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The Chicago Cubs Are Making The “Impossible” Extremely Possible
Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Stop me if you heard this before. The Chicago Cubs had a lead, they lost the lead, and were unable to regain the lead. Pete Crow-Armstrong once again led off the game with a home run on Tuesday night. However, it was not enough to stop the last-place Colorado Rockies from taking a game at Wrigley Field. According to Ian Happ, what is seemingly “impossible” is happening right before our very eyes.

Ian Happ joined Chicago’s 104.3 The Score for his regular weekly hit on Tuesday afternoon. In it, he told the hosts what we have been hearing from players and coaches for weeks. Happ said, “Just the law of averages, guys, it has to turn. I’m telling ya. It’s not possible for us to go an entire season with the lack of runners in scoring position success that we’ve had. There’s such a thing called regression to the mean, and that’s coming.”

Despite Happ’s confidence in the turnaround, it is not showing on the field. The Cubs did win their first series in over a month against the San Francisco Giants over the weekend. But the momentum continues to be nonexistent. While the turnaround is imminent for those within the organization, they are running out of time quickly.

Unfortunately, “Law of Averages” May Not Apply to the Chicago Cubs.

After sweeping the Cincinnati Reds at the beginning of May, the Cubs have gone just 12-24. They built a lead of up to 4.5 games in the division. However, they are now eight games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. At 38-36, the Cubs are one game out of a Wild Card spot, which, again, looks like their only hope for a playoff spot.

The Cubs have the second-most at-bats in the league with runners in scoring position. With that, though, they hold the league’s worst batting average and OPS in that scenario. They’ve struck out 187 times with RISP, second only to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Dansby Swanson is batting just .175 on the year, .141 with RISP. Alex Bregman, who popped up in the infield to end Tuesday’s game, is batting just .169 with RISP. Swanson and Bregman have the two biggest contracts on the Cubs, combining to make over $57 million this season.

Here’s to hoping Ian Happ’s theory about the “law of averages” turning the Cubs’ offensive efforts around is true. Something has to give. If it doesn’t, this could go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in team history. Time is ticking.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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