Chicago Cubs: 3 lineup changes Craig Counsell should make after 6th straight loss
The Chicago Cubs are not playing good baseball right now. On Friday night, Chicago lost its sixth consecutive game and fell to 29-22 on the season. Not long ago, the Cubs were at the top of the National League Central Division. Now, they are in third and 2.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept them over the weekend.
Chicago’s recent struggles have been the result of multiple factors, but their offensive drought right now is the most pressing concern.
After falling 4-2 to the Houston Astros on Friday night, manager Craig Counsell finally said it may be time for him to shake up the lineup a bit. If he follows through on this, here are three things that could help give the offense a boost.
1. Give Pete Crow-Armstrong a day off
Chicago’s two runs on Friday night did come from a Pete Crow-Armstrong two-run home run. That does not change the fact, though, that the 24-year-old centerfielder could probably use a day off.
At this point in the season, Crow-Armstrong has been, overall, abysmal at the plate, continuing his poor offensive output from the second half of last year. He is currently hitting just .228/.311/.375 with six home runs and 22 RBI.
Crow-Armstrong has also played in every game the Cubs have had so far this year, which is admirable. But after the incident with a Chicago White Sox fan on Sunday, and two just downright embarrassing errors against Milwaukee this past week, he could use a mental reset.
2. Actually play Pedro Ramirez and bat him lead-off
Before the game on Friday, the Cubs placed Matt Shaw on the injured list and called up one of their best prospects, Pedro Ramirez, to take his spot on the roster.
He did not, however, play in the game despite Chicago’s offensive woes.
An infielder that can play second, third, and shortstop, Ramirez can give numerous Cubs players a break for a day or two. Down at Triple-A, he has hit .312/.375/.547 with nine home runs, 40 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.
A crystal clear option at the moment is to play him at shortstop and give Dansby Swanson a day off. The two-time Gold Glove winner is currently hitting .189/.289/.349 with seven home runs and 27 RBI.
Counsell could then move Nico Hoerner down in the lineup at bit and have Ramirez hit lead-off ahead of him.
3. Move Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ in the lineup
There is no questioning the fact that both Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ simply are not able to hit with runners in scoring position this year. For whatever reason, their batting averages plummet when runners are on base. Happ leads the Cubs with 10 home runs, but he only has 20 RBI.
However, the two players also have two of the highest on-base percentages among Chicago’s regular players. Suzuki has an OPB of .361 while Happ’s is .350 despite the fact he is hitting just .214.
Since both players cannot seem to hit with runners on but get on base themselves more than one-third of the time, perhaps putting them somewhere in the lineup where they can hit ahead of run producers would be a better idea.
The problem, though, is that the entire team is struggling with hitting with runners on base right now. Still, neither Suzuki nor Happ have been producing where they have been placed in the lineup, and any shake up must include moving them out of those spots.
More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports
- Craig Counsell to shake up Cubs lineup
- Craig Counsell slams Cubs lineup, vows change
- Top prospect traded to Kyle Tucker deal is bottoming out with Astros
For More Chicago Sports
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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-3-lineup-changes-craig-counsell-should-make-after-6th-straight-loss/
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