Around the start of the 7th inning, I took The Littlest Girl out for a jog. I had to get out. The Cubs aren’t just losing these past few weeks, they are offering very little joy to take away in the process. So, sometimes, even as a fan, you’ve just gotta get out.
So it was for another listless, unremarkable loss for the Cubs, who now sit a game under .500, and 3.5 games back of these Cardinals in the NL Central. The collective woes are numerous, and showed themselves appropriately in this one, which the Cubs were never really in. Jake Arrieta continues to pitch reasonably well to the eye, and yet continues to give up far too many runs (I know, again, it sounds overly simplistic … but it’s true). The bats continue to crumble with runners on base, and continue a skid of getting on base less and less often, too.
Maybe I’m just down in the dumps about a third consecutive series loss, but I am concerned that I cannot even comfortably suggest that, hey, maybe this will be the low point for the Cubs. Until the roster is healthy, until the bats start clicking, until the defense turns around its inexplicable skid, and until the starting pitchers consistently give the Cubs a chance to win through six innings, then the losses will continue to mount. Things can turn on a dime (the Cubs played this whole series without their MVP, for what that’s worth), but for today, I’m just gonna feel the disappointment and frustration.