Earlier this season, the Cubs were able to hit their way through some poor starting pitching performances.
Not lately. The Cubs have lost their last four games when they've not gotten a "quality start" (at least six innings and no more than three earned runs allowed by their starting pitcher). Chicago pitchers were rocked for 10 and nine runs in two of those games, but in the other two, the Cubs lost by identical 5-3 scores. The Cubs opened the season with an 8-4 record in games when their pitchers did not turn in a quality start, but they're at .500 now.
During the just-concluded road trip to St. Louis, the Cubs' big hitters went into a collective slump. The team totaled just three homers in the six games.
The bottom line is if the Cubs aren't going to hit, they're going to need quality performances from their starting pitchers, and that kind of pressure is a lot to ask of any staff, especially one with question marks at the Nos. 4 and 5 spots.
