Cubs Week In Review: Flirtation With Postseason Appearance Met With Sobering Reality

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With as good as the Cubs have been since the start of August, and they've been great, the other teams they're chasing in this break-neck race for the playoffs are better. Some of my fellow colleagues here at North Side Baseball had previously pointed out that winning games by scoring football-like numbers is not sustainable for the long haul, and this past week proved why that's the case. Barring unspeakable collapses from the Braves and Mets, the Cubs are almost certainly standing at the outset of their last few weeks of baseball in 2024. Let's dive in to see how it all went down...

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images

If familiarity breeds contempt, the Cubs and Pirates must really hate each other by now. This past Monday, the Cubs squared off with the Pittsburgh Pirates again for the first of a three-game set at Wrigley Field. The Cubs cranked the vibes to an all-time high and held a 3-0 lead through seven scoreless innings provided by Jameson Taillon. Then, the final two innings happened. Varying levels of outstanding since becoming a Cub, Jorge Lopez suffered his worst outing for Chicago's North Side club. Not only did he relinquish the lead, he did it by getting knocked around by guys like Andrew McCutchen, who was last relevant when Netflix still mailed physical discs to its subscribers. Shawn Armstrong also worked an inning and gave up an additional run, but the damage was done.

Final Score: 5-3 Pirates

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The Cubs were knocked down in game one of this series and stayed down in game two. A late scratch to Justin Steele put the inconsistent veteran Kyle Hendricks on the mound in this one. To put it bluntly, he was everything Cubs fans have grown fearful of this season with the 34-year-old right-hander. The Bucs tallied five runs on eight hits and to make things so much worse, the Cubs stranded nine baserunners, squandering multiple bases-loaded scenarios in the early innings. There was a lot not to like about this game, and with the stakes still so high, it felt like the end of something. 

Final Score 5-0 Pirates

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I could not be happier to write this: The Chicago Cubs threw a combined no-hitter in the series finale versus the Pirates. Shota Imanaga is known to dazzle, but this was something special. Going seven innings before Craig Counsell controversially pulled him (the pitch count was quite high), Imanaga deftly escaped trouble in the few times he faced any. Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge certified the historical night with an inning each of clean work. Leaving little doubt for their brothers on the mound, the Cubs put forth an offensive onslaught, including long balls from Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, and Cody Bellinger. What a memorable night at the Friendly Confines. 

Final Score: 12-0 Cubs

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In last week's recap, I said the Cubs' unlikely road to the playoffs was in danger of being obscured by the New York Yankees. Well, game one versus the Bronx Bombers proved me right. Though the 3-0 loss hurt, the real story in this one was legendary Cubs' first baseman Anthony Rizzo making his emotional first trip back to Wrigley since his infamous trade in 2021. With his former walk-up song "Intoxicated" blaring over the speakers, the South Florida native showed his appreciation to over 40,000 thankful fans, who had vivid memories of the Cubs' 2016 World Series triumph come flooding back to them. Unfortunately, his new club took the day. Yankees' starting pitcher Luis Gil held the Cubbies to just one hit, and the Cubs left five runners on base—a far too generous welcome-back gift from Rizzo's former club on this day. 

Final Score: 3-0 Yankees

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I love it when the Yankees lose, so I'd love to tell you that the Cubs set up a game three rubber match in this one, but they didn't. Getting only one runner in scoring position the whole game, the Cubs made things unnecessarily hard on themselves and their starter, Javier Assad, who grows more consistent with each appearance. He went 5.2 innings and surrendered only two runs, but his offense's disappearing act let the effort be in vain. 

Final Score: 2-0 Yankees

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After going scoreless in two straight games, the Cubs salvaged the final contest of their three-game tilt with the Yanks. With Jameson Taillon toeing the rubber, the Cubbies showed how frustratingly close they are in quality to some of the league's best. A clutch two-out knock to left field by Isaac Paredes drove in two runs for the North Side club, which proved sufficient in this one. Though he's been maligned by this fanbase and various radio personalities, it's important to point out how reliable Jameson Taillon has been for the Cubs. This marked his tenth victory of the year, and his ERA of 3.57 is more than respectable.

Final Score: 2-1 Cubs 

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With the playoffs implausible at best, the time has come just to enjoy the ride. There is still plenty in play for the Cubs down the final stretch, including securing a winning record. There are some nice pieces in the organization that will prove fruitful for the Cubs' future, which most certainly has to employ a "playoffs or bust" mentality in 2025. For now, we've been handed a jump start on pondering visions of what could have been. 

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