Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel’s sacrifice fly with runners at second and third in the sixth inning Sunday had the looks of a hit off the bat.
And that would have been the case 77% of the time, according to Baseball Savant. But the wind at Wrigley Field knocked the ball down, and what could have been multiple runs turned into one.
That has been the story for the Cubs of late. The offense can’t seem to put them in position for a big-scoring inning. But as the Cubs begin a series Tuesday against the Braves, it’s the offense’s turn to carry the load.
That the Cubs are 26-22 is a testament to their pitching staff. They have had 16 players hit the injured list since the start of the season but have persevered, thanks in large part to the performances of starters Shota Imanaga (0.84 ERA), Javier Assad (1.49) and Jameson Taillon (2.20).
‘‘They’ve done a tremendous job,’’ center fielder Cody Bellinger said. ‘‘Starting pitching and the bullpen have done a tremendous job to keep us in these games.’’
The Cubs, however, are starting to get some positive news on the health front. Late Monday, they activated shortstop Dansby Swanson (sprained right knee) from the 10-day IL and expect him to return Tuesday. Second baseman Nico Hoerner (tight left hamstring) also is expected to be back.
The Cubs also optioned utility player Miles Mastrobuoni and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to Triple-A Iowa and reportedly will call up middle infielder Luis Vazquez from Iowa.
After the series against the Pirates, manager Craig Counsell said he’d smile because of Hoerner and Swanson being back, ‘‘but I don’t think it guarantees scoring runs.’’
The Cubs’ dearth of run production has been startling. The team has a 95 weighted runs created-plus in May, five points below the major-league average. They aren’t getting baserunners over or taking advantage when runners are on base.
Counsell noted the quality pitchers the Cubs have faced in the last couple of weeks, from the Padres’ Dylan Cease to the Braves’ Chris Sale to the Pirates’ Paul Skenes. But they also struggled Saturday against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter (4.51 career ERA).
‘‘This is the game, and we’ve got to have good at-bats,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘We’ve got to have guys take turns having big days. We’ve got to get guys that are swinging it really well, and you work on doing it every single day.’’
The underlying numbers show a turnaround might be brewing. Entering Monday, the Cubs were seventh in the majors in barrel rate (8.4%) and launch angle (14.2 degrees), according to Baseball Savant. But they were whiffing far too often and not making enough hard contact on pitches in the zone.
The players in the lineup have a track record of success, so there’s optimism the bats will break out soon. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki had a stretch toward the end of last season in which he was among the best hitters in baseball, and — at his best — left fielder Ian Happ can hit for contact and power. It’s on the players not to let the offensive lull continue.
‘‘We feel good, but that’s the hard thing about baseball,’’ Suzuki told the Sun-Times through an interpreter. ‘‘Things don’t really go the way you want them to, and clearly we’re not getting the results that we want. So it’s just about waiting for that wave to come again.
‘‘[The pitchers] have been helping us out a lot, so there’s going to be a time where we can help them sometime. And that’s what we’re going to do.’’
