Roughly a month ago, the Chicago Cubs were 24-17, jostling with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central. Since then, a lot has changed, particularly at the plate.
Fast forward to today, the Cubs are four games under .500, plunging to last place in the division. Chicago's 2024 outlook has experienced a dramatic shift, taking a turn for the worse. They've lost 21 of their past 31 games -- brutal. Moreover, their offensive production has dipped immensely, averaging a lowly 3.38 runs per game since May 12, compared to 4.75 in the 40 contests prior.
Still, internal confidence has not wavered, according to All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson.
“I think [our mindset] is the same every day,” Swanson said, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com, following the Cubs' 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. “We go out there to compete. We go out there to win baseball games, put together good at-bats. Just for whatever reason, it’s not happening. But we’ve got a lot of more-than-capable guys in this clubhouse."
Regardless of what Swanson says, his words can only do so much to galvanize a struggling Cubs team. Eventually, he and the Chicago must find a way to wake up their bats.
Dansby Swanson's words alone will do little to jumpstart the Cubs' dreadful offense
Swanson has gone cold from the batter's box, especially over the past week. In that span, he has produced one hit in 17 at-bats. Yet, he believes the "tide will turn" for him and the rest of the "really good hitters" Chicago has on the roster.
As things stand, the Cubs have a 19.9 percent chance of reaching the postseason, per Baseball Reference's Playoff Odds. So, the analytics feel Chicago still has time to right the ship. But Swanson and the rest of the lineup must be better moving forward if they want to salvage a campaign that is slowly unraveling.
While it is reassuring to hear positive encouragement from Swanson, that won't put runs on the board for the Cubs.