'I need to figure it out': Bregman shoulders blame for Cubs' offensive woes

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have spent the last month watching their pitching depth disappear.

The injuries have been impossible to ignore. Justin Steele is out. Matthew Boyd remains sidelined. Cade Horton is injured. And after Jameson Taillon exited Sunday's game with a left hamstring strain, the Cubs appear to have lost another starting pitcher.

But inside the clubhouse, there is growing recognition that the team's recent slide cannot be pinned solely on the pitching staff.

The offense continues to scuffle, and after Sunday’s loss, Alex Bregman shouldered the blame for not being able to jumpstart the group.

"I've had plenty of opportunities with runners in scoring position and I need to be better," Bregman said. "Plain and simple. I need to be better for this team. They brought me here to play good baseball and I haven't played good baseball. I need to figure it out."

Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million contract last offseason. Through 65 games, he is slashing .243/.327/.342 -- each of which would be career lows for the All-Star third baseman, who averaged an .846 OPS over his first 10 big league seasons.

"I need to play better," Alex Bregman said. "Offensively, it's been awful."

Still, the struggles are not limited to one player.

Dansby Swanson was held out of the lineup for consecutive games over the weekend as Counsell tried to give the veteran shortstop a mental and mechanical reset amid one of the toughest offensive stretches of his career (.180 average in 62 games). The Cubs have continued searching for answers throughout the lineup while relying heavily on Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has emerged as one of the club's few consistently productive bats during the recent skid.

Since May 1, Chicago ranks 25th in Major League Baseball in runs scored (134) and second-to-last in batting average with runners in scoring position (.201). The club has struck out more often with runners in scoring position (172) than any team in baseball this year, and the Cubs' .239 team batting average ranks 19th in the Majors.

The Cubs – now 34-32 and 7 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the National League Central – have lost 18 of their last 23 games and won just one series since the beginning of May. While the rotation injuries have created challenges, the lineup has struggled to provide consistent support, particularly in key situations.

That reality was on display throughout the weekend against San Francisco.

On Saturday, the Cubs loaded the bases twice after Pete Crow-Armstrong's game-tying homer but failed to capitalize, leaving nine runners on base through seven innings. It took Crow-Armstrong's second home run of the afternoon -- a game-tying blast with two outs in the ninth inning -- and a walk-off win in the 10th to prevent another loss.

Twenty-four hours later, the offense again came up short.

After Taillon exited in the second inning, Javier Assad threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out five. He retired 12 consecutive hitters at one point and left the mound to a standing ovation.

But the Cubs supported him with only one run in a 2-1, 10-inning loss.

They loaded the bases in the fourth inning and came away empty. They put runners on in the eighth and ninth innings and were unable to score. In the 10th inning, Crow-Armstrong advanced to third base with one out but never crossed the plate.

Those missed opportunities have become a recurring theme.

Before the Giants series began, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledged that Chicago's position-player group remains the foundation of the roster.

"Our position-player group is deep and it's pretty set," Hoyer said Friday. "The backbone of this team is our position players. They have to play well for us to be a good team."

The Cubs know that has not happened consistently enough.