Cubs' search for momentum continues after shutout loss

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have been waiting for the win that sparks a streak that helps the ballclub turn the page on the past two months of struggles. A blowout victory over the Phillies on Thursday followed by a pitching masterclass by Justin Steele on Friday gave the North Siders hope that such a moment had arrived.

Things stalled on Saturday, when Angels lefty Tyler Anderson blanked the Cubs’ lineup over eight frames and veteran Kyle Hendricks exited early due to injury. It added up to a 7-0 loss that has left Chicago again hoping for another spark around the corner.

“We’ve just got to try to really flush this,” Hendricks said. “On to tomorrow. Keep that momentum going for us.”

Here were three developments from Saturday for the Cubs:

1. Hendricks’ back issue complicates pitching plans
Hendricks experienced a back spasm on Friday that locked up his lower back and led to some lingering tightness. The veteran starter went through treatment and felt some improvement into Saturday, convincing Hendricks and the Cubs to see if he could pitch through the issue.

After two innings, Hendricks was done.

“I just wasn't effective,” Hendricks said. “I was just trying to go out there and give as much quality as I could. I just couldn't get extension, couldn't finish anything. And my misses were just bad. They weren't me. It just stood out and it was smart to just not push any further.”

The silver lining for Chicago was that Steele’s complete game on Friday allowed manager Craig Counsell to lean on five rested relievers behind Hendricks, who walked two, hit one batter and was charged with two runs on four hits.

Now the Cubs will monitor Hendricks in the coming days while mapping out their pitching. An off-day on Monday ahead of a three-game set in Baltimore helps, but Chicago also has a doubleheader looming on July 13 in St. Louis.

Counsell said the team is “optimistic” that righty Javier Assad (on the 15-day IL with a right forearm issue) may be able to help for that weekend set with the Cardinals. For what it is worth, Hendricks said this back issue is different than the one that warranted an IL stint in late April, and the righty was confident he could start in St. Louis.

“The doubleheader this [next] weekend obviously makes things complicated,” Counsell said. “We'll have to get a handle on that before his next start.”

2. Swanson’s offensive slump continues
There is no denying that Dansby Swanson is one of baseball’s elite defenders at shortstop. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner headed into Saturday’s action with seven outs above average per Statcast and in the 90th percentile in MLB fielding run value.

“His defense has been really, really good. It's been exceptional,” Counsell said. “And that's important, man. You never can discount that and never run away from it. It's just been so, so good lately that it's really hard to give him a day [off].”

The persistent issue this season has been in the batter’s box.

Entering the afternoon, Swanson was batting .163/.241/.224 with a 35.2% strikeout rate in the 14 games since he homered in back-to-back contests on June 18-19. In Saturday’s loss, the shortstop’s three strikeouts upped his slump to 0-for-23 dating back to June 29 in Milwaukee.

Swanson watched the first two pitches in his first at-bat against Anderson and swung at the first two in the second at-bat, and both resulted in 0-2 counts. Swanson worked to a 2-2 count in his third trip to the plate. He whiffed on a changeup to complete all three instances.

“He’s struggling getting into good counts,” Counsell said. “He’s struggling just getting good swings off, for sure. He played well defensively again. We’ve just got to get him back going.”

3. Counsell giving Nido more playing time
At least for the time being, Counsell is allowing veteran catcher Tomás Nido to step in as the primary catcher. Saturday’s start behind the plate for Nido was his fourth start in five games (and fifth in the past seven).

Counsell explained that the hope is that the change will give Miguel Amaya a kind of “reset” to focus on his offensive game behind the scenes. Through 63 games, Amaya is hitting .186 with two homers, 15 RBIs and a .505 OPS for Chicago.

“We’re trying to get Miguel some time just to work on some things,” Counsell said. “Because offensively he needs to do better. And he knows that and we know that. He's a better hitter than he's showing.”