Cubs Week In Review: Series Wins & Waning Playoff Hopes As Last Week of August Arrives

Stakeholders of big market teams all too often let good be the enemy of great. What I mean by this is that even in a week where the Cubs won four out of six games, we don't necessarily register the triumphs as anything more than what we should have gotten all along. Allow me to submit this week of North Side baseball as proof positive of this theory's legitimacy. This week was fun, novel, and even a little encouraging, though as it pertains to the Cubs' desperate playoff push, it accomplished nothing. Let's dive in to see how it all went down...

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Every year, Wrigley Field plays host to some of the most iconic bands in the world; it's no wonder that with those types of shows coming up, the Cubs started the week off with a three-game set versus the cats from Motown, the Detroit Tigers. Chicago and Detroit have a lot in common: great food, iconic architecture, and statistical mirrors of one another when it comes to these two ball clubs. The Cubs and Tigers are virtually identical in more than a handful of categories, including overall record. Game one in this series saw the Cubs performing in the image of a team much better than they are. With Javier Assad assuming the starting duties in this one, the Cubs managed a win against Drew Smyly's former club with seriously timely hitting. Cody Bellinger, the club's two-strike specialist, came through with a pair of clutch hits. Meanwhile, newly anointed closer Porter Hodge slammed the door on AJ Hinch's club with a pair of strikeouts and allowed just one hit in the final frame.

Final Score: 3-2 Cubs

It takes a specific kind of pitcher to bounce back from surrendering a devastating long ball. In game two of this series, Jameson Taillon was not that kind of pitcher, which loomed even more disastrous on a day when Craig Counsell's bullpen put some of its old warts on full display. Stranding base runners is perhaps one of the Cubs' biggest bugaboos this season, and that wasn't any different on this day as they would leave six on base and delivered a meager 1-6 with RISP. The Tigers didn't get a chance to show off their future AL Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal, in this series, but they got considerable pop from two of their young talents, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene. Maybe this was some kind of weird payback for keeping Isaiah Thomas off the Dream Team.

Final Score: 8-2 Tigers

Miguel Amaya and Pete Crow-Armstrong could have been the worst thing to happen to the Tigers since Jim Joyce robbed Armando Galarraga of a perfect game in 2010. Amaya and PCA were electric, driving in seven combined runs and showing signs of thrilling future promise. If that wasn't enough, Justin Steele cruised to his fourth win of the season. He fanned ten Tigers batters, allowing only two runs on four hits. Cubs take the win, the series, and in all likelihood, will be treated to free Detroit-style coney dogs the next time they're in town.

Final Score: 10-2 Cubs

Home runs are not a viable offensive strategy, but they sure are fun. In game one versus the Miami Marlins, Pete Crow-Armstrong provided the most exhilarating example of this to date. Trailing 1-0 in the top half of the third inning, Crow-Armstrong drilled a ball off the rightfield wall; 14.08 seconds later, PCA got the Cubs on the board with an inside-the-park home run. The Cubs are in business if this kid is as good as he has looked for the last several weeks. The Cubbies got solid bullpen work after Kyle Hendricks got through 4.2 largely trouble-free innings.

Final Score: 6-3 Cubs

On any given day, Chicagoans are presented with seventy-seven different neighborhoods of possibilities, but watching a Shota Imanaga start is about as good a usage of our time as it gets. Notching his 10th win of the year, Imanaga refused to let the fish off the hook, surrendering just two runs on four hits. Just like he did in his advertisement for Marquee Network, outfielder Seiya Suzuki stole the show in this one with two homers and four RBI. The Cubs' offensive showcase would also see a more conventional home run from Pete Crow-Armstrong, launching an absolute bomb into the second deck of right field. With the win putting the club back at the elusive .500 mark, it was a total romp for the Counsell's squad.

Final Score: 14-2 Cubs

Your question is: Did the Cubs sweep the Marlins? No, they did not. With a chance to push themselves over .500 for the first time since late May, a dizzying number of the club's worst habits resurfaced. Chicago left nine on base, wasting a pretty serviceable seven-inning performance from starter Javier Assad. Still a winnable game heading into the home half of the eighth inning, Julian Merryweather absolutely imploded. The Marlins hung a four-run inning on the Cubs' reliever to seal the deal and again put the Cubbies on the wrong side of .500 with a crucial week of baseball forthcoming.

School is back in session across the Chicagoland area, and we have already learned a lot. Those majoring in Cubology now know, if they didn't already, that this club possesses some surprisingly nice pieces for future contention. However, the team is still incomplete, like starting a movie and not finishing it. Up next, the Cubs are set to square off with division for Pittsburg for three against the Bucs before a weekend rendezvous in D.C. with the Nationals. The Cubs must use the last month of the season to finish above .500 to be awarded the "Shows Improvement" mark on their report card. Can they do it?