Cubs Week in Review: Losses That Felt Avoidable Pile Up

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Be it the MVP heroics of center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong or the club's penchant for rattling off big wins versus bigger opponents, we want more out of the 150th edition of the Chicago Cubs. In addition to a squandered chance at a sweep opposite the lowly Pirates, the Cubs failed last week's litmus test in Milwaukee, against the mighty Brewers.

Matthew Boyd and his Cubs squad opened a pivotal week of baseball at American Family Field. With memories of their four-game split with the Crew at Wrigley the previous week still fresh in their minds, Chicago looked for ways to beat Pat Murphy's team in the opener. They didn't find them. Though matching Milwaukee in total hits (six apiece), the visitors couldn't keep pace in the most important column on the scoreboard. The Crew strung together the most critical hits in the home half of the eighth inning, including a two-run single off the bat of Jackson Chourio that wrecked reliever Ryan Zeferjahn's appearance. This was just the latest in a seemingly unending string of bullpen blowups for the city's North Side club, who dropped the contest 4-3—although, arguably, it was Counsell leaving Boyd in to become embroiled in trouble in that eighth inning that cost the team.

On Tuesday, a subpar outing from David Peterson led the Cubs toward an excruciating 10-inning loss, their third straight. A valiant effort from the bullpen was derailed by a heart-wrenching blown save from the typically solid Jacob Webb. Chourio struck the tide-turning blow again, and Luis Lara walked off Chicago in the 10th.

Getting swept at the hands of any squad is bad, but when that group is the standard by which yours is endlessly measured and found wanting, it lingers a bit more. Kevin Gausman was brought in at this summer's trade deadline to be a stopper. He was unable to fulfill that role in the final matchup versus the Cubs' division rival. Despite a furious five-run 9th-inning rally which saw the tying run step into the batter's box for Chicago, Counsell's lineup wasn't able to do much versus Milwaukee's pitching staff. After starter Logan Henderson sailed through the first five innings, his bullpen picked up roughly where he left off until the aforementioned final frame of regulation. The North Siders limped out of town with their tails between their legs.

A day off Thursday delivered a much-needed reset ahead of the Cubs' final Friday 1:20 PM game of the regular season. This one was the opener of a three-game tilt with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After going missing for most of the week, the club's potent offense returned dramatically, featuring production from some of its biggest names. Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, and Crow-Armstrong all tallied big knocks in a 12-2 thumping. While the big run total was cathartic, Shota Imanaga's 10th win of the campaign was arguably the most heartening, coming in at six full innings of stellar work.

Enjoying the fruits of someone else's bullpen collapse for once, the Cubs were the beneficiaries of a tight 4-3 victory over the Buccos in which Don Kelly's club walked in both the tying and eventual winning run for Chicago. The victory earned the North Siders their first series win since the middle of August, when they thwarted the White Sox in the Wrigley Field portion of the Crosstown Classic.

There would be no sweep to make up for the one up north, though. Just as several of the Cubs' recent opponents have done, the Pirates strung together clutch hits, chasing Boyd in the sixth inning and pushing across the go-ahead tallies against reliever Aaron Civale. Ill-timed grounders and a stiff wind gusting throughout the Friendly Confines kept Chicago from a much-needed sweep. Cubs faithful should take solace in a clean appearance from Daniel Palencia, just as they did with Miguel Amaya's two-run blast to left field. For the day, though, all was in vain.

With 12 games remaining, the Cubs face the unenviable task of stacking up wins not only in the hopes of clinching a second-straight playoff berth, but also of staving off the red-hot Phillies to lock up the top Wild Card spot and home-field advantage. It's there for the taking, but will the North Siders take it?