Two Walk-Offs Can't Mask The Reality Of The Reeling Cubs

The A’s and Giants provided two favorable matchups in a homestand that could have turned the team around for the rest of the first half. Instead, the Cubs stayed true to their awful brand of baseball. They wasted a great Jameson Taillon start and blew a 4-2 lead as they lost the first 2 games against the A’s. A 4-run 9th inning comeback allowed them to evade the sweep as PCA knocked in the game winner. That inspiring win boosted them with so much momentum that they got obliterated 18-3 in the opener against the Giants. Two more extra-inning games followed, but they could only land the clutch hit once. PCA hit two separate game-tying homers in the win and was 11-for-25 (.440 AVG) over the whole week.

The spiral goes on and on. You know the state of the Cubs is the same when everything cycles. It was Edward Cabrera’s turn to give up batting practice in the form of 3 HR and 8 ER in his return from the IL. It was Jameson Taillon’s turn to hit the IL as the rotation lost yet another member to the pitching hospital. It was Dansby Swanson’s turn to get a couple days off for a mental reset. It was Pedro Ramirez’s turn to start a few games, and he had an impressive series against the Giants. Caleb Thielbar had a bad outing, Kevin Alcantara forgot to stay by his base, and Dansby was pinch-hit for or not based on a coin toss every night.

The Brewers have been big brother because they win on the margins. When only 1 or 2 guys in the lineup are locked in at the plate, the Cubs have to be perfect on the margins to have a chance. In the last month, the offense is 27th in MLB with an 85 wRC+, 29th in MLB with a .336 SLG, and have only scored 3.48 runs per game. With such an incompetent offense, the Cubs haven’t won a series since May 4-7 and won’t win another anytime soon. They have to start hitting.

On the bright side, they have a laundry list of pitching injuries, they haven’t hit the ball for an entire month, and they’re still sitting above .500 at 34-32. That puts them 2.5 games back of the 6th best record in baseball.

The Board of Directors voted to move forward with stadium development in Hammond, Indiana. The Illinois legislation’s attempts at keeping the Bears in state have not cleared up any uncertainty. This isn’t an “official” stadium plan. There aren’t shovels in the ground. But it feels like Indiana is legitimately going to be the home of the Bears.

Caleb Williams is the Madden 27 cover athlete! As someone who has played Madden since I was a kid, these Jumpman and Iceman covers are so cool to see. It seemed impossible that EA would ever choose a Bears quarterback in my lifetime. It’s an eternal oxymoron to have a good quarterback in Chicago. This city deserves a star!

In a last minute turn of events, prospect Jack Pridham was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2027 3rd round pick. Pridham opted to enter college, so the Lightning will retain his rights moving forward. Kyle Davidson was able to obtain quality value in the form of a 3rd round pick for the former 3rd round pick when they were moments away from losing him to the draft for nothing.

We mourn the loss of Bulls legend Stacey King who passed away at the age of 59. King won three championships in the first 90s three-peat and later became one of the key voices of Chicago. His Bulls broadcasts brought energy and life to every game over the last 20 years, even when the team was not exciting to watch. Some of his calls will stick with me forever. Gimme the hot sauce!

Pete Crow-Armstrong should be the Cubs’ leadoff hitter for the next decade.

In light of Nico Hoerner’s struggles, PCA moved to the leadoff spot on May 23rd and has hit either 1st or 2nd in every game since that day. In 10 games as the leadoff hitter, he’s hitting 15-for-40 (.375 BA) with a 1.219 OPS, 4 HR, and 5 BB to 12 K. The experiment is working.

It’s not just recent success that makes me want to see PCA lead off every day. It’s his star power and improving approach. At his best, he’s one of the best hitters on the team. Last season, at least in the first half when he was clicking, he slotted in as the perfect cleanup hitter thanks to a massive power surge and the propensity to strikeout on pitches out of the zone.

This season, he has a career-high 8.5 BB%, a manageable 25.0 K%, and a steadily climbing .791 OPS. A slugger with top-of-the-league speed who is starting to take more pitches and work deeper at-bats is a recipe for success. He’s the guy you want to give the most at-bats to in every game. If anyone forgot, he had a 30-30 season last year despite a non-existent 2nd half. August 12, 2024 was the first time I wrote about PCA becoming the leadoff hitter, and it’s still true. If they contend for championships in this era of Cubs baseball, he will be the driver of the offense.