Power point? Dodgers help clarify Cubs’ biggest need at trade deadline

LOS ANGELES — Whatever the last four nights at Dodger Stadium might suggest about the Cubs and October, they at least reinforced what the Cubs already knew about July:

Even with premier closer Craig Kimbrel in the fold, they need left-handed help for their bullpen between now and the July 31 trade deadline.

“Most contenders normally do some tweaking in the pen at some point,” team president Theo Epstein said, steering clear of specific target areas. “We’ll continue to try to stay proactive, and it’s very competitive out there. We’ll see. There’s a long way to go before the end of July.”

It could be a short October, assuming the Cubs get there, if they don’t find some better left-handed options in the bullpen — especially if the powerful Dodgers are standing in the way, as many expect.

The best hitters in the Dodgers’ formidable lineup are left-handed, and they took turns handling the Cubs’ lefty pitchers all weekend.

The best one, Cody Bellinger, went 8-for-15 with four home runs and two walks against six Cubs lefties in seven Cubs-Dodgers meetings this season.

He was 5-for-7 with three of the homers during the just-concluded four-game series, including a tying shot off lefty starter Jose Quintana in the sixth inning of the Cubs’ 3-2 loss Sunday.

“It’s something that you have to continue to figure out,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, whose club didn’t have to contend with Dodgers All-Star shortstop Corey Seager, who went on the injured list before the series because of a hamstring injury.

“You have to find [the Dodgers’ lefty hitters] at the wrong time. From our perspective with our relievers, once Craig gets here, maybe we can do some things differently, earlier, to try to maintain leads. But right now, they’re posing a lot of problems because they work good at-bats. They don’t chase. You’ve got to get them out in the zone. You have to.”

Which brings it back to having power lefties who can challenge such dangerous hitters. If the Indians become sellers near the deadline, the Cubs almost certainly will aggressively pursue Brad Hand, a target in recent years. And the -Nationals’ Sean Doolittle could be a next-best fit.

Hand, the former Padres closer, has held Dodgers lefties to 2-for-21 hitting in his career. Dodgers lefties are 0-for-6 against Doolittle in their few meetings.

“I’m just looking for anybody,” Maddon said of finding solutions to the Cubs’ problems with those Dodgers hitters between now and a possible October rematch.

“There’s some righties [Carl Edwards Jr. with his cut fastball] that can do a good job in there also, that get lefties out. If we can get Carl back to normal, he really fits in that slot nicely. . . . That’s the kind of righty that could be beneficial against the lefty also.”

Edwards was pitching well before going on the 10-day injured list Thursday because of a left thoracic strain in his upper back near his non-throwing shoulder.

The elimination of August waiver trades adds even more intrigue — and potential competition — for players on the block in July.

“I don’t think we’ve seen any difference yet, but teams are all huddling up on how they’re going to deal with a sort of one-chance-only approach,” Epstein said.

With the Cubs’ needs so narrowly defined to the bullpen after adding Kimbrel and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez before that, that seems to give them an edge on other buyers, especially with the depth looking good everywhere else.

“The second you say that, then things crop up,” Epstein countered. “I like the team that we have, and I like the depth that we have, but I think you’re always looking to get better and fortify weaknesses. The way it works this year, you almost have to anticipate needs before they happen because you can’t address them later on, beyond what you already have in-house.”