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Chicago Cubs Face Fellow Playoff Contenders To Start August

By Carlos Nazario

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The baseball season enters the dog days of summer, and the Chicago Cubs are still in playoff contention. The battle gets tougher as they face two playoff contending teams to start the first full week of August. 

Well, we enter the dog days of summer in the MLB, and an unexpected situation that many did not expect is occurring — the Chicago Cubs are contending for a playoff spot.

The Cubs finished in last place for the last five seasons. In those seasons, they averaged 92.8 losses per season (464 losses).

This season, they are 57-47, and are tied with the San Francisco Giants for the second Wild Card spot in the National League.

The Cubs are ahead of schedule in Theo Epstein’s plan. Even so, he did not sell the farm for a chance this season. Some fans were disappointed about that, but it may be the best possible move. Some of the player who did not make it to Chicago may get there in the offseason (I’m looking at you David Price).

However you feel about what the Cubs did before the deadline, they are still contenders right now. How long they remain there we will soon see.

To start the first full week of August, the Cubs are already facing some big games.

Right before the end of the first half, I wrote about how the Cubs had a critical week that could go a long way in their playoffs hopes.

Well, the results reflected the Cubs’ season so far. They did just enough to keep hope. They split four games with the St. Louis Cardinals (good), then went out and lost two out of three games against the Chicago White Sox (bad).

This week, the Cubs again face a crucial week. Starting tonight, they face the Pittsburgh Pirates, owners of the first Wild Card spot.

The Cubs are four games behind the Pirates. If they can win the series, they can get themselves closer to them, and may eventually help them to take that first Wild Card spot.

The Cubs would be in better shape on top than having to battle for their lives for the last spot.

After leaving Pittsburgh, the Cubs come home to face the Giants in a four game series.

The Giants are battle tested, having won the World Series (as a Wild Card team, by the way) last season.

The Cubs cannot afford to continue to play .500 for the rest of the season. They have trouble trying to get on a roll. They will win four, five or six in a row, but then lose three or four in a row.

Something has to give. The Cubs need to win four or five games. That way, they can separate themselves from San Francisco and advance against Pittsburgh.

A few days ago, the Cubs were on the brink of a collapse. They were supposed to have an easy schedule, opening the second half against seventeen consecutive games against teams with losing records, yet after twelve games, they won just five. They went from being two games on top for that last playoffs spot, to looking up at the Giants.

Now the Cubs have won five in a row, and are a season-high ten games over .500. The offense is starting to come around after strugling for most of July. They can now start to support a pitching staff that has really carried the team for over a month. Jon Lester is turning into the number one that the Cubs and their fans expected.

In July, Lester had a 1.66 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP and 50 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. He starts tonight in Pittsburgh.

They need to keep that momentum going to keep their postseason hopes alive.

That task begins this week.

Next: Dan Haren Ready For Playoff Push, Could Ride Into The Sunset

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