Today marks the start of the second half of the season for MLB. The Chicago Cubs will host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field this afternoon to kick off their second-half schedule. The first half was a roller coaster ride for the Cubs. However, they enter the second half at 47-51 and just 3 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. Winners of their last three series, the Cubs have a number of factors working in their favor going into the second half. Chicago’s schedule is one of the biggest advantages they have going for them.
The Cubs Second Half Schedule is Favorable
According to Tankathon, the Cubs have the 11th easiest schedule for the second half of the season. This is calculated by the total winning percentage of the teams they will face. The Cubs’ remaining opponents equate to a .493 win percentage. No team in the National League Central has an easier remaining schedule than the Cubs. In fact, the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals have the fourth and fifth hardest remaining schedules, respectively.
Key Hitters Fueling Previously Dormant Cubs Offense
The Cubs offense struggled for much of the first half of the season. In particular, it’s been a lack of timely hitting that has bogged down the offense. They currently hold the third-worst batting average in MLB with runners in scoring position (.224). However, since June 30, the Cubs rank ninth in MLB in batting average w/RISP (.279). They are going into the second half of the season with a number of hitters who seem to be busting out of prolonged slumps.
Ian Happ
Ian Happ is one of those Cubs hitters who has not only broken out of his slump but has now caught fire. As of June 1, Happ was hitting just .219 with six home runs, 24 RBI, and a .702 OPS. Since then, Happ has hit .273 with nine homers, 33 RBI, and an outstanding .957 OPS. Happ is currently on pace for a career season, and this comes after his struggles at the plate led to his benching back in May. If he stays hot in the second half, he has a shot to put up 100+ RBI by season’s end.
Michael Busch
Michael Busch has been the Cubs’ most pleasant surprise over the first half of the season. The rookie is heating up since hitting just .208 in May. Since then, he hit .297 in June and .327 so far in July. The power that he showed in April hasn’t quite returned to that level, but he still gets on base at a promising rate. His on-base percentage in June was an impressive .402. Busch has gotten better as the season has gone on, which bodes well for the second half of the season.
Some other Cubs hitters to keep an eye on for the second half include Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki. Hoerner is hitting .366/.404/.439 with seven RBI over his last 10 games. Meanwhile, Suzuki has been impressive over his last seven games, hitting .387/.387/.645, amassing a monstrous 1.032 OPS.
The Cubs are Starting to Get Healthy
Injuries ravaged the Cubs in the first half, particularly the pitching staff. The bullpen is poised to get two big arms back from injury soon. Right-hander Julian Merryweather started his rehab stint earlier this month and looks to be close to returning. Merryweather has been on the IL since April 7 with a rib stress fracture.
Adbert Alzolay is also nearing his return to the Cubs bullpen after being out since mid-May with a forearm strain. Alzolay has been throwing live batting practice sessions in Arizona, and the hope is to have him back by the end of July. The return of Merryweather and Alzolay will be huge for a bullpen that has been the Achilles heel of this Cubs team so far.
Cubs will learn more about Luke Little’s left shoulder strain during All-Star break.
Julian Merryweather will go to AZ to keep pitching during break & will have more rehab games post break.
Mike Tauchman is in AZ, took live BP off Adbert Alzolay. A chance he comes off IL Friday
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) July 13, 2024
Cubs outfielder Mike Tauchman started a rehab assignment in Rookie-level Arizona earlier this week. Tauchman has been out with a tweaked groin that he suffered on June 17 against the San Francisco Giants. The 33-year-old is hitting .259/.359/.382 on the season and has been good at the top of the lineup, slashing .290/.350/.398 in the leadoff spot. Tauchman is another guy who has gotten on base at a solid rate this year (.359) and his return will be valuable to this Cubs lineup.
Cubs Starting Pitching is Top Notch
The Cubs starting pitching has been superb so far, and with Javier Assad recently back from the IL, it should continue to be. As a team, the Cubs own the ninth-best ERA in MLB among starting pitchers (3.67). Rookie All-Star Shota Imanaga was sensational to start the season, but has come back down to earth over the past month. Still, Imanaga is 8-2 with a 2.97 ERA on the season. Justin Steele struggled in May after his return from the IL, posting a 4.88 ERA for the month. Then he completely took over. In June, Steele pitched to a 2.13 ERA. In July so far, he has a 0.56 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .093 against him. Steele is showing that he’s still the leader of this starting rotation.
Justin Steele since this moment 😤
19 IP
13 K
2 ER
1 CGCubs Ws in all three games! pic.twitter.com/w09nHsjRvZ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 12, 2024
Key Matchups in Cubs Schedule
The Cubs schedule features some key matchups you won’t want to miss in the second half. One of those is a three-game series against the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field from September 6-8. This is a weekend series, and the star power alone will be reason enough to watch. Also, beloved former Cub Anthony Rizzo will make his first return to Wrigley Field since being traded to the Yankees in 2021.
Another important series is the last one on the Cubs schedule. The Cubs host the Cincinnati Reds September 27-29 in what could be a Wild Card-deciding series. As of now, the Reds are a half-game ahead of the Cubs in the NL Wild Card race. If things stay tight until the end of the season, this series could be huge.
Cubs Seeking a Playoff Push
With the July 30 trade deadline quickly approaching, the Cubs are still a team that insiders are divided on when it comes to whether they will buy or sell. The Cubs won 8 of their last 11 games heading into the All-Star break, including a dominant three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles. This solid stretch of baseball may have salvaged the Cubs’ season and changed Jed Hoyer’s direction come July 30. With the Cubs’ favorable schedule, the offense heating up, and some key players returning from injury, a playoff push could be imminent on the north side.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
