The Chicago Cubs could be totally fine. The National League is littered with teams dragging to the finish line or scrambling to play catch-up. The postseason represents a fresh start. From there, October baseball will always be random and unpredictable.
But, the Cubs could use Monday’s off-day in Chicago to regroup.
“The big picture,” manager Craig Counsell said, “is we’ve got something in front of us for this last week. We’ve got to look at that as a good thing.”
In case you missed it, last week in Pittsburgh, the Cubs clinched their first playoff appearance since 2020, setting off a raucous celebration inside PNC Park’s visiting clubhouse that filled garbage bins with dozens of empty bottles.
Hours earlier, All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker had left the group to travel to Florida and consult with a physical therapist unaffiliated with the team, hoping the Tampa-based group he has previously worked with could provide additional treatment for his strained left calf and accelerate the return process.
The next day, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene almost threw a no-hitter against the Cubs in a 1-0 complete-game victory, beginning what would turn into a four-game sweep at Great American Ball Park.
Matt Shaw traveled to Arizona and missed Sunday’s game to attend a memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Counsell said he expects the rookie third baseman to rejoin the team Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
While the Cubs were losing in Cincinnati, the Milwaukee Brewers won the NL Central for the third year in a row, giving the small-market franchise four division titles in the last five years. But it was the Reds who suddenly emerged as that team you really don’t want to face in a short postseason series.
“That’s what every game in the playoffs looks like,” Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon said after Sunday’s 1-0 loss. “It’s just understanding that’s the level we have to be at, intensity-wise. It’s probably good to see right now. Play these close games, and then understand that’s where we have to be at mentally and intensity-level-wise, because the playoffs only turn it up even more. Every pitch has so much more behind it.
“This was probably, in the long run, a good thing if we all look at it the right way and take from it what we all need. It can be a positive.”
It could always be worse. Look at the New York Mets, a team in free fall. After spending 170 days in playoff position, the Mets dropped below that line Sunday, putting the Reds back in control of their postseason destiny for a moment.
As the Cubs line up their pitching for the playoffs, the Mets will have to face Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga the next three nights at Wrigley Field. Between the Mets and Reds, the Cubs are essentially getting a seven-game series against two of the flawed teams battling for the final wild card.
“They’re going to give us their best every night,” Cubs first baseman Michael Busch said. “It’s matching that, and showing up with that energy.”
In demonstrating a consistent level of effort and preparation, the Cubs opened spring training on Super Bowl Sunday and made it to Week 3 of a new NFL season before having their first four-game losing streak.
Since his team clinched a playoff spot, Counsell has not seen signs of a letdown.
“We got to do things better,” Counsell said in Cincinnati. “It’s funny how – I always think when you say the ‘energy’ word, you never say: What about pitching? What’s the energy about pitching? We got to pitch better.
“It’s as simple as that. We haven’t played well enough. Energy, I don’t know. We haven’t played well enough to win a game.”
Baseball is such a regional, everyday sport that it can magnify a team’s weaknesses and distort the view of the rest of the league. The Los Angeles Dodgers have not rolled through the regular season as “The Best Team Ever.” The San Diego Padres are banged up and searching for answers.
Tucker is certainly not the only impact player dealing with a health issue this deep into a 162-game season. The Philadelphia Phillies are operating without ace pitcher Zack Wheeler and trying to get All-Star shortstop Trea Turner back from a hamstring injury. Brandon Woodruff’s availability for October is now in doubt after the Brewers placed their All-Star pitcher on the injured list with a strained lat muscle.
Across the league, more stuff will happen. The Cubs still have not clinched the NL’s top wild card. A declining rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, will come into the Friendly Confines for the final weekend of the regular season. The “energy” – or whatever you want to call it – should not be lacking.
“You want to go into the playoffs with momentum,” Taillon said. “It’s going to be exciting to play in front of the Wrigley fans again, especially since we clinched a spot on the road. We have something to play for. We’re looking forward to resting, recharging, and hitting Wrigley hard this week and hopefully locking up home-field advantage.”
(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
