Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman has publicly accepted responsibility for the team's recent offensive struggles amid a stretch of poor results with runners in scoring position.
The Cubs have lost 18 of their last 23 games and sit at 34-32, 7 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the National League Central. Pitching injuries have mounted, with Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton and Jameson Taillon all sidelined or limited. Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 million contract last offseason, is batting .243/.327/.342 through 65 games. After Sunday's 2-1 extra-innings loss to the Giants, he said the offense must improve. I've had plenty of opportunities with runners in scoring position and I need to be better, Bregman said. Plain and simple. I need to be better for this team. Team president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer noted earlier that the position-player group forms the backbone of the roster and must perform consistently for the Cubs to succeed.
