Chicago Cubs fate could be determined before All-Star break

The Chicago Cubs are currently 37-40 after falling to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. They will remain three games out from the first-place Milwaukee Brewers who fell to the New York Mets today. After the London trip and one final day off yesterday, the Cubs are set to play fifteen games in fifteen days before the All-Star break, and the schedule is not by any means easy.

With two more games against the Phillies, three at home against the Cleveland Guardians, four games on the road against the Brewers, and three games in New York against the Yankees, the Cubs have their work cut out for them. All of these opponents are at very important parts of their seasons as well, with all four fighting for a potential playoff spot or wildcard berth at the least.

To be successful after this stretch, the Cubs need to get back to a .500 record, at the least. Tom Ricketts recently said, “Obviously, we’re buyers right now,” during a fan event while in London last weekend. That was after the Cubs’ recent hot stretch. A losing record over the next two weeks could easily change that narrative, especially if things go really bad.

The Cubs have looked a lot better as of late, but they were able to take advantage of a slumping Pittsburgh Pirates team twice in that span. They will have to win at least three of the upcoming series to remain competitive and keep Ricketts in a buying mood at the deadline.

The series against the Brewers will be specifically important because the Cubs can gain some ground against the current division leader. With Brandon Woodruff on the IL and Corbin Burnes struggling, the Cubs could run into the Brewers at the right time and could take advantage of not having to face their two aces at full strength. Gaining momentum into the seven-day road trip next week will be crucial for the Cubs’ success, and it will start by taking the next two against the Phillies.

It has finally felt like the Cubs will be keeping guys like Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger at the deadline, and many fans (including myself) are relieved to have come back to what the Cubs should be playing like. Still, with this unbelievably tough schedule in terms of teams and workload, the Cubs have to keep that positivity alive and continue to do what has been working lately. Their most recent effort against Ranger Suarez and the Phillies cannot happen especially when the Cubs have been so good against left-handed pitchers all season long.