In the seven games thus far, the Chicago Cubs have averaged seven runs per game, tying the Atlanta Braves for the best mark in baseball. Given the lack of huge upgrades in the winter for the offense, this offensive explosion should be somewhat surprising. The Cubs ran it back with a similar team as Michael Bush is the new member of the starting lineup. Busch is hitting .316 batting average to go with a .891 OPS in all seven games. Most of the production is coming from players that were members of last year’s squad. Last year, the Cubs finished sixth in the MLB averaging 5.06 runs per game and 11th in batting average at .254. Although this isn’t the best, it is hardly the worst.
Maybe even more surprising is that four of these games have taken place in weather more fitting for Alaska. The game time temperature in the Cubs four home games has been 43, 42, 36, and 43 degrees. These sound more like pants sizes than baseball weather. If the Cubs offense can produce in pitching weather, can this be sustainable in warmer months?
The Cubs are Embracing Strong Baseball Plays
Lukewarm Expectations
When the Cubs re-signed Cody Bellinger, the reaction was more of a sigh of relief rather than a shout of joy. Most of the reasons for this had to do with it being more of a maintenance move rather than adding to this year’s squad. The prevailing thought was at least the Cubs would be able to be as productive as last year but not more.
What has happened is Christopher Morel, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, and Dansby Swanson have all gotten off to hot starts. Morel has cut down on his strikeouts with only two so far this season. Suzuki is second in MLB in RBI with 11. Happ is hitting over .370 while Swanson leads the team with a 1.100 OPS. When you get half of your lineup contributing in this way, runs are bound to come in bunches.
That was the case in their most recent game against the National League powerhouse, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs scored eight of their nine runs in two innings as they put up a five spot in the second and three runs in the sixth. So far this season, the Cubs have already had nine innings where they have scored three or more runs. When an offense can produce more than a solo home run or a manufactured run, it allows the pitching staff to breathe easier.
Can the Hot Start Continue?
True, we are working with a very small sample size. Skeptics of this hot start will point out that three of their first seven were against the lowly Colorado Rockies. The pitchers the Cubs have faced haven’t exactly been Cy Young candidates as well. On opening day, the Rangers Nathan Eovaldi lived up to the billing. Outside of that, most starting pitchers would be tough to identify without a program. The slate gets tougher in the next week. After the final two games against the Dodgers, the Cubs hit the road for three each in San Diego, Seattle, and Arizona.
The good news for the offensive is that the weather should be better in all of these locations. With an offense that is already in the top five in batting average (.279) and OPS (.838), there is certainly something to build on. If you include the Dodgers, the next six series are against teams that finished 2023 with winning records. The competition will be tough but early signs out of the lineup seem to indicate that it will not be nearly as dependent on Bellinger as last season. As stated previously, the first month of the season is brutal schedule-wise. If the Cubs can end March with a record over .500, big things could be in store for the offense and the team.
Main Photo: © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
