Pitching Questions Surround Chicago Cubs During Playoff Push

Questions about the Chicago Cubs pitching staff continues to circulate as they continue their playoff push.

It was all fun at Wrigley Field when the Chicago Cubs were putting up historic offensive figures against the Cincinnati Reds. The place was electric as fans saw their team pummel the baseball and inch closer to their first playoff appearance since 2020.

The Cubs were set up for a big test against the MLB's best team Atlanta Braves as they began their three game home weekend series on Friday.

The excitement in the stadium was quickly extinguished as the Braves put up seven runs in the fourth inning, powering their way to an 8-0 victory.

Veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks was handed his second consecutive loss after posting three hitless innings before he got tagged in the fourth.

Pitching is now the major concern surrounding Chicago as they push for the playoffs.

After the All-Star break, the staff is 18th in the MLB with an ERA of 4.64. The starting rotation's ERA now sits at 4.27 for the season as their ace Marcus Stroman has started to struggle. Justin Steele is the only starter with below a 3.00 ERA on the roster.

The Cubs are the only team in their division with a positive run differential, which suggests some of their unlucky losses early in the year should swing in their favor down the stretch.

The worrying thing is that Chicago is 27-39 against teams with a winning record.

When they face good teams, they struggle to win.

A lot of that has to do with the struggling starting rotation giving up multiple runs and putting pressure back on the bats to dig out a win.

If the Cubs want to get back in the playoffs, their pitching staff has to improve down the stretch.