51黑料

They allowed 38 runs while losing three of their previous four games. Starter Jameson Taillon allowed five runs in four innings during an 8-7 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday.

Starter Colin Rea allowed seven runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 14-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

鈥淲e struggled with the bottom of their lineup,鈥� manager Craig Counsell told reporters after that game. 鈥淐olin struggled with their left-handed hitters. Their left-handed hitters did a really nice job against him. We struggled with the bottom of the lineup, and if you go through a game and you're not getting the bottom of the lineup of a team out, it doesn't matter the team, you're going to give up some runs.鈥�

Along the way the Cubs bullpen got battered as well during this brief downturn. Chicago relievers allowed seven runs in four innings during a 9-4 loss to the Mariners on Friday.

Our old friend Genesis Cabrera was designated for assignment after struggling in that loss and Nate Pearson allowed five runs in two innings in his first game back from the minors.

But . . .

The NL Central-leading Small Bears expect to have ace left-hander Shota Imanaga back this week. He has recovered from a hamstring strain that has sidelined him since May 4.

Imanaga completed his minor league rehab assignment on Friday. The Cubs鈥� major league staff will evaluate him this week.

鈥淓verything went great. He did what we hoped he would do,鈥� Counsell said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 in a position to be ready, so he鈥檚 going to join us in 51黑料 and we鈥檒l figure out the next steps.鈥�

Imanaga was 3-2 with a 2.82 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks in 44 2/3 innings before getting hurt.

“I think we’re going to get a really good version of Shota back, which is super exciting, because he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball,” Taillon said told .

We鈥檒l see where Counsell plugs Imanaga in the rotation, but he will make the staff stronger wherever he fits in. That will make the Cubs that much harder to run down in this division race.

Here is what folks are writing about Our National Pastime:

Mike Axisa, : “Another homegrown star is gone. (Mookie) Betts was traded, (Xander) Bogaerts left as a free agent, and now (Rafael0 Devers has been traded away after a messy (but avoidable) situation in which he and the team bickered over his position. Vibes are great in Boston right now. The Red Sox just swept the Yankees and have won eight of their last 10 games. Now another beloved star player is gone. Devers was the guy who signed the long-term extension to stay, to be the guy the Red Sox build around, and now he's been traded too. The BoSox are not a small market team and yet their fans have had to watch a lot of beloved players walk out the door.”

Jeff Passan, : “Eighty-six years of failure leading up to their 2004 World Series win had calloused Red Sox fans and the organization alike. Even as the team became the most successful in the sport, with four titles in a 15-year span, dysfunction was never far from the surface. While winning those rings, the team suffered a historic collapse in 2011, last-place finishes in 2012, 2014 and 2015 -- complete with made-for-tabloids drama about chicken and beer in the clubhouse -- and the disastrous (Mookie) Betts trade. The one constant was an ugliness that personified the exits of some of the most prominent pieces of the Red Sox's success . . . The Red Sox have everything an organization could want -- a rabid fan base, a gorgeous stadium, a successful television network, a history that dates to the turn of the 20th century -- and still find themselves regularly salving self-inflicted wounds. Chaos is every bit as much the Red Sox's brand as the Green Monster. The current iteration comes not from the detritus of a long-standing lack of success but an operating philosophy that better resembles plucky mid- and small-market teams than a financial leviathan. The Red Sox are big-market baseball in a funhouse mirror, a distorted reflection of what could be -- and should be.”

Jay Jaffee, FanGraphs: 鈥淭hough he鈥檚 only 32 years old and in his 12th major league season,聽Mookie Betts聽has already done enough to secure a spot in the Hall of Fame. He鈥檚 made eight All-Star teams, won six Gold Gloves as a right fielder, taken home an MVP award while finishing second three times, and helped his teams to three championships. (He鈥檚 the only active position player聽with three rings) He already ranks eighth among right fielders聽in JAWS, and is fourth in seven-year peak score, behind only聽Babe Ruth, Stan Musial and Henry Aaron. Like all the great ones, he鈥檚 hardly content to rest on his laurels. Not only is he in the midst of his third straight season making substantial contributions to the Dodgers鈥� middle infield, but he鈥檚 emerged as a star-caliber shortstop in a mid-career move that lacks a modern parallel.鈥�

Will Leitch, : “It had been a while since we saw him do it, so you can forgive us baseball fans for being a little taken aback to see Shohei Ohtani dazzle us yet again on Sunday, pitching a scoreless first inning with two strikeouts and then hitting a homer and a two-run triple later in the game. We’ll be used to this by August, I have no doubt, but it was pretty amazing to see that guy do that again, wasn’t it?”

Bob Nightengale, USA Today: 鈥淭he Arizona Diamondbacks鈥� playoffs hopes continue to take body blows with co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez undergoing season-ending elbow surgeries, joining ace Corbin Burnes and starters Jordan Montgomery and Tommy Henry. If they鈥檙e out of the race at the trade deadline, they鈥檒l be swarmed with calls seeking starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, along with third baseman Eugenio Suarez, first baseman Josh Naylor and closer Shelby Miller.鈥�

Jim Bowden, The Athletic: 鈥淭he Blue Jays are focused on acquiring a starting pitcher before the trade deadline and the veteran righty (Merrill Kelly) would be a good fit for them. Kelly, 36, is 6-3 with a 3.41 ERA over 15 starts and will be eligible for free agency at season鈥檚 end. He went to high school and college in Arizona and would like to finish his career as a Diamondback. However, if the D-Backs fall out of the National League wild-card race, perhaps they鈥檇 trade him as a rental for two solid prospects and then look to re-sign him in the offseason.鈥�

MEGAPHONE

鈥淚 think he鈥檚 probably one of the most misunderstood players in our game. I know the quality of human Manny is. I know Manny鈥檚 heart. But I think what鈥檚 hard today is the sensitivity, the persecution, of just having the ability of being yourself. He is learning to channel all of the things that can be a challenge to be that consistent competitor and still be the core of who you are, which is core of who Manny Machado is, which is very special . . . It鈥檚 much more difficult now to have a strong opinion or conviction. I鈥檓 not green-lighting doing something inappropriate or to offend someone, but gosh, man, being able to be an alpha, it gets to be more of a challenge for players. Competing hard every day is still OK. You want a commitment by every player to be willing to lay out, and that鈥檚 what comes with high expectations. I won鈥檛 apologize for that, and I don鈥檛 think Manny鈥檚 going to apologize.鈥欌��

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, on slugger Manny Machado.