The Cubs Were 15 Games Over .500 on May 8, And Their Entire Season Is On The Brink Right Now

Alright, Seattle, listen up, because what's happening with the Chicago Cubs right now is a masterclass in how fast things can go south in MLB. Remember when they were looking hot, tied for first place in early May, sitting pretty at the top of the National League Central for nearly three weeks? Yeah, well, erase that picture. After Wednesday night's brutal 3-2 loss to Colorado, these guys are now chilling in fourth place, rocking a stunningly average 34-34 record. They were a whopping 15 games over .500 on May 8, and now they're literally fighting to stay even. This isn't just a slump, folks, this is a full-blown crisis hitting them like a ton of bricks.

What Happened to Their Offense? Seriously.

The scoring drought in Chicago is getting harder and harder to ignore. We're talking about a team that's scored three or fewer runs in seven of their last nine games. SEVEN! That's just wild. They rolled into Denver and kept the trend alive, losing 7-3 on Tuesday night and then managing a measly five hits in Wednesday's tight loss. It's like they left their bats back at Wrigley. You can feel the tension, even from Michael Busch, who actually smacked a homer on Tuesday. He said it himself, "Everybody's a little frustrated. Everybody would like to be doing a little more for us, but at the same time, I think just trusting that putting as much pressure as we can on the other team, each and every inning, is important. But, yeah, I mean, it's been pretty frustrating." When your own guys are using "frustrating" multiple times, you know it's bad.

Thursday's Clash: Can Edward Cabrera Stop the Bleeding?

So, with the offense sputtering, it all comes down to the pitching. Colin Rea didn't exactly light it up in the series opener, but Shota Imanaga gave them a glimmer of hope on Wednesday, tossing five shutout innings. Of course, the bullpen couldn't hold it, and he walked away without a decision. Now, the weight of this Thursday afternoon finale against Colorado falls squarely on Edward Cabrera's shoulders. This will be his 12th start of the season, and get this: he's looking for his first win since April 28. APRIL 28! He's 3-3 with a 4.99 ERA overall and 1-2 with a 4.22 ERA in his four previous starts against the Rockies. He's up against Ryan Feltner, who's 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA for Colorado. Feltner's been on fire since coming off the injured list on May 30, missing five weeks with right ulnar nerve inflammation. He threw six shutout innings against the Giants in his first start back for an 8-3 win, and only gave up one run over six innings against the Brewers last Friday. He didn't get a decision in that one, but he left with a 3-1 lead. This guy is arguably the Rockies' best pitcher since his return, and he's going to be pitching to a stadium full of Cubs fans, who apparently "annually flood Coors Field." Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer even quipped that once they start winning a ton, "the blue is going to morph into purple." Ouch. The Cubs absolutely need this win to escape Denver with some shred of momentum before heading into a weekend series in San Francisco. If they can't get it done against a hot Feltner, that 34-34 record is gonna look a whole lot worse, and that early May high will feel like a distant memory.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.