3 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ series split with the Cleveland Indians, including back-end bullpen dominance and a revealing schedule

The Chicago Cubs’ 10-game trip starts Thursday in Los Angeles with the opener of a four-game series against the Dodgers.

With the Cubs off Wednesday, it’s time to break down their quick two-game set against the Cleveland Indians ahead of a challenging trip.

1. David Ross balances the short-term need to win with a big-picture approach to player health.

Nobody would blame Ross or any manager for wanting to keep their star players in the lineup every day. It’s not exactly common for players to appear in every game over a 162-game slate, a feat only five big-leagues players accomplished in 2019. So Ross had an eye on the coming weeks when he didn’t put first baseman Anthony Rizzo in the lineup Tuesday.

Ross wanted to give Rizzo consecutive days of rest thanks to Wednesday’s off day. The Cubs ultimately didn’t need Rizzo’s bat in their 7-1 win Tuesday. By giving Rizzo a break, Ross envisions being able to ride him for a longer stretch at some point in the season.

Ross felt he could still put together a good lineup without Rizzo, citing Rafael Ortega’s at-bats lately and what he felt was a good matchup for Patrick Wisdom, who homered in the game.

“I’d love him to play 162, and he’d probably like to if his body could handle it, but we’ve got to find moments to rest guys,” Ross said of Rizzo.

“I don’t want to break anybody. I want to make sure these guys are fresh. It’s a long season. If it was August or September and we were on that push, we’d probably pencil him in there with an off day the next day.”

2. A mind-boggling stretch comes to an end for the Cubs’ high-leverage relief trio.

It no secret that the Cubs’ success nearly three months into the season centers largely around their bullpen, namely the three relievers at the back end: right-hander Ryan Tepera, left-hander Andrew Chafin and closer Craig Kimbrel.

After Chafin threw up zeros in the seventh inning Tuesday, Tepera surrendered a run in the eighth but escaped what could have been a more damaging inning. The Indians loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth trailing 5-0, but Tepera got out of it allowing only the one run. Navigating that situation is a reminder of how good the Cubs bullpen has been this season, especially the high-leverage trio.

The eighth-inning run snapped a combined 50⅓ consecutive scoreless innings streak by Tepera, Chafin and Kimbrel. That level of dominance can help cover up a team’s other flaws and get them through stretches where other areas of the roster are underperforming. The Cubs record likely looks a lot different (aka worse) this month without those three relievers locking down any late lead.

“You get even into the sixth inning with a lead, you feel really, really good about it with these guys coming out in the back end,” starter Kyle Hendricks said. “I mean, what (they) have done this year is just unbelievable, the numbers they’re putting up.”

3. As they embark on a 10-game trip to close out a brutal June, the Cubs’ approach to the impending trade deadline will come into focus.

Despite an 11-10 record in June, the Cubs entered Wednesday in first place in the division, sharing the spot with the Milwaukee Brewers.

On one hand, their standing could be viewed as a lost opportunity to put more distance between themselves and the rest of the division after coming into the month having won 12 of their last 15 games and holding a half-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals and 1½ over the Brewers. But the Cubs are fortunate the rest of the division hasn’t played well in June, either, helping them keep hold of first place as they try to get the offense back on track.

“It’s important to recognize that it is up and down, it’s just a way of baseball,” Kris Bryant said. “You go up and down and it means you’re living, when it’s flat it means you’re dead. I mean, it’s as simple as that. So you ride the waves and realize that, hey, it’s not always going to go your way, keep your head up, come out ready to play.”

Road series against the Dodgers, Brewers and Cincinnati Reds in an 11-day span into July will provide some clarity for the Cubs front office.

Adbert Alzolay and Hendricks showed the strength of the starting staff against the Indians, but there are major questions surrounding the collective rotation. The Cubs need to continue to get healthy offensively; Nico Hoerner could begin a rehab assignment at some point in the next 10 days. They need more consistent output and to recapture their May production.

This next stretch could be telling for the direction the team takes at the deadline.

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