The 0-6 Homestand That Proves the Cubs Are Already in Deep Trouble

Alright, fam, you catching what's going down with the Cubs right now? Because it's wild. This team, which had *two* ten-game winning streaks earlier this season, just hit rock bottom with an absolutely brutal 0-6 homestand. Yeah, you read that right: six straight losses at home. They're spiraling hard, losing eight straight total, and now they're kicking off a seven-game road trip in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. This isn't just a slump, it's a full-blown crisis in Chicago.

Where Did the Offense Go?

You gotta ask, what in the world happened to their bats? In Sunday's 8-5 loss to Houston, they got a couple of glimmers with rookie Pedro Ramirez's RBI double and Michael Busch's two-run homer. But don't let that fool you. They only managed seven runs over their *previous five games*! And talk about bad luck, or just plain bad hitting: key guy Ian Happ has been in a serious slump, going 1-for-24 and sitting out the last two games. Yikes. Third baseman Alex Bregman didn't pull any punches either, saying, "We're just not playing good baseball. The last seven or eight games... I don't know how long it's been, but we're not playing good baseball in all phases. We need to get better and we need to prepare and execute better." Hard to argue with that.

Pitching Staff Taking Hits

But it's not just the hitting, right? Their pitching has been getting absolutely shelled. On Sunday, Shota Imanaga got lit up for seven runs in just six innings. And to make matters worse, they just put Edward Cabrera on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger. Yikes, again. They had to call up lefty Jordan Wicks from Triple-A Iowa just to fill the spot. So now, right-hander Ben Brown, who just came out of the bullpen, is trying to nail down a rotation spot himself, making his fourth straight start Monday against the Pirates. He's got a 1-2 record with a 2.09 ERA, and he's 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA against Pittsburgh in relief, including two scoreless innings back on April 11 when the Pirates won two of three from Chicago.

Facing the Pirates' Mlodzinski and a Looming Change

Across the diamond, the Pirates are sending right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski to the mound. He's sitting at 4-3 with a 3.96 ERA, and he's been pretty solid against the Cubs, holding them scoreless over 5 1/3 innings on April 10 in a 2-0 win. Mlodzinski is 0-0 with a 1.40 ERA in 10 career appearances against Chicago, too. The Pirates themselves are trying to string together wins after losing two of three in Toronto, though they did salvage Sunday with a 4-1 win. Apparently, Pirates GM Ben Cherington is talking about potentially having seven starters on the roster if Jared Jones comes back from elbow surgery, which could mean Mlodzinski might slide back into long relief. For now, though, he's in the rotation, having tossed five scoreless innings against St. Louis recently. So, for Chicago, this series isn't just another game. They're trying to avoid their first nine-game skid since July 2022. They need to find a way to flip the script, pronto, or this season, which started with so much promise, could turn into a total mess before we even hit June. Gotta see if they can execute Bregman's call to action. Get it done, or get left behind!

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