’m tired, too. But they’re making me do it.’’
Murphy, 67, had surgery to repair a ruptured disk in late June but returned to the ballpark the next day. He has postponed surgery to replace his right hip until after the season, and the discomfort is noticeable when he makes lumbering visits to the mound and during postgame handshakes.
Meanwhile, the Brewers wisely have employed a six-man rotation for stretches to protect the arms of flame-throwing 14-game winner Jacob Misiorowski, who didn’t have a pitch clocked at 101 mph or faster for only the second time this season in a victory last week against the Mets, and Logan Henderson, who has allowed three runs or fewer in all of his first 19 career starts.
Misiorowski and Henderson are lined up to pitch the final two games of the four-game series against the Cubs.
Misiorowski still leads the majors with 1.73 ERA, and he has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his first 25 starts this season.
When the Brewers made their late push in 2018, the Cubs were in the midst of playing 35 games in 36 days, and fatigue struck the offense. They produced a slash line of .235/.300/.363. Willson Contreras had a .465 OPS in the final month and only three home runs after the All-Star break.
The Cubs had no attractive alternatives in the the second half for Ian Happ, who had hit 24 homers with a .842 OPS during an impressive 2017 rookie season. Happ had four homers with a .653 OPS after the All-Star break in 2018 and started the 2019 in the minors.
The Brewers also have the NL’s top bullpen with a 3.21 ERA entering Sunday. Left-hander Aaron Ashby is among the top five in appearances (63) and has averaged more than an inning per outing.
Abner Uribe hasn’t pitched since Aug. 9 because of a strained right flexor suffered after throwing 55 pitches in consecutive nights, and he is on a minor-league rehab stint.
Coincidentally, the Brewers finished their pre-All-Star break schedule by getting swept by the Pirates, only to return with four consecutive victories and 10 in their first 14 games after the break.
The Cubs were three games out of first place in the division on the morning of Aug. 15, but the Brewers responded with two victories at Dodger Stadium and have displayed impressive resiliency.
‘‘Control what you can control,’’ Cubs right-hander Colin Rea said before the Cubs lost two of three games to the Diamondbacks last week. ‘‘We can’t control what the Brewers do or the Padres or the Diamondbacks.’’
Failing to put a dent in the Brewers’ lead this week might accelerate the Cubs’ plans to focus on their reinforcements from the injured list. Availability and effectiveness will dictate the Cubs’ postseason roster.
Right-hander Ben Brown’s recurring neck discomfort takes away one late-inning strikeout weapon, and right-hander Edward Cabrera’s inconsistency and finger blister might relegate him to bullpen duty once he returns from the IL.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson’s return from an injured left oblique — which might happen after the Cubs and Brewers conclude their season series — merits scrutiny, although Nico Hoerner has held his own at shortstop and Matt Shaw’s return from a sprained hand improves the depth.
The Brewers also are navigating their share of ailments, most notably first baseman Jake Bauers’ shin splits. But Bauer, with 23 homers and 76 RBI, remains a strong candidate for comeback-player-of-the-year honors.
And even with a decent lead, Murphy won’t tolerate mental mishaps.
‘‘We’re on a journey,’’ Murphy, a two-time NL Manager of the Year, said after a game in which his players committed a couple of menta...
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