Cubs Have Been How Bad During Recent Skid?! -

"They haven't just lost four games in a row, they've been completely stifled offensively. As was pointed out to me following Wednesday's loss, the Cubs have scored just three runs in those four games. Adding in the end of Friday's win, they've scored in only two of their last 38 innings. Over the course of their skid, they are slashing .108/.213/.158 with a 15 wRC+ as a team. AS A TEAM."

"The next-worst team in terms of average is the Padres, and they're 72 points higher. The Rockies are closest to the Cubs in wRC+, but their 50 says they've been 35% better. Alex Bregman is the only player on the team who's producing at an above-average level, which is something that has been in the works for a while now. Even though we're dealing with an incredibly small sample here, Bregman's season to this point has been characterized by getting bad breaks on hard-hit balls."

"Some of that is of his own doing, as his 14.8-degree average launch angle is nearly three degrees below his career mark and would be his lowest in any season by almost one degree. What's a little ironic is that the highest expected batting average and wOBA numbers come between 10 and 15 degrees. The problem for Bregman is that he's hitting more balls on the ground than ever before, and not by a small margin."

"His 44.9% grounder rate is more than four ticks higher than in any previous season, while his 35.3% fly ball rate is lower than ever by nearly as much. The best results come from hitting the ball hard in the air, which Bregman has not been doing often enough. The bigger issue for the time being is that the whole team is mired in a deep slump, something this roster was built to avoid."

The Cubs have lost four straight games while being stifled offensively. They scored three runs across those four games and have scored in only two of their last 38 innings. Their team slash line during the skid is .108/.213/.158 with a 15 wRC+ mark, far below the next-worst team. Alex Bregman is the only player producing above average, though his results reflect bad breaks on hard-hit balls. His launch angle is lower than his career norm, and he hits more ground balls than ever while hitting fewer fly balls. Better outcomes are associated with higher launch angles and more balls hit in the air, which has not been happening enough.

Read at Cubsinsider