Whatever else happens this crazy season for the Cubs, give manager Tom Trebelhorn and his players credit. They rebounded from the worst home start in club history and got back in the race.
Yes, the Cubs still were in last place in the Central Division going into Tuesday night’s late game against the Dodgers. And, yes, even after winning seven in a row, the Cubs still needed another six consecutive victories just to get to .500.
But in the last week alone, the Cubs cut 3 1/2 games off the lead of the first-place Cincinnati Reds and won more games than they did the entire month of April.
“We went through something that no other team in the history of our franchise has gone through,” said Trebelhorn, reflecting on the Cubs’ 0-12 start at Wrigley Field.
“We turned that around and did something no other team has been able to do. None of the other teams everybody talks about who had bad starts ever came back to earn respectability.”
The 0-12 start for the Cubs was the worst home losing streak to open a season in National League history and the worst home losing streak at any time during the season by a Cubs’ team this century.
In other words, this year’s Cubs dug themselves a bigger hole than any team in franchise history. Worse than the 1962 and ’66 teams, losers of a franchise record 103 games. Worse than the 1980 team that lost 98 games. And worse than the 1957 squad that started the season 0-8 at Wrigley, and finished 62-92.
None of that is to say this year’s Cubs won’t fizzle again. Even Trebelhorn admits: “Things can turn back around pretty quick.”
But, the Cubs have been playing fairly solid recently and fared well against two legitimate title contenders-the San Francisco Giants and Dodgers.
“I think we’ve regained respectability and credibility as a ball club,” says Trebelhorn. “The guys have really responded positively and turned things around. Now we have to settle in and play good ball the rest of the season.”
The Cubs have played their best baseball of the season since last Friday when they skipped infield practice before a game with the Giants to hold a 45-minute meeting about team attitudes.
“The few times we’ve had problems, the players were very good about working them out,” said Trebelhorn. “I think I see players being very positive in their confrontations and dealings with one another. That you didn’t always see.
“I think we’re holding ourselves to a higher standard now. Our expectations are higher, our demands are higher.”
Part of the problem, Trebelhorn said, was getting the players to come together as a team.
“You think six weeks of spring training is enough time to get a team together, but spring training is such an artificial atmosphere,” said Trebelhorn, in his first year managing the Cubs.
“It was very frustrating to see the dullness with which we played early in the season. But I honestly feel that when you struggle, you become better.”
There’s no question the Cubs are better than they were the first five weeks of the season when they were 9-22. But there still are serious questions about how good the Cubs can be.
The win streak and last week’s soul-purging meeting have pushed some of the divisive problems of the clubhouse to the background. Maybe those problems will stay buried long enough for the Cubs to get above .500. But the wild extremes of the season so far are worrisome.
General Manager Larry Himes and Trebelhorn have been preaching consistency since the start of spring training. Losing 12 in a row at home and winning seven straight a few weeks later is hardly the mark of a consistent team.
“We definitely need to settle in,” said Trebelhorn. “Winning two out of three from here on out would be great. Three out of five would get us back in the race gradually.
“What we’d really like to think is that we’ll be a good ballclub the rest of the year. I see it happening.”
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Next: At Los Angeles, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN and CLTV
