Even after a 2-7 road trip, the Cubs entered Tuesday just 4 ½ games back of the Brewers and Pirates, who share the best record in the division.
“Thank goodness for the s—-y play of everybody in the division, I guess.” manager David Ross said.
The schedule could provide a shake-up in the standings this week, with the Cardinals and Reds playing each other, and then the Reds making the trip to Chicago this weekend.
“It’s great that no one’s running away with the division,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “But ultimately, the standard has to be high, and you have to build a team that can win at every level. And you can take some solace in that, but ultimately it doesn’t make me feel better about our record or where we are.”
If the Cubs can compete against the Mets, their best-case scenario would be for the Cardinals and Reds to split the four-game series. But if the Cubs continue to slide, a tumble down the standings will eventually follow.
“We’ve always tried to take care of ourselves,” Ross said. “And when we’ve got our things buttoned up and [are] playing good clean baseball and executing from pitch to pitch, that’s the best version of us. We’ve just got to get back to that first and worry about the division as we just play better baseball.”
Hendricks still on track
Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks threw a bullpen session at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, preparing to make his season debut this home stand.
The team has not announced a specific day for his return from the 15-day IL (strained right shoulder).
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it,” Ross said. “But I think the first order of business is, make sure the bullpen went well and he feels good.”
Hendricks worked up to 82 pitches in his last rehab start Saturday in Triple-A Iowa.
“Just excited to get him back,” Hoyer said. “And I love having him around. He’s a perfect teammate. He’s a metronome. And everyone’s excited to have him back and on the mound here.”
Bellinger update
Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger (bruised left knee) has yet to return to high-intensity baseball activities. He did light drill work in the batting cages in Philadelphia this past weekend and tracked pitches in the bullpen Tuesday, according to the team.
He becomes eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day IL Friday, but he’ll need to build up baseball activities before returning.
“Hopefully Belli’s back in 10 days, that’s what we’re shooting for,” Ross said last week, while at the same time cautioning that minimum stints are not the norm.
Latest on Boxberger
Reliever Brad Boxberger (strained right forearm) has been prescribed rest after a follow-up evaluation. After landing on the 15-day IL last week, he left the road trip early to return to Chicago and meet with the team’s medical staff.
“I don’t think it’s some super long thing we’re going have to deal with, or any kind of surgery like that, as of now,” Ross said.
