The Chicago Cubs recently won their series against the Milwaukee Brewers in their own house, and then immediately came home to Wrigley to sweep the Padres, culminating in an electrifying 23-3 win. The next day then saw the Cardinals arrive and spoil the party by embarrassing the Cubs with a disconcerting 17-1 spanking. At least it wasn't a shutout.
This shows the incredible duality of the Cubs in 2026. As we approach the All-Star break, it's difficult to not feel salty about this Cubs season. The team itself is bursting with talent and potential, but either the timing hasn't ever lined up quite right, or injuries have scoured the team like a plague. The highs have been extraordinarily high, and the lows have hit hard. But at the core of it all is a team that has the potential for success.
When everything clicks, this team looks unstoppable
Craig Counsell has been around professional baseball since he made it to the majors all the way back in the 90s. The man knows what he's talking about, and he sure understands the complicated dynamics between a baseball team. That's why it's paramount that a baseball team has someone like Counsell in charge when a team slumps.
The MLB season is not a sprint. It's a marathon. 162 games with only like eight days off is madness. Slumps are simply an unavoidable part of managing a season. Both individual player slumps, and the team as a whole. It can be a tough job to drive that bus, especially when you don't know what kind of bus you're getting for the day.
Dansby Swanson went through a period so bad that he had trade rumors coming from the fans because they didn't want him on their team any more. Counsell even had him sit out a few games to give him some time to get himself right. Then Swanson came back with a vengeance. Swanson nearly single-handedly took out the Padres for the Cubs, and it couldn't have been more contrasted to the Swanson we saw through most of June.
Pete Crow-Armstrong put together a June that was downright historic. In June alone, PCA slashed an impressive .381 batting average, a .781 slugging percentage, and an OPS of 1.249. He also belted 11 home runs and scored 21 times. Watching him play out there has been something dazzling, and on more than one occasion it's occurred to me just how glad I am that he's on our team. It's earned him All-Star honors.
The modern state of the Cubs has been a roller coaster, but that's not to say that the Cubs don't have a fighting chance. Between the White Sox battling it out with Cleveland over the top spot in the AL Central, or the Cubs frantically swiping at the tail of the Brewers, Chicago baseball fans have truly had a wild ride.
We're only a couple games away from the All-Star break, and that should allow the dust to settle some. The Cubs still hold six games behind the Brewers, so unless the Cubs win literally every game they have left and the Brewers lose all of them as well, the Cubs still wouldn't catch them before the break. The Cubs don't need to win out. They just need to remain steady and power through it, full steam ahead. The Brewers will slip. And the Cubs need to be there when they do.
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