Not since April have we seen the Chicago Cubs string a run together like the one we’re seeing now. Sure, they’re playing teams some consider to be inferior opponents. However, the Cubs faced a similar stretch of teams back in June and could not buy a series win.
Now, the Cubs have won four series in a row after sweeping the Pirates in Pittsburgh. They’ve won 9 of their last 12, scoring an average of more than seven runs a game. It’s been an offensive awakening here in August.
Over the last 30 days, we’ve seen numbers we could have only dreamed about in the dreadful summer days. Ian Happ has an OPS of .991 in that time frame, mainly from the leadoff spot. Pete Crow-Armstrong has come to life with his OPS of .981 and is easily finding his way around the bases. The resurgence of Miguel Amaya has raised his WAR from -0.4 before the All-Star break to currently 1.6 on the year.
And how about Christian Bethancourt? He’s played in 11 games for the Cubs since Tomás Nido landed on the injured list with a knee injury. In backing up Amaya, Bethancourt has just posted a .407 average with an OPS of 1.337, 3 home runs, and 15 batted in. Seven of those RBIs came during Wednesday’s shocking comeback, including the game-winning one.
The Cubs are finally matching the offensive production the starting rotation has given them throughout the season. Most importantly, it’s translating to wins. So, the playoff push is on – right? Clear your plans for October? Unfortunately, don’t start talking about any of that just yet.
The Cubs are playing winning baseball for the first time since the beginning of the year. They’ve won seven of their last ten games (thank you, Taylor Swift). However, the teams ahead have been playing winning baseball all year. Plus, they’re not stopping.
The Atlanta Braves currently hold the final Wild Card spot in the National League. They are 4.0 games up on the New York Mets, who are 1.5 games up on the Cubs. The Braves have won eight of their last ten games after sweeping the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.
The Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who hold the top Wild Card spot, have split their first two games in the desert. The rubber match will take place on Thursday. The Snakes have won seven of their last ten, while the Mets have won seven of twelve.
The point of baseball is to win games. It has certainly gone that way for the Cubs recently. However, the hole the Cubs dug themselves into earlier this year may have made the task insurmountable. They can continue to win games at this pace by playing inspired. But if the teams ahead of them are doing the same, they won’t make up much ground.
Scheduling does matter. The Cubs have the easiest route to the finish line in the league. But they may have given the rest to the contenders too big of a head start to be there at the end.
