Cubs pitching – After a roller-coaster stretch against the Cardinals and a week built around injuries, the Cubs are set for six games on the road before the All-Star break’s aftermath—keeping one eye on what their rotation can recover in time for the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Eleven days from now, the Cubs will finally be back in Chicago. The schedule points to July 17 for a home game against the Twins, their first appearance after next week’s All-Star break, and there’s one small mercy the team can count on: fog is not in the forecast.
Still, the mood around Wrigley Field has been less about weather and more about whiplash. Sunday came with a lopsided 6-3 win over the Cardinals that stopped a St. Louis sweep. followed by the reality that it’s been hard to trust momentum—especially when the pitching staff has been hit by one problem after another.
Late Sunday afternoon. the Cubs boarded buses on Waveland Avenue and headed to the airport for a six-game trip to Baltimore and Cincinnati. The All-Star break will scatter the team even further: Pete Crow-Armstrong is the only All-Star representative. and everyone else will head their separate ways for a chance to recover and breathe.
It sounds like the season is reaching a midpoint, but the calendar doesn’t quite match that feeling. The Cubs have already played 90 games. a number that will rise to 96 by Sunday. assuming there are no rainouts. fogouts. blackouts. or any other disaster that could interrupt the schedule. From there, there will only be 66 games left. And the Aug. 3 trading deadline is less than a month away.
What the Cubs do at that deadline could hinge on what they manage to string together over the next couple of weeks—particularly on the mound.
At the start of the weekend series with the “precocious Birds,” the Cubs’ Jed Hoyer described the season as uneven. “There’s no reason to think that’s the way the rest of the season is going to go. We could just proceed to level things out, and I hope we do. But yeah, this is a really important stretch.”.
Sunday delivered encouragement that still felt fragile. Javier Assad threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings, and Jameson Taillon made a rehab start for the Class A South Bend Cubs. Edward Cabrera also showed signs of returning to form after an encouraging side session before the game.
Manager Craig Counsell, asked whether he was feeling confident that the pitching staff had survived a major injury wave, didn’t give the kind of answer fans might want to hear. “I can’t answer that question in the affirmative.’’
That caution comes from a season where injuries have arrived on a cycle of their own. When one pitcher returns, another seems to land on the injury list. Hoyer’s approach has been built around “small moves. ” including taking a flier on David Peterson—a lefty who was an All-Star with the Mets last year but has been knocked around this season—and bringing back former Cub Drew Pomeranz. adding to a revolving door of relievers.
Will bigger moves come later? Hoyer said the market hasn’t formed yet, but pitching remains high on his wish list.
The rebuilding effort has also been threaded into the team’s plans. Scouting director Dan Kantrovitz. previewing this Saturday’s amateur draft. said the Cubs are emphasizing finding the next generation of quality arms. That’s forward-looking, though, and it doesn’t erase the immediate need to stabilize what’s happening now.
Counters to the question of confidence still came through in the small particulars. Counsell said the fact that Taillon is pitching “today…is a really good sign for us.” He added that “We had Cabbie (Cabrera) have a really good day today. and it was an important day. So there’s some good signs on that front.”.
He pointed to the ways the team has tried to cover the gaps: Colin Rea, who has looked strong in his last three starts; Boyd opening the road trip Tuesday in Baltimore; Taillon and Cabrera making strides; and Assad doing his part Sunday.
Rea’s view carried a familiar balance—relief now, uncertainty later. “It seems from the sound of it. guys are going to come back either just before or just after the All-Star break. which is going to be huge. ’’ he said. “You never know how they’re going to be at first when they come back. but with their history and the success they’ve had. it’s gonna be great to have them back.’’.
He also described how the injury pileup has forced constant adjustments. “The guys who have been carrying the load in the meantime. like Colin Rea. look at Boyd opening the road trip Tuesday in Baltimore. Taillon and Cabrera making strides. and Assad doing his part Sunday. as indications that maybe the worst is behind them.” He added. “[The injuries] have piled up on each other. but I feel like guys have kind of stepped up and filled those roles. and that’s going to help us down the road.’’.
For the Cubs. the next stretch doesn’t promise a straight line—there’s too much history of one move leading to another. and too much time still left for setbacks to return. But as they head out on the road after Sunday’s 6-3 win, the stakes are clear. In fewer than a month, the Aug. 3 trade deadline will ask whether the team is still rebuilding its rotation—or finally getting it back.
Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field MLB Jed Hoyer Craig Counsell pitching injuries All-Star break Pete Crow-Armstrong Javier Assad Jameson Taillon Edward Cabrera David Peterson Drew Pomeranz Aug. 3 trade deadline