Cubs stand by Smyly despite extended funk

NEW YORK -- Drew Smyly paced on the mound as Cubs manager David Ross made his way from the visitors’ dugout at Citi Field on Monday night. As a steady rain fell, the frustrated veteran lefty was already walking off the dirt before Ross’ arrival.

Smyly stayed on the hill into the sixth inning, absorbing some blows -- a pair of Pete Alonso blasts among them -- in an effort to help Chicago’s bullpen in this run of 16 games in 16 days. That was about the only solace that could be taken from an 11-2 loss to the Mets, who temporarily slowed the North Siders’ scorching climb up the standings.

“I don’t think we have to measure everything to perfection every time,” Ross said of Smyly’s recent struggles. “It is a long season. Just like hitters, pitchers go through ups and downs in a season. We’ve got a lot of games left.”

In fact, the high-octane lineup that the Cubs have been featuring during their recent tear has mostly masked some collective troubles for the rotation. This time around, the seven runs on Smyly’s line proved too much to overcome for an offense that has led baseball in runs scored in the second half.

With the defeat, the Cubs slipped to 2 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Brewers, while also moving one game back of the Reds in both the division and Wild Card races.

While Chicago has rattled off 15 wins in its past 20 games, the team’s starters have combined for a 5.96 ERA (64 earned runs in 96 2/3 innings) in that stretch. The Cubs have featured a 6.39 ERA so far in August, following a 4.33 ERA in July and a solid 3.43 ERA in June.

Right-hander Jameson Taillon has found his footing and has been leading the group lately, spinning a 2.08 ERA over his last five turns. Marcus Stroman (9.00 ERA in his last seven starts) is currently on the injured list due to a right hip issue. Kyle Hendricks has had some ups and downs of late, while Justin Steele has held his own.

“It's a hard game,” Ross said. “Hitting is hard. Pitching is hard. Consistency is hard in our game, and so I think the true identity of professionals and winning organizations, or winning teams, is just knowing you have talent and knowing you just stay the course.”

Once again, the Cubs must decide if they will stay the course with Smyly in the rotation.

Heading into Monday’s outing, Smyly had allowed a .308/.373/.591 opponents’ slash line over his previous 12 appearances (10 starts). That has been a stark contrast to his first 10 starts of the season, when the lefty limited batters to a .207/.256/.355 slash and had a 2.60 ERA. Smyly now has a 7.22 ERA since that impressive start to his campaign.

“I think there's a lot of things that are trending in a good direction,” Smyly said. “It's just, the results haven't been there. They're not there. Obviously the home run right now is an issue. I keep saying the same thing to you guys over and over, but at the end of the day it's just, I have to play better.”

Alonso launched a three-run homer in the first inning and then took Smyly deep for a two-run shot in the third, putting the Cubs in a swift, early hole. Smyly has now given up 10 homers in his last six appearances.

“You’ve got to get those guys out in front of [Alonso],” Ross said. “And [Smyly] did a nice job behind him. Just a couple big swings there. You kind of know it’s a tough matchup going in. You’ve got to manage the lineup around him.”

Following this series in New York, the Cubs finally get an off-day breather on Thursday, followed by upcoming off-days on Aug. 14 and Aug. 17. That will allow Chicago the chance to move their rotation around some based on matchups and other factors.

If Smyly stays on his schedule, he would pitch Saturday on the road in Toronto, but the Cubs also have alternative options in the bullpen in Javier Assad and Hayden Wesneski. Twice during this stretch of struggles by Smyly, Ross has gone with an opener, moving the lefty to the bullpen as a long reliever.

Stroman -- one of baseball’s top first-half performers en route to an All-Star nod -- is slated to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday at Citi Field. If everything stays on track, the righty will be eligible to return from the IL on Aug. 16 at the earliest. Ross repeated on Monday that that remained the goal.

As for Smyly’s place in the picture, Ross said: “We’re going to still rely on him and pitching depth, and all those things, to continue to play well.”