This Concerning Stat Shows Massive Issue for Chicago Cubs

A new statistic has shown a massive issue that the Chicago Cubs must find a way to fix.

Jun 24, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. All Giants players wore the number 24 in honor of Giants former player Willie Mays. / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Every single fan is aware of how rough the last month has been for the Chicago Cubs.

To start the season, the Cubs looked like a team that could turn into a legitimate contender in the National League. Despite playing through injury issues, the team simply found ways to win games.

Recently, the team has been unable to find ways to win consistently. Even playing with the lead has been a tough task for Chicago.

Prior to their win on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, the Cubs had gone 10-22 in their previous 32 games. Obviously, things have not been going according to plan.

While the losing has continued, Chicago hasn't been a completely bad team. In fact, if they could close out games that they have leads in, the Cubs would hold a very good record.

Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports shared a graphic that shows an incredibly concerning statistic about the team.

In the last two series against the Giants, the starting pitching has been phenomenal. Unfortunately, they only won three out of the seven games.

Cubs starters dominated the Giants lineup over the last week-plus.

Cubs went 3-4 in the games vs. SF. pic.twitter.com/YrnsbgJmo7

— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) June 27, 2024

For most of the season, the starting pitching has not been the problem. There have not been many games that were lost due to a starter getting pummeled.

Against San Francisco, the numbers shared above were elite. The bullpen and lack of offensive production were what cost Chicago.

Looking ahead to the MLB trade deadline, Jed Hoyer could look at facts like this one and consider buying. If he could acquire a big productive bat and a legitimate closer, the season could very well turn around.

Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga have both been elite starters this season. Javier Assad has also been a quality starter for the Cubs.

If Chicago can add talent around their starting pitching, things could get very interesting for the team.

There have been a lot of names suggested as potential trade targets for the Cubs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is one of the biggest names to be linked as a possible trade target for Chicago. At closer, names like Tanner Scott, Kenley Jansen, and Mason Miller have been the most popular.

With all of this being said, there is still hope for the Cubs. There are reasons for optimism.

Craig Counsell and his staff need to figure out a way to fix the weaknesses for the time being. If the team can string some wins together before the trade deadline, it would not be surprising to see Hoyer get aggressive.