This was supposed to be the season the Cubs' offense took center stage, but in the first half of the season, the Cubs hitters looked like dinner theater regulars.
They scored 399 runs in the first half, an average of 4.53 runs per game. If they had ended the season with that average, they would have ranked 19th in baseball, most likely missing the playoffs.
Of course, that didn't happen. The team went on a second-half tear and the offense found another gear. The Cubs scored 423 runs in the season’s final 74 games and pushed their season average to 5.