The Margin Ep. 8 | The Cubs Lead MLB in Home Runs Allowed… And Somehow It Works

The Chicago Cubs have a home run problem.

209 home runs allowed. Most in Major League Baseball.

Shota Imanaga has allowed 33. Jameson Taillon gave up 25 before being DFA'd. Colin Rea has allowed 20.

Opponents have homered against the Cubs in 110 games. They've hit 111 of them at Wrigley Field alone.

And somehow... The Cubs are still sitting atop the National League Wild Card standings and rank only 18th in MLB in total runs allowed.

How? That's what we're chasing in Episode 8 of THE MARGIN: Living with the Long Ball.

Of the Cubs' 209 home runs allowed: • 118 have been solo shots • 60 have been two-run homers • 28 have been three-run homers • 3 have been grand slams

Those home runs have produced 334 of the Cubs' 601 total runs allowed — 55.6%.

But there's another number that might explain how they've survived: 56.5% of the home runs they've allowed have been solo shots.

And that brings us back to one of our core baseball philosophies: Zeros are great. Ones are manageable. Crooked numbers kill you.

The Cubs clearly aren't going to stop giving up home runs.

So maybe the path to October isn't eliminating them.

Maybe it's keeping the bases clean before they happen.

Because the pitch that leaves the yard might be the same, but there's a massive difference between that mistake making it 1–0 or 3–0.

And in October, when one pitch can decide your season, can the Cubs keep living this close to the edge?

The Verdict: You can live with the long ball. It's the plus-ones that'll kill you. This is THE MARGIN on the Club 1:20 Network.

Chasing Wins, Not Stats.

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