3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs series vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates, including the danger of building a rotation based on command over velocity

Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune
·4 min read

Nine games into the season, the Chicago Cubs are preaching patience.

The offense hasn’t given them the consistency expected out of a veteran group. For the most part, the lineup is putting together a good approach, but too often that failed to deliver results in Pittsburgh, where the Cubs lost two of three to the Pirates.

They can’t let a disappointing series carry into Milwaukee, where they begin a three-game series Monday against the Brewers, who claimed a series win last week at Wrigley Field.

There aren’t many positives to take away from the Cubs-Pirates series.

1. The Cubs can’t be losing series to the Pirates.

Yes, the season is less than two weeks old, but good teams beat up on bad ones. Games in April affect the standings at the end of the season, too, and losing two of three at PNC Park is a wasted opportunity for the Cubs. It’s especially important for an organization that has made clear a strong start to the season is imperative if it wants to add at the July trade deadline and not be a seller.

Cubs manager David Ross hopes a couple of batters can start clicking at the same time and get the offense rolling.

“We’ve seen some flashes of the offense that we think’s in there, and then we’ve had some some days where you still feel like they’re searching a little bit or some different guys are searching,” Ross said Sunday. “We’ve just got to stay on the attack and we’ll get our timing down. I’m optimistic about this offense, I believe in this offense. I think that it’s a really special offense and we’re going to put up some runs this year.”

An aggressive mentality hasn’t routinely paid off. The Cubs were held to three runs and 13 hits in the two losses to the Pirates and finished with seven runs in the three-game series, getting outscored by 10. At some point, the Cubs have to cash in on their run-scoring opportunities.

2. When a pitchability-built rotation struggles with command and the offense is scuffling, games become a grind.

There is less room for error when a pitcher relies on commanding his pitches versus having the type of stuff that can overcome missing locations. Veteran right-hander Jake Arrieta was able to overcome an off day Thursday, going six innings and holding the Pirates to two runs in the win despite having to battle through stretches.

Right-handers Zach Davies and Trevor Williams weren’t as fortunate in their starts. Both pitchers put the Cubs in a tough spot Saturday and Sunday with their short outings. The Pirates didn’t bite against Davies’ soft stuff around the strike zone, drawing three walks in a seven-run second inning. Williams didn’t fare much better in his return to Pittsburgh. The Pirates attacked Williams, spraying 10 hits in 3⅓ innings to score five runs.

Every pitcher has duds on the mound. But the Cubs are banking on this approach with their rotation working more often than not. As the game trends towards developing and adding higher velocity to pitching staffs, the Cubs have acknowledged the way they have built their rotation goes against this. The series against the Pirates highlighted the potential pitfalls of that approach.

3. Alec Mills is showing his versatility and value in the bullpen.

Filling a swing role on the pitching staff is not exactly a coveted position for a pitcher. It often goes unheralded and can be mentally taxing having to prepare for the uncertainty of how you could be used on a day-to-day basis. Thrust into being a swing reliever to start the season, Mills has impressed the Cubs.

Coming off two ninth-inning appearances during the homestand, picking up a save in the process, Mills got called on by Ross for a multi-inning relief stint in Saturday’s blowout loss. His 2⅓ innings helped save the bullpen and gave the Cubs a shot at whittling the Pirates’ six-run lead by keeping them scoreless. Mills held them to one hit, working around two walks, and struck out one.

“When you have guys like him that can do that, that are unselfish, that just want the ability to pitch and compete and give your team a chance to win, that’s why you fight for guys like that,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Sunday. “It’s the type of guys you want on your pitching staff.”

Mills’ hybrid role gives Ross options for deploying the bullpen. Mills also is expected to start games at some point this season.

“A guy like Alec Mills, you could look back at the end of the year and say a guy like him is going to be the MVP of our pitching staff,” Hottovy said. “Just knowing the versatility, what he can do, his ability to come in and execute a game plan even out of the bullpen and know what he has working that day.”