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The Cubs have become a team nobody wants to play in October

The Cubs have survived a battered pitching staff and emerged as one of baseball’s hottest teams. With Pete Crow-Armstrong leading the charge, Chicago is becoming a dangerous October matchup.
ByChris Pownall|
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Aug 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Aug 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Remember when the Cubs’ season appeared ready to buckle under all those pitching injuries?

They are still waiting for the buckle.

Chicago used 38 pitchers through its first 119 games, the highest total in baseball. Some were part of the plan. Several most certainly were not. Yet the Cubs rolled through a difficult 17-game stretch with a 12-5 record and reached 69-50.

That stretch ended with six wins in seven games against the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Royals. The Cubs did not crawl through the soft underbelly of their schedule. They handled three clubs trying to play meaningful baseball of their own.

Milwaukee remains in front of Chicago in the NL Central. Fine. The Cubs have taken control of the National League’s top wild-card position and given themselves room to breathe.

They have also become a lousy matchup for anyone expecting an easy playoff series.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has taken over

The “M-V-Pete” chants at Wrigley Field are no longer fans getting carried away after a couple of Old Styles.

Pete Crow-Armstrong was hitting .286 with a .932 OPS, 26 home runs and 71 RBIs through 119 games. He led every major-league player with 8.0 fWAR. Over Chicago’s latest seven games, he hit .345, reached base nearly 46 percent of the time and stole four bases.

Shohei Ohtani remains the favorite for National League MVP. Of course he does. Crow-Armstrong has still forced his way into the discussion because he affects games everywhere.

He can homer. He can manufacture a run with his legs. He can erase an extra-base hit in center field that looked safe when it left the bat.

Those are useful traits during a 162-game season. They can wreck an opponent during a three-game playoff series.

Chicago keeps patching the pitching staff

The rotation and bullpen are not suddenly fixed. That would be a lovely fairy tale, but this is still the Cubs.

Kevin Gausman gives the rotation another proven starter after arriving at the trade deadline. Jacob Webb has delivered 19 consecutive scoreless appearances and grabbed hold of the closer role. Daniel Palencia has started a rehabilitation assignment, while Edward Cabrera is moving toward his return from a hamstring injury.

Craig Counsell may soon have more than one appealing option in certain innings. What luxury.

Chicago may not enter October as the National League favorite. It does not need to.

Give the Cubs two healthy starters, Crow-Armstrong roaming center field and a close game in the seventh inning. Then see how comfortable the other dugout looks.

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