1985 - The DL Blues

Cubs fans were heartbroken but hopeful as the 1985 season dawned. All the key pieces of 1984's NL East championship team were back. Rick Sutcliffe became a free agent after his great 1984 season, but the Cubs won a bidding war to retain his services. There was one change in the lineup. Larry Bowa had had an ugly slash line of .223/.274/.269 in '84 and showed a serious lack of range at shortstop. At 38 years old, it was doubtful he was a viable every day shortstop anymore. In the 1982 draft, the Cubs had the first pick in the amateur draft and selected Shawon Dunston, a 19 year-old shortstop from Thomas Jefferson High in Brooklyn, who hit .790(!!) in his senior season. In 1985, Dunston was considered ready and was named the opening day shortstop.

If Sutcliffe could pick up where he left off, if Ryne Sandberg and Bob Dernier weren't one-year wonders, and if the 37 year-old Ron Cey and the 34 year-old Gary Matthews still had at least one good season left, the Cubs might be able to make fans forget about 1984's disappointment. Unfortunately, only one of these ifs came true.

1985 Opening Day Lineup
Dernier, cf
Sandberg, 2b
Matthews, rf
Durham, 1b
Moreland, rf
Cey, 3b
Davis, c
Dunston, ss
Sutcliffe, p 

It started well. The Cubs won 7 of their first 8 games and were 12-6 at the end of April. Dunston got off to a slow start and was sent back down to the minors in May and Sutcliffe pulled a hamstring running the bases on May 19. He missed almost three weeks and his loss was a blow, as he looked to be successfully following up on his Cy Young season with a 2.32 ERA at that point.

Despite this, the Cubs were 35-19 after beating the Expos on June 11 and seemed to be a force to be reckoned with again. They were again in first place, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Mets. However, their next victory didn't come until June 26, as they suffered a horrendous 13-game losing streak. When it was over, they were in 4th place, 5 games back.  The Cubs made a partial recovery and were still 7 games over .500 on August 2, but suffered a 7-game losing streak beginning the next day. Injuries were largely to blame. Sutcliffe missed two more weeks in July and only pitched twice more after going back on the DL on July 28. It didn't end with Sutcliffe; at one point Sutcliffe, Steve Trout, Scott Sanderson, and Dennis Eckersley were all on the DL at the same time. The Cubs couldn't overcome so many injuries at once. They finished with a 77-84 record, in 4th place, 23 1/2 games behind the division champion Cardinals.

Eckersley led the pitching staff with only 169 innings pitched and in games started with just 25. Eckersley, Trout, Sanderson, and Sutcliffe all were effective when they did pitch, but couldn't stay healthy. Nearly all of the replacement starters, such as Ray Fontenot, Larry Gura, Derek Botelho, and Steve Engel were ineffective.

There were other problems as well. Age was catching up with both Matthews and Cey. Matthews played only 97 games and hit just .233. Cey was healthy, but hit .232 with 63 RBIs. Dernier had a .315 on-base percentage, far below par for a leadoff man, and would never again be a viable everyday player.

Sandberg did prove that 1984 was no fluke - he increased his home run total from 19 to 26 and hit .305 with 54 stolen bases and 113 runs scored. Rightfielder Keith Moreland hit .307 with 106 RBIs. Dunston returned from the minors and ended with a decent .260 average, showing off the strongest infield arm in baseball. The most notable accomplishment was turned in by Davey Lopes, the ex-Dodger second baseman who had been acquired in the late stages of the 1984 season. Lopes turned 40 in 1985 and appeared in only 99 games. Yet, he swiped 47 bases in 51 attempts, setting a still-standing record for the most steals in a season by a player in his 40s.

1985 Cubs Batting Leaders: R - Ryne Sandberg, 113; H - Sandberg, 186; HR - Sandberg, 26; RBI - Keith Moreland, 106; BA - Moreland, .307; OBP - Moreland, .374; SP - Sandberg, .504

1985 Cubs Pitching Leaders: G - Lee Smith, 65; IP - Dennis Eckersley, 169.1; W - Eckersley, 11; SO - Eckersley, 117; ERA - Eckersley, 3.08; SV - Smith, 33