Chicago Cubs: Three concerns heading into the All-Star break

The Chicago Cubs continue to struggle heading into the All-Star break. Here are three concerns that could cost the team down the stretch as they battle for a playoff spot.

The Chicago Cubs battled back from a slow start to the 2019 season to surge into first place in the NL Central. While they remain in that spot, they lead by the slimmest of margins (just one-half game) and continue to struggle with pitching and offense.

The team that remains the Cubs’ equal and continues to nip at their heels is the Milwaukee Brewers. This is the team that beat the Cubs in a one-game playoff at Wrigley Field last season to win the NL Central.

The Brewers have been neck-and-neck with the Cubs all season and were in first place in the NL Central as recently as last week. They’re clearly not going away, and the Cubs will have to be better if they want to win the division this season.

The entire division is close right now, and I’ll explain why that’s a concern a bit later. This won’t be an easy second half for the Cubs, but it’s not time to count them out just yet.

It’s going to be an interesting and tense final stretch of the MLB season if these teams stay this close in the standings. I’m not willing to give up on the Cubs yet because of the immense talent this team has, but they clearly need to work on some things.

There’s a lot of baseball left to play, and hopefully, many of the team’s players can recharge during the All-Star break. Still, these three concerns that could issues for the Cubs late in the season.