CHICAGO – The lineup that Cubs manager Craig Counsell rolled out on Saturday afternoon had a much different look from what has been his typical alignment. Pete Crow-Armstrong was shifted into the leadoff spot. Nico Hoerner hit cleanup for the first time in four years. Ian Happ was on the bench.
This was Counsell’s attempt to just mix things up a bit in the name of jolting a Cubs offense that went from one of baseball’s hottest groups to ice cold over the past two weeks. Not much changed in terms of results in a 3-0 loss to the Astros at Wrigley Field, stretching Chicago’s losing streak to seven games.
“I think ‘shakeup’ was probably the thing we were just after,” Counsell said. “What you’re doing when you do that is you’re just kind of giving guys a different look in terms of when they’re going up there. Not a lot of thought.”
The lineup “shakeup” came with the promotion of prospects Kevin Alcántara (Pipeline’s No. 5 Cubs prospect) and Pedro Ramírez (No. 2 and No. 85 on the Top 100) in the past two days. From the front office to the manager’s office, the North Siders are certainly trying to inject some energy into a team that has slipped into a concerning lull of late.
A major aspect of the offensive troubles has been situational hitting, and things did not improve in the latest defeat. The Cubs put the leadoff man aboard in both the second and third innings – only to see the runners erased via a double play. Crow-Armstrong was also caught stealing second to end the third, stranding Dansby Swanson on third base.
Astros starter Kai-Wei Teng went six innings, limiting the Cubs to two hits and three walks and ending with six strikeouts.
Cubs right-hander Colin Rea gave the club seven solid innings, but the lack of offense created little margin for error. Rea allowed four hits, including two home runs to Christian Walker – a two-run shot in the first and a solo blast in the fourth – that accounted for Houston’s scoring.