The Cubs were swept by the Brewers at Wrigley Field, losing first place in the NL Central and struggling across hitting, pitching, and fielding. They take an off day before a weekend series against the Astros. Houston has missed the playoffs in 2025 for the first time since 2014 and is 11 games under .500 in 2026. Offensively, Houston is productive with a .726 team OPS, led by Yordan Álvarez’s 15 home runs and 1.017 OPS and Christian Walker’s 11 homers. Pitching has been disastrous, with a 5.34 team ERA and a bullpen ERA of 5.72, though Spencer Arrighetti has a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings. The Cubs aim to rebound offensively against Houston’s weak pitching.
"The Cubs (29-21) were steamrolled by the rival Brewers at Wrigley Field in a three-game sweep that knocked them out of first place in the NL Central. Chicago seemingly could not do anything right in the series, having issues with hitting, pitching, and fielding. They got an off day on Thursday to try and regroup before beginning a weekend set with the Astros starting Friday."
"Offensively, they have been pretty decent this year with a .726 team OPS, which is 10th best in baseball. A huge part of that is slugging DH Yordan Álvarez, who is off to a massive start with 15 home runs and a 1.017 OPS. First baseman Christian Walker has been productive as well with 11 dingers."
"Houston's pitching has been a complete disaster in 2026, with a 5.34 team ERA that is the worst in baseball. The bright spot in the rotation has been Spencer Arrighetti, who has a 1.50 ERA in 36 innings. The bullpen is an absolute tire fire and has lost them numerous games with a 5.72 ERA."
"The Cubs need to get back on track after this recent rough patch before their snowball of futility gets too far down the mountain to stop. This is a good chance for the bats to heat up against a lousy Astros pitching staff. It would definitely make the Wrigley faithful feel better to see some runs on the board."
Read at Cubsinsider
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