Cubs Seek Relief as Astros - Cubs Open at Wrigley Field
The Cubs have lost nine of their last 11 games since April 9, and that skid has pushed astros - cubs into a weekend series at Wrigley Field with both clubs short on momentum. Chicago enters second place, 1 1/2 games behind the Brewers, while Houston arrives 11 games under.500.
Craig Counsell did not dress up the state of his club before the opener. “We’re in a funk right now, and it’s up to us to change it,” he said. The Cubs were swept by three straight losses to the Brewers this week, the latest setback in a stretch where they have scored three runs or fewer in nine games.
Cubs’ bats have gone quiet
Chicago’s numbers over that span are ugly enough to explain the slide without much embellishment: a.182 batting average, 59-31 being the run margin against them, and only 20 homers compared with 7 for their opponents. Even with the power edge, the Cubs have not produced enough clean innings at the plate, and the recent production gap has left them chasing from the middle of the division race.
The last two full turns through the rotation have not offered much cover. Shota Imanaga is the only Cubs starter with an outing longer than five innings in that stretch, first throwing seven innings and allowing two runs in a 4-1 loss to the Braves, then lasting 4 1/3 innings while giving up eight runs in Monday night’s 9-3 loss to the Brewers.
Astros bring their own slump
Houston is carrying the same sort of drag into the series. The Astros are 4-8 since April 9, batting.186 and averaging 1.9 runs a game while being outscored 52-23. They are fourth in the AL West, and the roster stress is showing in the rotation.
The Astros are missing Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier with shoulder strains, and they placed Lance McCullers on the injured list with shoulder inflammation this week. That leaves Spencer Arrighetti, their best pitcher this season, in a more central role after a year in which he was the team’s rookie of the year in 2024 and also missed five months last season with a fractured thumb after being hit by a batted ball in batting practice.
Wrigley wind and rotation choices
Wrigley Field will add another variable, with wind blowing in for all three games according to Wrigley Winds. Jameson Taillon is scheduled to face the Astros on Friday, Colin Rea is set for Saturday, and the Cubs may give Imanaga a sixth day of rest if Edward Cabrera can make his next start after leaving Wednesday night’s game after one pitch in the fourth inning because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.
That decision matters for the rest of the series because Ben Brown could pitch Sunday on regular rest if the rotation is adjusted. For Chicago, the immediate task is simpler: stop the slide and keep from falling farther behind Milwaukee after losing first place earlier this month. For Houston, the issue is the same in a different race, with the lineup and rotation both trying to climb out of the same slump at the same time.
