The Chicago Cubs have lost two straight to the Colorado Rockies and are staring down the barrel of a sweep in Denver. Not exactly the position a team with playoff ambitions wants to find itself in. So naturally something had to change — and Alex Bregman is right at the centre of it.
The Change Nobody Saw Coming
For Thursday’s series finale the Cubs announced their starting lineup — and the most notable detail wasn’t who was in it but where Bregman was sitting in it. The three time All Star has been moved up to the second spot in the batting order, a significant shift that tells you Craig Counsell is looking for answers after back to back defeats.
Previously batting fourth, Bregman now slots in directly behind Pete Crow-Armstrong at the top of the order. The full lineup reads Crow-Armstrong, Bregman, Busch, Happ, Suzuki, Hoerner, Ballesteros, Kelly and Swanson — with Cabrera getting the start on the mound.
What Bregman Has Looked Like So Far
Here’s the honest truth about Bregman’s first season in Chicago — it’s been fine. Not great, not terrible. Just fine. And for a player of his calibre and experience that’s probably not quite what the Cubs were hoping for when they signed him.
Through 67 games he’s batting .246 with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 30 runs scored. Two stolen bases. Sixty six hits. The defensive work at third base has been solid enough but the offensive numbers haven’t exactly set Wrigley Field alight for a man who helped Houston win two World Series titles.
Moving him up to second in the order is either a show of faith — or a last resort to try and spark something different out of a lineup that has gone 3-7 over its last ten games.
The Fans Aren’t Exactly Convinced
Social media had thoughts. As it always does.
One fan questioned why Bregman was still playing at all given the team’s recent struggles. Another wondered whether he should be batting sixth or seventh rather than second. A third simply shrugged the whole thing off with barely concealed indifference.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement from the fanbase for a player in his first year with the club.
Where The Cubs Stand Right Now
At 34-34 through 68 games Chicago are sitting fourth in the National League Central — a perfectly mediocre record that screams “we could go either way from here.” A road record of 14-19 is particularly concerning for a team with genuine playoff ambitions.
Getting swept by the Rockies — one of the weaker teams in the division — would be a brutal result that raises serious questions about where this Cubs team is actually heading.
The Bregman lineup tweak might work. It might not. But something needed to change before Thursday afternoon in Denver.
UPDATE — It worked. The Cubs won 9-3 and avoided the sweep. Bregman’s move up the order paid off immediately. Sometimes the simple adjustments make all the difference. ⚾🔥
