What's to blame for Cubs' crazy stretch of narrow losses?
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer continued to back manager David Ross when speaking to reporters before Wednesday's game at Wrigley Field.
All slumps provide ample opportunities for fans to second-guess decisions. That's certainly been the case with the Cubs recently, whether it's putting Eric Hosmer in the lineup or keeping Javier Assad on the mound for a sixth inning of relief in Tuesday's loss.
"We talk every day about all those things," Hoyer said. "I don't read the (social media) commentary and I think ultimately, the way we're playing right now, every single run a bullpen guy gives up is fatal. Every decision that doesn't work out has come back to haunt us.
"It's not really how the game is usually played, right? Usually there's a 2-run homer, a 3-run homer, a big inning that will give the manager some breathing room or the team some breathing room. We haven't had that. We've played close game after close game and I think that's magnified some decisions that are well-thought out decisions, but things happen."
In any sport, a coaching decision that works is a good one. If it doesn't work, it's a bad one. There's nothing to suggest Ross is anywhere near being on the hot seat, but losses piling up can affect any manager's status.
When the Cubs' bats cooled off after a hot start, they went into bizarre tailspin. Since April 26, they've gone 1-9 in games decided by 1 or 2 runs. That's supposed to even out over time, but a lack of clutch hitting has been the biggest culprit in the Cubs' slide.
One example of a move criticized by some was bunting early in Sunday's game against Miami, an eventual 14-inning loss. After two singles, Miguel Amaya sacrificed the runners to second and third, with the top of the order coming up, but the Cubs never scored.
"I had no problem with that whatsoever," Hoyer said. "You've got the wind blowing in on a cold day against a guy that won the Cy Young (Sandy Alcantara). The run environment was so small, the guy at the plate was a double play threat against a ground ball pitcher. I thought it was the right decision in that run environment."
Gomes keeps winning:
The 10-4 victory over St. Louis on Wednesday continued to suggest catcher Yan Gomes is the most important ingredient to winning.
Gomes went 3-for-3 with a 2-run homer in his first game back after spending just over a week on the injured list with a concussion.
So now, the Cubs are 13-5 in games Gomes starts at catcher, 4-11 when Tucker Barnhart starts and 1-3 with Miguel Amaya behind the plate.
The catcher ERA is Gomes 3.04, Amaya 3.15 and Barnhart 3.92, according to baseball-reference.com.
"Momentum is a big thing, so we're hoping it goes our way now," Gomes said after the game. "It's never fun going through that kind of stuff. It's definitely something to take serious, any kind of head injury you want to take seriously. And we did, so I'm very thankful for the staff we had for helping me through it."
Gomes, 35, is on pace to produce the highest batting average and slugging percentage of his career by far. Teammates praise his ability to read hitters and anticipate which pitches will keep them off balance. As far as defensive skills, Gomes is not among the league leaders in catcher outs above average (by fangraphs.com) or pitch framing (by baseballsavant.com).
After a decent major league debut by Amaya, the Cubs should want to him to spend as much time as possible learning from Gomes. But coming off two major injuries, Amaya has played in just 23 and 40 games in the minor leagues the past two seasons.
So it's understandable why the Cubs would be reluctant to part ways with Barnhart. But backup catcher is clearly a spot that could use an upgrade.
Move up Morel:
A solution to the Cubs' offensive problems might have been within their reach all along. After finally making his 2023 Cubs debut, Christopher Morel made a strong case for hitting in the middle of the order, not the bottom.
First of all, Morel hit 11 home runs in 29 games at Iowa, which is about a 50-home run pace for the season. Then during the three-game Cardinals series, the four hardest-hit balls were Morel's single and double on Wednesday, along with a pair of Willson Contreras ground outs. And Morel homered on Tuesday.
Manager David Ross respects his veterans, with good reason, but it's past time to turn Morel loose. He can play six positions, plus DH, so there's no reason not to keep him in the lineup.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports