Cubs face remarkably unfair travel schedule ahead of Brewers series

Considering the current pathetic state of the Chicago Cubs offense, that’s a tough argument to make. But the scheduler was particularly and singularly unfair to the Cubs this holiday weekend.

The Cubs were selected by ESPN to play in the national game Sunday night in St. Louis. Then they had to get on a plane, fly to Milwaukee — arriving in the middle of the night — and prepare to face the division-leading Brewers on Monday afternoon.

By reasonable logic, MLB should have required the game to be played Monday night, at least giving the visiting team normal rest and preparation time for a city-changing game. But that’s not what happened.

The Cubs lost 5-1, with Milwaukee opening a scoreless game with five runs in the eighth inning against Chicago’s bullpen. The Cubs were held to just one run – scoring it in the ninth – and just five hits.

As noted at the outset, it’s difficult to make the case that Chicago’s offense has been made sleepy by the demanding travel, mainly because the Cubs offense currently appears to be in a coma in general. Over their last nine games – including seven losses – the Cubs have scored just 22 runs, six of which came in a single game.

That’s an average of two points per game for the other eight games.

The team’s slash line during this nine-game stretch is Little League level: .179/.243/.258. In some ways, what’s surprising isn’t that they improved to 2-7, but that they managed to avoid going 0-9. Don’t think it wasn’t close: both of those wins were no-wins.

Yet there is an inherent unfairness in playing a day game after a night game in two different cities. The unfairness is so obvious that MLB planners seem to be trying hard not to force teams to do it.

Chicago’s loss Sunday night in St. Louis came in the ninth Sunday night game of the season. In none of the previous eight teams were teams required to play a one-day match in another city the next day. Three of those eight involved recap series ending Monday. In one, the traveling team had a scheduled day off; the other four involved nightly games in the new city.

Ironically, the place where this sort of thing is most likely to happen is Chicago’s North Side. That’s because a city ordinance prohibits the Cubs from scheduling regular-season games on Friday nights.

Yet even though the Cubs will play 14 regular-season Friday afternoon games at Wrigley this season, none of them will require the visiting team to arrive after a Thursday night game in another city. Seven of those opponents have arrived or will arrive fresh from a day off, and one will come from the All Star break. Four others will continue the series started on Thursday.

Only the Cardinals on June 14 and the Angels on July 5 will play a Thursday game in another city, and both of those getaway games are scheduled for the afternoon.

ESPN has booked future Sunday night games through mid-June. None will require either team to play a Monday afternoon game in another city.

That’s not to say that a better-rested Cubs team would have beaten the Brewers on Monday afternoon. It’s unclear who, if anyone, the Cubs offense can beat right now, asleep or awake. But as a matter of pure fairness, MLB should prohibit teams from scheduling the series opener in the afternoon with teams arriving from a night game in another city.

What’s behind the Brewers’ surprising performance to start 2024? (calltothepen.com)