The 13 big numbers for Cubs’ August — and 1 bizarre one originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Cubs wrapped up August by avoiding a sweep in Toronto on Wednesday, beating the Blue Jays 7-5 at Rogers Centre.
And so concluded an impressive month of baseball, certainly under the circumstances, in the weeks after the trade deadline.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
The Cubs went 15-15 in August, the first time they posted a .500 or better record in a calendar month since May 2021 — while playing one of their most grueling stretches on the schedule this season.
Here’s 13 more numbers outlining what the Cubs did as we hit the stretch run of 2022:
— Cubs starters finished August with a 3.15 ERA — fifth in baseball. Since the All-Star break, their 3.01 ERA ranks fourth behind the Dodgers, Astros and Mets.
Chicago Baseball
— Eight Cubs pitchers made at least one start in August: Marcus Stroman, Drew Smyly, Justin Steele, Adrian Sampson, Keegan Thompson, Javier Assad, Luke Farrell and Sean Newcomb.
— Smyly posted a 0.90 ERA , a tick lower than Steele’s 0.96. Both made five starts.
— After trading their top four relievers at the deadline, the Cubs have been trying out pitchers to see who could stick in the 2023 bullpen, which posted a 5.10 ERA in August (25th in MLB).
Mark Leiter Jr. posted a 1.80 ERA (11 appearances) and Brandon Hughes a 2.60 ERA (16).
— The Cubs played in eight cities in August, including Dyersville, Iowa for the second edition of the Field of Dreams game. They beat the Reds 4-2.
— From Aug. 13-31, the Cubs played 20 games in 19 days, 14 of which came against the contending Brewers, Cardinals and Blue Jays. They went 10-10.
— Four pitchers (Assad, Nicholas Padilla, Brendon Little and Jeremiah Estrada) made their big-league debuts in August.
— The Cubs have now used 60 players this season. They set a single-season MLB record in 2021 by using 69.
— Dating back to 1901, zero Cubs threw at least four scoreless innings in their first two big-league games — until Assad did so last month.
— After a down start to 2022, Nick Madrigal has turned things around since coming off the injured list in late July. He led Cubs hitters with a .300 average in August.
— Ian Happ has hit for less power this season, but the tradeoff has been a higher contact rate and decreased strikeout rate. He hit six home runs in August, three shy of his first half total.
— Happ hit two of those homers last Friday against the Brewers, a pair of two-run blasts, for the Cubs' only two hits in a 4-3 win.
How rare or bizarre is that feat? He's the only player in the modern era to pull it off.
Click here to follow the Cubs Talk Podcast.
