The playoff picture is beginning to dim for the Chicago Cubs, who are 5 1/2 games out of a National League wild-card spot with 40 games remaining.
The Cubs will look to brighten their prospects when they open a three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Chicago has lost three straight following a four-game win streak. The Cubs were swept in three games by the American League-leading Cleveland Guardians, who posted a 6-1 victory on Wednesday.
“It’s disappointing,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said after Wednesday’s game. “I thought we played two pretty good games the first two days. Today, offensively, we didn’t do a good job, we didn’t do enough. And that’s disappointing. That is a good baseball team, for sure. But getting swept is no good.”
After being held to five hits on Wednesday, Chicago is eager to begin a six-game homestand against Toronto and the Detroit Tigers.
“Lost three, now we have to punch back,” Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon said. “And it feels like that’s kind of been the story of the season. So hopefully we can punch back and not turn, like these three into something bigger.”
Toronto enters the series on a high note after completing a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 9-2 win on Wednesday.
Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each homered for the Blue Jays, who added several young players at last month’s trade deadline with an eye toward next year.
“I like the way the guys are going about it,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “With the veteran guys leading the way, we have a lot of young dudes that are kind of learning as they go … I love the way the guys went about it after traveling to the West.”
Schneider is exercising patience with rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido, who was acquired from the Houston Astros on July 29. Loperfido is 5-for-39 (.128) since joining the Blue Jays.
“It’s not the start he wanted to get off to, obviously,” Schneider said. “We still have all the confidence in the world in him and he’s making some adjustments. He’s feeling it, but he has a good way about him and he understands this is going to be a bit of a process.”
Friday’s matchup features a pair of right-handers as Toronto’s Yariel Rodriguez (1-5, 3.60 ERA) faces Chicago’s Kyle Hendricks (3-10, 6.60).
The 27-year-old Rodriguez allowed one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 1-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics last Saturday. He owns a 0.87 ERA across 10 1/3 innings in his last two starts.
Rodriguez is facing the Cubs for the first time. He has a 2.49 ERA in five home starts this season compared to a 4.74 mark in seven outings away from the Rogers Centre.
Hendricks is pitching on extra rest and looking to build on his solid outing from Aug. 5, when he gave up two runs over six innings in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
The outing marked an encouraging sign for the 34-year-old Hendricks, who had not completed six innings in his previous three starts.
Varsho is 2-for-6 against Hendricks, who is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in two career starts versus Toronto.
