Chicago Cubs: North siders take home trophy for second straight season

Heading into the weekend, the Chicago Cubs sat just 1.5 games out of first place. Would they be able to gain any momentum in the NL Central race during the Crosstown Cup series?

Over the past several weeks, the Chicago Cubs have modeled the exact definition of inconsistency. Beginning on April 26, the team began a streaky stretch that involved a five-game winning streak followed by a five-game losing streak.

Entering the weekend to defend the Crosstown Cup, the Cubs were looking to get on a roll and hopefully begin to put together a string of consistent play and wins, following their previous sweep of the Miami Marlins and respective three-game winning streak.

Behind stellar offensive production, notably from Willson Contreras (7-14 with 10 RBI during the series), and starting pitching appearances, the Cubs were able to notch victories in the first two games of the weekend, securing the Crosstown Cup for the second consecutive year.

However, the White Sox were able to fight back in game three, despite Lucas Giolito issuing seven walks over the course of his 5.2 inning start. The Cubs were only able to muster up three hits and three runs in Sunday’s finale as the White Sox bullpen was able to close the door after Gio was pulled in the sixth inning.

Exiting the weekend set, the Cubs sit just one game out of first place in the NL Central race, behind the Brewers, Cardinals, and Pirates.

Even though the Cubs’ most recent series sweep over the Marlins and series win over the White Sox is reassuring, the team will look to develop a model of consistent success going forward.

With Addison Russell (.333/.481/.619 – last 7 days) and Anthony Rizzo (.333/.400/.714 – last 7 days) finally heating up at the plate over the last week and the eruption of Contreras, the Cubs’ offense looks primed to move forward with the ability to score plenty of runs.

The main concern, as has been for much of the early season, lies in the performance of the starting pitching. Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks have anchored the rotation thus far, and will need to continue doing so. In addition, Jose Quintana will need to continue his dominance as demonstrated over his past two starts, in which he dazzled with a 0.90 ERA over 10 IP, notching 9 K’s. The return of Yu Darvish on Tuesday will be intriguing to watch out for as well, especially with his noted early season struggles.

If all cylinders are clicking at the same time, this Cubs squad will rival that of what was witnessed during their 2016 campaign. Over the next four days, the NL East leading Atlanta Braves will present a real challenge as the Cubs look to actually carry their momentum forward.

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The Cubs were able to accomplish exactly what should be expected of them over the weekend: beat teams that aren’t trying to win in the present. However, this level of success should also be expected on a consistent basis going forward, considering the Cubs entered the season as World Series contenders.