Christian Walker and the Astros arrive at Wrigley Field on Friday with both teams trying to stop stretches that have dragged the season off course. The Cubs have lost nine of their last 11 games since April 9, while Houston is 4-8 over the same span and 11 games under.500.
The numbers behind the slide are ugly for both clubs. The Cubs have scored three runs or fewer in nine games during this stretch and are batting.182, while the Astros are hitting.186 and averaging 1.9 runs a game. Chicago entered the weekend in second place, 1 1/2 games behind the Brewers, after being in first place earlier in the month.
Craig Counsell did not dress up the problem. “We’re in a funk right now, and it’s up to us to change it,” he said, and the Cubs’ lineup has given him little reason to expect a quick fix. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ both have four hits in their last 37 at-bats. Dansby Swanson is 5-for-34, Moises Ballesteros is 1-for-18 and Matt Shaw is hitless in 14 at-bats.
Houston’s offense has not carried the club either, even before the trip to Chicago. Yordan Alvarez said, “I think right now we’re struggling a little bit,” and the numbers back him up. Alex Bregman has been one of the few bright spots, batting.286 in this stretch with 12 hits in the Cubs’ last 11 games. Walker gives the Astros another bat to lean on, but the team is still trying to piece together enough production to survive a rough April.
The pitching matchups add another layer. Jameson Taillon is scheduled to face Houston on Friday, and Colin Rea is lined up for Saturday. Shota Imanaga is the only Cubs starter in the last two full turns through the rotation with an outing longer than five innings; he threw seven innings and allowed two runs in a 4-1 loss to the Braves, then followed with 4 1/3 innings and eight runs in a 9-3 loss to the Brewers on Monday night. If Imanaga gets a sixth day of rest, Ben Brown could start Sunday.
The Astros are dealing with more than one missing arm. Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier are out with shoulder strains, Lance McCullers was placed on the injured list this week with shoulder inflammation, and Spencer Arrighetti has been Houston’s best pitcher this season. The Cubs also have a rotation question of their own after Edward Cabrera was lifted after one pitch in the fourth inning on Wednesday night because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. Chicago should know by Friday whether Cabrera can make his next start.
Wrigley may not offer much help. According to the app Wrigley Winds, the wind will be blowing in for all three games, a setup that could further punish an offense already searching for one big inning. For two teams that have spent most of April trying to climb out of holes, this weekend is less about statement wins than about finding out which one can stop the slide first.
