Cubs' core struggling, but Ross stays loyal
The Cubs aren't likely to make any significant moves before next Monday's trade deadline, which manager David Ross admitted before facing the Tigers.
"We're going to live and die with the core guys here," Ross said. "We're going to be as good as those guys are. That's our strength. Those are the guys that are going to carry the day for us. If we want to go to the place we expect to go, those guys have to be good.
"So you've got to trust them, you've got to let them work through the ups and downs of a season in general, but with this short season how everything's heightened ... like I've said many times, I don't think we're going to look up at the end of the year and look at the (statistical) numbers. You're going to look at how this season played out with wins and losses and how you went about your daily business and enjoyed it."
The core group has been struggling at the plate. Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez, Willson Contreras and Kris Bryant all started the day hitting .215 or below, with Kyle Schwarber at .230 and Jason Heyward has the high mark at .246. The Cubs' leader in OPS right now is Ian Happ, while Victor Caratini has the best batting average at .293 heading into Monday.