How can the Cubs survive Justin Steele’s seasonlong absence?
Well, it won’t hurt to keep smacking dingers.
Jed Hoyer and his front office have a challenge ahead in trying to plug a Steele-shaped hole in the rotation. Meanwhile, though, the Cubs are swinging hot enough bats to make up for any pitching problems.
“I believe we have the best lineup in the National League,” starting pitcher Ben Brown said after the Cubs’ 6-2 victory Saturday over the Diamondbacks. “Our guys have been doing an incredible job. I do truly believe we have one of the most top-to-bottom, thorough, great offenses in baseball.
“Kudos to them for putting up runs.”
A day after an electrifying comeback papered over a blown six-run lead, Brown’s laborious four innings — featuring four walks and 100 pitches — mattered little thanks to six early runs punctuated by Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch hitting back-to-back home runs in the second inning.
The Cubs entered with the highest run total in the majors. They’ve launched seven homers into the Wrigley Field bleachers in two days.
“Going into the year, we definitely had the feeling internally that we had an offense that could score in a lot of different ways and win different types of games,” second baseman Nico Hoerner told the Sun-Times. “[Having] the ability to slug, make contact and run the bases well, you give yourself an opportunity to win a lot of different kinds of games.”
The contributions have come from just about everywhere.
Kyle Tucker’s torrid start continued with a triple and two RBI. Suzuki’s homer was his sixth of the year and second in as many days, and he joined Tucker and Carson Kelly — who homered twice Friday — atop the team’s home-run leaderboard. Busch is right behind with five.
If there’s any truth to the maxim that hitting is contagious, the Cubs’ current stretch could serve as Exhibit A.
“No team has nine guys going off over a 22-game span, right?” manager Craig Counsell said before the game. “We’ve got a lot of guys being very productive. You take your turn, and that’s how you’re a good offense, right? That’s what you want to continue.”
Will it continue, though? And for how long?
Teams can be streaky over the course of a season. That’s why Hoyer & Co. can’t abandon any search for starting-pitching reinforcements. But the front office will have to settle for its internal alternatives for now, with blockbuster trades rare at this point in the calendar.
Brown had to work hard to get through those four innings, but he allowed only one run, a positive that lowered his ERA from 5.09 to 4.57. Colin Rea also gave up only one run Friday and only has allowed two in more than eight innings as a starter. Javier Assad is set for another rehab start Sunday as he creeps closer to his return. Matthew Boyd has been stellar with a 2.01 ERA in four starts.
Will it be enough to prevent Steele’s absence from becoming too glaring?
Given the up-and-down nature of a season — and the attrition that annually plagues pitching staffs — probably not. And so the trade deadline looms as a big moment. Will Hoyer be able to make a splash that truly replaces a top-of-the-rotation arm?
That’s to be determined.
For now, the Cubs can lean on a red-hot offense and a whole bunch of dingers.
“It’s just a lot of good hitters, honestly,” Busch said after the victory. “Top to bottom, our whole roster is guys who give consistent, good at-bats. You’ve been seeing it basically since Game 1, just the at-bat quality no matter the situation, no matter how many runs we’re up or down, no matter if you’re coming off the bench. It’s pretty good at-bats all around.”