5 keys to getting the Cubs' bats rolling in second half

CHICAGO -- The Cubs can ill afford to have their offense slip into the kind of drought that sent the ball club sliding down the standings across May and June. With the July 30 Trade Deadline looming and the distance to an NL Wild Card spot growing, the lineup needs to pick up the pace.

On Saturday night, the North Siders were dealt a 3-0 shutout at the hands of the D-backs, who have sent the Cubs to the loss column twice to open the second half. The good vibes built before the All-Star break -- when Chicago rattled off eight wins in 11 games and had its offense rolling again -- are at risk of fading fast.

“These are two tough ones,” Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks said. “It's just unfortunate to drop these two. I think I've said it in the past: we've had that sense of urgency, and it's been day to day. We just seem to hit a stride. We were playing really good baseball.”

Here are five keys to getting the Cubs’ offense back on track:

1. Solve the situational hitting
There is no magic formula here, or the Cubs would have found it by now. That being said, Chicago needs to get better with runners in scoring position over the final two-plus months or there will be little chance of clawing back up the National League Wild Card standings (the Cubs currently face a 4 1/2 game deficit).

Entering Saturday, the Cubs ranked 28th in the Majors in on-base percentage (.296), 29th in OPS (.625) and wRC+ (77), and 30th in average (.207) and slugging percentage (.329) with RISP dating back to May 1. That was before Saturday’s 0-for-7 showing that contributed to 10 stranded runners.

The Cubs drew six walks against D-backs righty Zac Gallen and had their best shot at breaking through in the fifth. Nico Hoerner drew a leadoff walk and Michael Busch followed with a double into the left-field ivy. Gallen proceeded to strike out Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ and later induced a based-loaded groundout from Mike Tauchman to escape unscathed.

“We did a pretty good job,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of the volume of baserunners. “But, ultimately, we needed the hit -- the next hit -- to score and didn't get it.”

2. Hoerner continues to set the table
Hoerner had the walk to open the fifth, but saw his 12-game hitting streak come to a close on Saturday night. During that run, the Cubs’ second baseman hit at a .380 (19-for-50) clip with a .421 on-base percentage. An extended run of offensive consistency from Hoerner would go a long way in sparking the lineup.

“Somebody asked me a couple of weeks ago if Nico's having a disappointing season,” Counsell said. “I think Nico is right there to [having] a season that he's always had. And I think he's showing that right now. He's been really good the last 10 days. I think he's gotten pitches to hit and he's done something with them. And that's when Nico's at his best.”

3. Happ, Busch and Suzuki remain steady
With Cody Bellinger (fractured left middle finger) on the injured list and his timetable for return unclear, it is imperative that this trio continues to be a reliable source of production in the heart of the order. Entering Saturday, Happ (.934 OPS, 160 wRC+), Busch (.880 OPS, 150 wRC+) and Suzuki (.874 OPS, 144 wRC+) had been the Cubs’ top offensive performers dating back to the start of June. They combined to reach base four times in Saturday’s loss.

4. Expectation must meet reality for Morel
The underlying metrics on Morel have painted a picture of a player primed for an offensive explosion via positive regression. He entered Saturday with a .247 expected batting average and a .465 expected slugging percentage, per Statcast. In reality, Morel is hitting .202 with a .383 SLG for the Cubs. While the improvement in strikeout rate (23.8% in 2024 vs. 31.0% in ‘23) and walk rate (11.1% in ‘24 vs. 8.4% in ‘23) are real, what Chicago badly needs is more consistent power production.

5. Swanson finds his rhythm down stretch
Dansby Swanson’s performance in the batter’s box has diminished dramatically this season. After a solid showing in his first year with the Cubs (22 homers, 80 RBIs and a .744 OPS), the veteran shortstop has hit .211/.281/.345 with nine homers and 31 RBIs through 89 games. In his past three seasons combined, Swanson slashed .257/.323/.438 with an average of 25 homers, 30 doubles and 88 RBIs per year. Chicago sure could use that for the final push.