The Cubs are nine games above .500 heading into Memorial Day weekend and are on pace for 94 wins, exceeding the organization’s typical 90-win goal. Their performance includes two separate 10-game winning streaks, but they have also shown inconsistency, playing around .300 baseball outside those streaks. Ninety wins have not been enough to win the NL Central since 2014, so Chicago must capitalize on upcoming schedule opportunities. Their remaining May schedule includes home games versus Houston, then road trips to Pittsburgh and St. Louis, followed by home series against Oakland and San Francisco. They then face Colorado, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and other opponents, with June ending at home versus the Padres. The key needs are stronger rotation and bullpen depth and less streak-dependent offense.
"Now, what if I told you that it included two 10-game winning streaks? That would mean Chicago is playing .300 baseball when not stacking wins. That's pretty bad. It's also worth noting that 90 wins haven't been enough to capture the NL Central flag since the Cardinals did it in 2014. Though it's a little too early to start scoreboard watching, it would behoove the Cubs to take advantage of the upcoming soft spot in their schedule."
"The Cubs finish May with three at home against Houston (20-31) before traveling to Pittsburgh and St. Louis to play the Pirates and Cardinals (both 26-24). Then they get the Athletics (26-24) and Giants (20-30) at home, followed by a road trip to Colorado and San Francisco. After that, the Rockies (19-32) and Blue Jays (23-27) visit Wrigley Field before Chicago travels to New York to play the Mets (22-28). The month of June closes out with a three-game set at Milwaukee, followed by a home series with the Padres."
"It makes no sense to analyze who the Brewers are playing because they've got the pitching to beat anybody. The Cubs, on the other hand, sorely need reinforcements in the rotation and the bullpen. They also have to be less streaky offensively. The danger isn't being unable to catch the Brewers, but lacking the ammunition to leapfrog the Cardinals and stave off the Pirates. Pitching will determin"
Read at Cubsinsider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]