Ah, yes. That time of the year when you can start to feel the sands of time running out. We root so hard hoping that the series of moves they make from somewhere around November 1 through somewhere around September 1 have built and prepared a team to win a championship. In fairness, 29 of 30 teams fall short of that goal every year. Some of the teams will be rewarded some pretty fun, though still sometimes agonizing, consolation prizes. Depending on just how long you’ve been a Cub fan, you’ve had a whole variety of flavors of consolation prizes. Every decade or so, the rug pull is pretty harsh and leaves some scarring.
This one is probably not one of those, unless this team really pulls together in October unexpectedly. This one should probably feel like getting to the end of Game of Thrones. You really enjoyed the trip. At times, you could really see what they were trying to pull together, the majesty of it all and the intricate storylines being woven together. But by the end, you realized that the artist didn’t know how to satisfyingly finish the painting.
You can certainly feel it. I certainly don’t think it is crazy to think it. If you could somehow pick through the carnage of what feels like hundreds of injuries and have enough guys healthy and effective at the right time that they had enough talent to win it all. Not better than the Dodgers, but good enough to hang with them and capitalize if they aren’t on top of their game when it matters. I’m not and I wouldn’t take anything away from this Brewers team. They are ruthlessly efficient and do so many things right. That’s one excellent team. If their pitching could get really hot, they could win.
So you can feel it coming. You don’t know exactly how or when it will end. When things are going good, this team makes me think about the 2015 Cubs. An ascending team that hadn’t put it all together. I think at this point, that’s the best possible future for this group. That this is the team coming together. That some good percentage of this team comes back and runs it back and wins it all next year. You know, if they come back and play baseball after a work stoppage.
But I think for this year, this team is going to most echo to 2008. A very good team, built to crush the regular season and powered by a hyper-dynamic offense. I’ve said this so many times. The regular season, particularly in the modern game, is won with depth. You need an army to get you through 162 and healthy and geared up to win three or four series to win a championship. But you win in the postseason on the backs of guys who can turn in superstar performances.
The 2016 roster had so many role players. If you listened to the Lovable Reunion, you heard them talk about how every player, every coach, so many front office members had a role to play in getting them to the end. But along the way, you had heroic performances by Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman. There were a lot of guys who could just win a game. Or change a whole series. Who are your 2026 Cubs that have that ability? After Pete Crow-Armstrong, maybe Alex Bregman, maybe Clay Holmes. 2026 Kevin Gausman is a supporting piece. Same as Michael Busch.
We’ve seen it all year. Get out of whack? This team pounds you into oblivion. Execute your plan? Yeah, it’s probably not going to be great. The Brewer bullpen just fire hosed the Cub lineup in this game. Meanwhile, rather than putting out the fire, the Cub bullpen was throwing accelerant on it. Matthew Boyd was pretty good, but as soon as he faltered, the Brewers feasted on a bunch of mediocre Cub relievers. This pitching staff is a lot of not ready for prime time players.
85 runs in the last 10 games and the team is 4-6. That says so much about everything. And not that I’m advocating for holding back your offense, but the Cubs played right into the hand of the Brewers and blew that first game out and didn’t force them to use actual relievers to finish the game after they’d gotten a little knocked around over the weekend.
There was a bright, shining moment after the trade deadline where I was in the afterglow of a flurry of moves that did make this team better. But the afterglow has faded and the post euphoria clarity is setting in. At the end of the day, all of the smoke and mirrors billow away and this is the same flawed team it has been all year long.
The countdown to Wait Til Next Year is well under way. The only question is exactly when the clock strikes zero.
Tyrone Taylor stayed hot. He had a two-run double and also scored a run before being lifted from the game.Matt Shaw had a double and drew a walk.Matthew Boyd probably deserved better than a line of 5.1 innings, three runs allowed. He left with two on base and both ended up scoring. It was a difficult night topitch
Game 139, September 1: Brewers 9, Cubs 4 (78-61)
Baseball Savant
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
Superhero: Tyrone Taylor (.139). 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, RHero: Michael Busch (.091). 1-4Sidekick: Nico Hoerner (.088). 1-4, RBilly Goat: Daniel Palencia (-.396). 0.2 IP, 4 BF, 2 H, 2 R, BK (L 2-2)Goat: Ryan Zeferjahn (-.113). 0.2 IP, 4 BF, 2 H, 2 R, KKid: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.109). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Christian Yelich’s two-run homer in the sixth gave the Brewers the lead and they never looked back. (.243)
Cubs Play of the Game: Tyrone Taylor’s two-run double in the fourth gave the Cubs their first two runs. (.169)
Game 138 Winner: Clay Holmes received 51 of 86 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Pete Crow-Armstrong +25Alex Bregman +24Ben Brown +13.5Javier Assad +12Carson Kelly +10.5Nico Hoerner -12Edward Cabrera -12.5Jameson Taillon -13Dansby Swanson -17Caleb Thielbar -18.5
Scoreboard Watching: Padres lose (5 back of Cubs). Braves lose (4 up). Brewers win (8 up). Phillies win (1 up). Diamondbacks lose (5.5 back). Dodgers win (4 up).
Up Next: Game three of the four-game series. In the larger picture, the team is 2-3 to start their 13 games in 13 days. David Peterson (7-7, 5.11) starts for the Cubs. He’s 2-0 with a 2.88 ERA over his last seven games (six starts). Last time out, he allowed two runs in five innings against the Reds.
The Brewers will start ace Jacob Misiorowski (14-5, 1.73). He’s 4-1 with a 2.03 over his last seven and has won his last three starts, allowing three runs over 18 innings. Two starts against the Cubs this year, 12 innings, one run. 16 strikeouts and five walks.
The Miz is without question one of the premier starters in the game today. It is hard to have any optimism at all about this one.