Say you started watching baseball on June 20 of last season. Maybe you’d spent three months hiking in the Himalayas or finally decided to read the 1,000-plus-page book “Infinite Jest.” You didn’t even bother to check the standings. You just started watching baseball. In particular, you decided to watch the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals on June 20. They lost 4-3 to the Cardinals again June 21. Trevor Rosenthal saved both games. The Cardinals won again June 22. No big deal; the Cardinals are usually good. Some other losses followed. The Cubs then swept the Reds in Cincinnati, but went to New York and the Mets swept a four-game series, including 10-2 and 14-3 blowouts. The Cubs won a home game against the Reds, and then lost five games in a row, culminating with a 12-6 loss to the Pirates. Jon Lester started that game and the 14-3 loss and gave up a combined 13 runs in 4⅓ innings. Read more http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/78663/is-it-time-to-panic-about-these-struggling-teams
