Week In Review: Cubs Notch First Wins Of Season

To see the transition to championship-caliber baseball Cubs fans yearn for requires patience. As they showed in their first win of the season (a 10-6 romp over the Arizona Diamondbacks that wasn't as close as the final score indicates), the Cubs have what it takes to go far in 2025. As skipper Craig Counsell said to his ball club in Arizona at the outset of spring training with the "All-Access" cameras rolling, this could be a "special" season. One weekend into the season on American soil, nothing has changed. There's gas in the tank, and it's time to strap in for the ride.

One key element of this squad I really admire is the pitching staff's quiet brilliance. Like one of my all-time favorite Cubs pitchers, Kyle Hendricks—who even mentored some of these guys—nothing they throw out there is eye-popping, but they get the job done. Cubs starter and former All-Star Justin Steele proved that in his second start of the season. He didn't do anything to overpower the curiously potent Snakes lineup, but he gave his team a chance. His teammates responded by taking said chance, with consistent hitting and run production throughout a contest that served as a proof of concept of what this North Side club can be when dialed-in. 

Giving a little grace is the right call. What has stood out thus far (and even dating back to the middle of spring training in Mesa) is the quick development of third baseman Matt Shaw and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. We're starting to understand what to expect from Crow-Armstrong: He's fast (maybe not quite as fast as he thinks he is, when getting picked off the basepaths), but once he balances things out, he will count as one of the rare weapons in the game. Shaw looked good this week. His athleticism and reaction time at third suggest he'll hold down the hot corner just fine.

Offensively, he's not there yet, but he's taking impressively sound cuts at the ball that lead me to believe that after he adjusts more to big-league timing, he'll help scratch across more than his fair share of runs. I don't love it when people say "trust the process", but that feels like a reasonable thing to do in this case. 

What's the best attribute of a relief pitcher? You already know my answer: the ability and eagerness to throw strikes. They come in at a time when there are few outs remaining to record in a game and even fewer chances to make up for mistakes. Thus far, that's not what this retooled Cubs bullpen is doing. It's not a terminal problem, but it's a lingering issue from last season, and a trend hurlers like Nate Pearson and Ryan Pressly need to turn around quickly.

A plethora of things can happen in one baseball game, including a record-setting nine home runs by the Yankees against the Milwaukee Brewers, but one thing that can't happen? Doing everything all at once. Losing a whole season. The Cubs have one of the toughest opening schedules in the game, but fortunately for us, they're one of the toughest teams.