CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant's struggles in the World Series hit a fever pitch in Game 4 of the World Series and the Cubs dropped their second straight game to the Indians, 7-2, falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
It didn't take long for the struggles to harm the Cubs. It was the bottom of the first inning when Dexter Fowler led off with a double. Bryant popped out to shortstop. Fowler would score, but the Cubs had a real chance to put a crooked number on the board against Corey Kluber.
The woes carried over to the field, as a Bryant throwing error -- after a really nice pick at third -- allowed Lonnie Chisenhall on base. Chisenhall would then score thanks to a second Bryant throwing error. The thing is, Bryant shouldn't have even thrown it. Kluber was nearly to first base when Bryant picked up his swinging bunt.
That run gave the Indians a lead. Even though it was the second, the Indians haven't been throwing away leads, so it was big. In fact, the Indians haven't lost a single game in which they've had a lead this postseason. Given Kluber on the mound and the presence of an absolute hit squad of a bullpen, every little run counts.
Bryant would end up 0-for-3 in the game. After Dexter Fowler homered in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to a still-large 7-2, the crowd at Wrigley Field was desperate for a reason to become as insane as it was in the first inning. The meat of the order was coming up, after all. Bryant grounded harmlessly to short. It pretty well summed up his series for the 24-year-old prodigy.
This night was a continuation. Bryant struck out twice and popped out to the catcher in Game 1. For those new to baseball, that's very bad. He did draw a walk, but that doesn't really salvage the night. In Game 3, he was 0-3 with two strikeouts and a walk, which, again, doesn't really make the night a positive.
Bryant is now 1-for-13 in the World Series with a pair of costly errors.
If those struggles continue, the Cubs won't be getting their elusive championship rings this time around.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the one game of this series the Cubs won, Bryant singled and scored in the first inning. He needs to be involved. He's too important a player to expect the team to overcome his disappearance -- and that's exactly what this has been through four games in the World Series.
Bear in mind, this is the likely NL MVP. He won the Hank Aaron award as the best hitter in the NL. While he's not a Machado or Arenado type at third, he's a fine defender. He's an excellent baserunner with sneaky speed and great instincts.
So, sure, Bryant could turn things around starting in Game 5. He has all the ability in the world to be able to get hot at the drop of a hat. It wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see him become what he was throughout 2016 leading up to this World Series. And four games are a ridiculously small sample. It's just that they've been the four most important games of the year and Bryant has, frankly, been terrible.
This isn't a "can't get it done in the playoffs" situation, either. As I alluded to in the preceding paragraph, Bryant hit .333/.409/.538 with five doubles, a homer, six RBI and five runs through the NLDS and NLCS, with the Cubs going 7-3 en route to their first pennant since 1945. There were other big performances, but Bryant was the rock for the offense, especially when the likes of Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell were struggling miserably.
The offense as a whole struggled through most of the NLDS and the first three games of the NLCS, but Bryant carried them at times. That's what MVP types can do. Except Bryant isn't carrying the Cubs right now, he's dragging them down. If the Cubs are to come back from a daunting 3-1 series deficit, that has to change immediately.
