CHICAGO — While the team’s average has been near the top of Major League Baseball all season long, there is one area the Cubs have struggled so far in the 2023 season.

That’s getting some timely hits and leaving players on base, which has cost them in the first two games against the Cardinals this season.

In a 3-1 loss to St. Louis on Monday and then a 6-4 defeat on Tuesday, the Cubs left nine runners on base each, hindering the club’s chances for a victory. Because of the two losses, the club slipped to 17-19 on the season as they approach the series finale at 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday.

Leaving runners on base has been an issue for the Cubs in the early part of the 2023 season, with the team leaving an average of 7.58 runners on base per game. That’s the most of any team in Major League Baseball so far, according to TeamRankings.com.

This comes despite the fact that the team is fifth in batting average (.266) and tenth in runs (173), with those being left on base costing the team a few wins this season. The Cubs are 2-8 in games decided by one run this season, which has kept them from staying above the .500 mark for a lot of the season.

Yet the Cubs still had a chance win despite that on Tuesday night as they took a 4-4 tie into the ninth. Javier Assad, who pitched five shutout innings, would surrender a homer to Paul DeJong, a triple to Dylan Carlson, and a triple to Andrew Knizner to bring in the winning runs for St. Louis.