The Cubs needed to win series this week but instead dropped two of three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds. Pete Crow-Armstrong, however, had an outstanding stretch. Here is who was hot and who struggled for the Cubs over the past week.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is dominating for the Cubs
The numbers from Pete Crow-Armstrong’s week are worth repeating. Across six games, PCA batted .321/.345/.893 (9-for-28) with a double, five home runs, eight RBIs and six runs scored.
That production should make him a strong candidate for National League Player of the Week. He also has a strong chance to win NL Player of the Month honors for August. With one game remaining, Crow-Armstrong is batting .283/.372/.726 (32-for-113) this month, with six doubles, a triple, 14 home runs, 28 RBIs and 28 runs scored.
Here’s his three-homer game from Saturday [VIDEO].
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Seiya Suzuki quietly delivered another strong week
With so much attention focused on Crow-Armstrong, it would be easy to overlook the Cubs right fielder’s contributions. Suzuki batted .346/.414/.615 (9-for-26) over the six games, recording four doubles, one home run and seven runs scored. Those numbers include an 0-for-5 performance Sunday.
Suzuki has established a career high with 81 runs scored this season. His .487 slugging percentage and .853 OPS also currently rank as career bests. He has played strong defense as well and is at 4.4 bWAR, another career high. The Cubs should consider offering him a contract extension because he has been a consistently productive player.
Clay Holmes is giving the Cubs exactly what they hoped for
Clay Holmes threw seven outstanding scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks last Tuesday, allowing only two hits.
Through four starts with the Cubs, Holmes has a 1.96 ERA and a 0.957 WHIP. Across 13 starts with the Cubs and Mets, he owns a 2.26 ERA and a 1.057 WHIP.
I would be fully on board with Craig Counsell giving Holmes the Game 1 assignment in a postseason series.
Jacob Webb has suffered another blown save
Jacob Webb had been dominant before his collapse in Seattle last Saturday. He then struggled again in Arizona on Tuesday, allowing his second walk-off home run in three days.
Counsell gave Webb several days off to reset, and Webb responded by throwing a scoreless inning Sunday against the Reds. The Cubs need him to pitch well going forward, and his performance earlier this season suggests he can do that.
Shota Imanaga leads MLB in home runs allowed
Imanaga now leads Major League Baseball with 33 home runs allowed, one more than Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola.
Counsell said “the Cubs need Shōta to be good” in his postgame remarks after Sunday’s game. Still, it remains an open question whether the Cubs should skip Imanaga for one start or more before the regular season ends.
Imanaga will likely be scheduled to start against the Miami Marlins in Miami on Friday. His next turn after that would come a week later on Wednesday in Milwaukee, which raises the possibility of skipping that start or using an opener.
Imanaga has been somewhat better on the road, where he has a 3.65 ERA in 11 starts, than at Wrigley Field, where he has a 4.23 ERA in 16 starts.
Trent Thornton may be running out of gas
Trent Thornton allowed three Reds home runs over the final two games of the series, facing only 12 batters.
The rough outings ended a streak of 11 consecutive scoreless appearances. Like Webb, the Cubs need Thornton to pitch effectively down the stretch. The key question is whether he can recover.
