The Chicago Cubs finally stopped the bleeding Wednesday night, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-4 to end a 10-game losing streak. It was the kind of win that felt overdue by more than a week and, for one night, gave Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs something they had not had since May 15: a victory.
That is why readers are looking at the Cubs standings now. A club that once held a 3 1/2-game lead in the division is suddenly staring at a 4 1/2-game deficit, all after a stretch that turned into one of the bleakest runs of the season. From May 9 to May 26, Chicago went 2-14, scored only 40 runs and hit just.180/.280/.272 while striking out 145 times in 518 at-bats. During the losing streak itself, the numbers were even harsher: the Cubs scored 26 runs, hit.124 with runners in scoring position and managed only 15 hits in 121 at-bats with men aboard, with one sacrifice fly to show for it.
Crow-Armstrong was part of the lineup that ended the skid, and his team needed more than one good night to make that happen. The Cubs had gone nearly two weeks with the worst offense in baseball, a stretch that made every missed opportunity feel heavier and every inning look more urgent than the last. The hitting slump was supposed to be the club’s safety net while the pitching staff dealt with injuries, but instead it became the reason the season’s tone changed so quickly.
That slide did not come in a vacuum. Milwaukee swept the Cubs at Wrigley Field during the skid, pushing Chicago from control of the division into chase mode. The win in Pittsburgh does not erase that damage, and the Cubs are still 30-26 after the streak ended. They still have to prove one night was a break from the trend rather than a pause inside it.
Chicago plays one more game in Pittsburgh on Thursday before heading to St. Louis for a weekend series against the Cardinals, and that trip may tell more about the Cubs standings than Wednesday’s score ever could. If the offense can carry even a little of this into the next series, the loss of ground can still be repaired. If not, the gap they opened during those 10 losses will keep defining the season.
