The Cubs Potentially Missing The Postseason: A Familiar Tale

After a red-hot August, the Chicago Cubs looked poised to take over the NL Central. They ended the month winning an important series against the Brewers and took over the division-deciding tiebreaker. However, in September, the Cubs have been playing their worst baseball of the season at the most critical time of the year. They’ve since fallen way out of the division race and could miss the playoffs and could miss the postseason completely. Given how badly they’ve played this month, I believe the Cubs might miss the postseason.

A History Of Blowing It When It Matters

If this looks familiar to Cubs fans, well it does! In their history, the North Siders have blown many games at crucial times in the regular and postseasons. In recent years, this occurred in 2001, 2004, and 2018. The 2018 collapse was particularly painful as they lost the division in game 163 at Wrigley Field against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs were then relegated to a wild card spot where they would lose to the Colorado Rockies.

A Red-Hot August

After deciding to be a buyer at the trade deadline, the team seemed to be clicking at the right time. The Cubs were a scorching 18-9 in August and their offense was putting up over five runs per game. They even opened the month of August by scoring 20 and 16 runs against the Cincinnati Reds. This was the first time in franchise history that the Cubs put up that many runs in back-to-back games. This all happened despite ace Marcus Stroman being on the injured list much longer than anticipated. At one point that month, Chicago pulled within 1.5 games of the Brewers and seemingly had all the momentum to steal the division. The Cubs even won an important series against Milwaukee where they now owned the NL Central tiebreaker.

Everything Has Gone Wrong At The Most Critical Time

However, since September began, nothing has gone right for the Cubs. Key players like closer Adbert Alzolay, Michael Fulmer, Nick Madrigal, and prized trade deadline acquisition Jeimer Candelario are all on the injured list. Chicago has had a rough month so far, going 8-11. They lost two critical series to the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of a five-game losing streak. Another series loss came at the hands of the lowly Rockies. Adding to their frustrations seven of their losses in September have been by three runs or less. They’ve since fallen way out of the NL Central race and trail Milwaukee by seven games. Chicago’s best hope is to hold on to a Wild Card spot.

The Reds And Marlins Are Now Back In The Hunt

Chicago’s September slide has also allowed the Miami Marlins and their division rival Cincinnati Reds back into the postseason hunt. At one point, both Miami and Cincinnati looked to be fading out of the playoff race. While the Cubs struggled, the Marlins and Reds both continued to play well. In the Wild Card race, the Reds and Marlins are very close to taking the final postseason spot away from the Cubs. Both teams own the tiebreaker if it were to come down to them and the Cubs. On paper, the Cubs have the easiest schedule down the stretch. However, given their struggles this month and how quickly the Reds and Marlins were able to catch up to them, no opponent should be taken lightly.

Pitching Problems

The Cubs biggest problem this month has been their pitching staff. Marcus Stroman has been hurt, Justin Steele seems to be losing his magic, Kyle Hendricks has a 4.96 ERA this month, Jameson Taillon looks like a free-agent bust, and Drew Smyly continues to show he’s better suited to be a reliever. While the Cubs bullpen has had to deal with key injuries, it hasn’t been much better with them. The bullpen has been mediocre at best, they’ve put up an ERA of 3.82 along with three saves. However, Chicago’s relief corps has also blown three saves as well in the month of September.

This Is All Too Familiar

Aside from their World Series triumph in 2016, the Cubs always seem to fail when it matters most. They’ve had plenty of opportunities this season to take over the NL Central or run away with a wild card spot. However, their poor play in September has cost them not only the division but potentially the postseason altogether. This is a theme that is all too familiar for Cubs fans. As their franchise history tells it, when it matters most the team tends to become colder than the wind off Lake Michigan that sweeps through Wrigley Field.

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