You’ve probably seen a meme that says, and I’m paraphrasing here because the Cubs had a spectacular record, that they would have been 30 games over .500 if the games had ended after seven innings.
Obviously, that was designed to point out the Cubs’ bullpen’s failures in recent innings, of which there have been many, including the massive ninth-inning collapse Monday in San Francisco.
So I decided to take a look at all 79 games and see what the score was after the seventh inning, compared to the final score, and what the Cubs’ actual record would have been if all of their 2024 games had ended after seven . Here are the results.
Cubs record after seven and nine innings, 2024
Date | Adversary | Score after 7 | Final score | Records if the game ended after 7 | royal record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Adversary | Score after 7 | Final score | Records if the game ended after 7 | royal record |
28th March | Forest ranger | 2-2 | 3-4 | 0-0-1 | 0-1 |
March 30th | Forest ranger | 2-5 | 2-11 | 0-1-1 | 0-2 |
March 31st | Forest ranger | 5-5 | 9-5 | 0-1-2 | 1-2 |
April 1st | Rocky Mountains | 5-0 | 5-0 | 1-1-2 | 2-2 |
April 2 | Rocky Mountains | 12-2 | 12-2 | 2-1-2 | 3-2 |
April 3 | Rocky Mountains | 8-2 | 9-8 | 3-1-2 | 4-2 |
5th of April | Dodgers | 9-7 | 9-7 | 4-1-2 | 5-2 |
6 of April | Dodgers | 0-3 | 1-4 | 4-2-2 | 5-3 |
April 7 | Dodgers | 8-0 | 8-1 | 5-2-2 | 6-3 |
April 8 | parents | 8-7 | 8-9 | 5-3-2 | 6-4 |
April 9th | parents | 5-1 | 5-1 | 6-3-2 | 7-4 |
April 10th | parents | 1-10 | 2-10 | 6-4-2 | 7-5 |
April 12th | sailors | 1-4 | 2-4 | 6-5-2 | 7-6 |
April 13th | sailors | 3-1 | 4-1 | 7-5-2 | 8-6 |
April 14th | sailors | 3-2 | 3-2 | 8-5-2 | 9-6 |
April 15 | Diamondbacks | 1-1 | 3-2 | 8-5-3 | 10-6 |
April 16th | Diamondbacks | 11-8 | 11-12 | 9-5-3 | 10-7 |
April 17th | Diamondbacks | 3-2 | 5-3 | 10-5-3 | 11-7 |
April 19th | billfish | 8-1 | 8-3 | 11-5-3 | 12-7 |
April 20 (1) | billfish | 2-1 | 23 | 12-5-3 | 12-8 |
April 20 (2) | billfish | 5-3 | 5-3 | 13-5-3 | 13-8 |
April, the 21st | billfish | 3-6 | 3-6 | 13-6-3 | 13-9 |
April 23rd | stars | 6-1 | 7-1 | 14-6-3 | 14-9 |
April 24 | stars | 4-2 | 4-3 | 15-6-3 | 15-9 |
April 25th | stars | 3-1 | 3-1 | 16-6-3 | 16-9 |
April 26 | red stockings | 7-1 | 7-1 | 17-6-3 | 17-9 |
April 27 | red stockings | 0-11 | 0-17 | 17-7-3 | 17-10 |
28th of April | red stockings | 1-4 | 4-5 | 17-8-3 | 17-11 |
April 29 | Mets | 0-1 | 3-1 | 17-9-3 | 18-11 |
April 30th | Mets | 1-4 | 2-4 | 17-10-3 | 18-12 |
May 1 | Mets | 1-0 | 1-0 | 18-10-3 | 19-12 |
May 2 | Mets | 5-5 | 6-7 | 18-10-4 | 19-13 |
May 3 | brewers | 1-0 | 1-3 | 19-10-4 | 19-14 |
May 4 | brewers | 5-4 | 6-5 | 20-10-4 | 20-14 |
May 5th | brewers | 5-0 | 5-0 | 10-21-4 | 21-14 |
May 6th | parents | 3-6 | 3-6 | 11-21-4 | 21-15 |
May 7 | parents | 1-0 | 3-2 | 11-22-4 | 22-15 |
May 8 | parents | 0-3 | 0-3 | 22-12-4 | 22-16 |
May 10 | Pirates | 7-2 | 7-2 | 23-12-4 | 23-16 |
May 11 | Pirates | 8-10 | 9-10 | 23-13-4 | 23-17 |
May 12 | Pirates | 2-2 | 5-4 | 23-13-5 | 24-17 |
May 13 | Braves | 0-2 | 0-2 | 23-14-5 | 24-18 |
may 14 | Braves | 0-7 | 0-7 | 23-15-5 | 24-19 |
15 th of May | Braves | 5-1 | 7-2 | 24-15-5 | 25-19 |
May 16 | Pirates | 3-5 | 4-5 | 24-16-5 | 25-20 |
may 17th | Pirates | 0-8 | 3-9 | 24-17-5 | 25-21 |
May 18 | Pirates | 0-0 | 1-0 | 24-17-6 | 26-21 |
may 19 | Pirates | 23 | 23 | 24-18-6 | 26-22 |
May 21th | Braves | 3-3 | 4-3 | 24-18-7 | 27-22 |
May 22nd | Braves | 1-8 | 2-9 | 24-19-7 | 27-23 |
may 23 | Braves | 0-1 | 0-3 | 24-20-7 | 27-24 |
25 of May | Cardinals | 4-3 | 6-7 | 25-20-7 | 27-25 |
May 26 | Cardinals | 2-4 | 3-4 | 25-21-7 | 27-26 |
may 27th | brewers | 0-0 | 1-5 | 25-21-8 | 27-27 |
May 28 | brewers | 0-0 | 6-3 | 25-21-9 | 28-27 |
May 29 | brewers | 4-10 | 6-10 | 25-22-9 | 28-28 |
May 30 | brewery | 3-4 | 4-6 | 25-23-9 | 28-29 |
may 31 | red | 3-4 | 4-5 | 25-24-9 | 28-30 |
June 1st | red | 5-5 | 5-7 | 25-24-10 | 28-31 |
June 2nd | red | 5-2 | 5-2 | 26-24-10 | 29-31 |
June 4 | white sock | 5-6 | 7-6 | 26-25-10 | 30-31 |
5th June | white sock | 6-5 | 7-6 | 27-25-10 | 31-31 |
June 6th | red | 4-8 | 4-8 | 27-26-10 | 31-32 |
June 7th | red | 1-3 | 23 | 27-27-10 | 31-33 |
8 of June | red | 2-4 | 3-4 | 27-28-10 | 31-34 |
June 9 | red | 4-2 | 4-2 | 28-28-10 | 32-34 |
June 11 | good heavens | 2-1 | 2-5 | 29-28-10 | 32-35 |
June 12 | good heavens | 4-2 | 4-3 | 30-28-10 | 33-35 |
June 13th | good heavens | 23 | 23 | 30-29-10 | 33-36 |
June 14th | Cardinals | 0-0 | 0-3 | 30-29-11 | 33-37 |
June, 15 | Cardinals | 5-1 | 5-1 | 31-29-11 | 34-37 |
June 16 | Cardinals | 1-2 | 1-2 | 31-30-11 | 34-38 |
June 17 | Giants | 6-3 | 6-7 | 32-30-11 | 34-39 |
June 18 | Giants | 0-2 | 3-2 | 32-31-11 | 35-39 |
19th of June | Giants | 6-1 | 6-5 | 33-31-11 | 36-39 |
June 21 | Mets | 1-11 | 1-11 | 33-32-11 | 36-40 |
June 22nd | Mets | 8-1 | 8-1 | 34-32-11 | 37-40 |
June 23 | Mets | 2-4 | 2-5 | 34-33-11 | 37-41 |
June 24 | Mets | 4-2 | 4-5 | 35-33-11 | 37-42 |
As you can see, yes, the Cubs would have had a winning record if all 2024 games had ended after seven innings, but just 30 games over .500. They were ahead 35 times after seven and were behind 33 times. There were also 11 games tied after seven, and they finished 2-9 in those games. There, my friends, is the real difference for the Cubs this year: failures of the bullpen and also the offense to take those late-inning tie games and turn them into victories.
However, it can also be seen in both the “seven inning” log and the actual log, where bullpen injuries began to pile up, in late May. Better bullpen work could have taken some of those blown leads and tied games and turned them into wins. Monday’s blown save was the team’s 17th. Only the White Sox (19) have more.
But beyond that, the Cubs’ failure to hit with RISP is contributing to these losses, not just in the late innings but in every game. The Cubs’ .685 OPS with RISP ranks 24th in the MLB. When the team is behind it is a devilish .666, ranking 21st. And in tied games (regardless of the inning) it is .683, ranking 20th.
Anyway, you can parse these numbers however you want, but it’s clear to me that hitting in key situations, as well as a bad bullpen, are the cause of the Cubs’ 37-42 record entering tonight’s game against the Giants .
If that is fixed, the Cubs could start winning.
The question is: How?
Keynote USA
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