The Cubs are 12-9 in the month of August, including the victory in San Francisco that I got to personally witness.   It was the only game the Cubs won against the Giants on another west coast road trip that didn’t go in their favor.  They started the month losing back-to-back series to the D-Backs and Nats at Wrigley, causing much concern among the faithful.  They got some redemption against the D-Backs, taking a series from them in Arizona, but then fell flat on their faces against the lowly Reds at home, salvaging a 2-2 split.  This was the low point of August, watching the team struggle against both Division leaders and now bottom dwellers.  Somehow, the Cubs held on to first place in the surprisingly weak Central.  The Brewers, Cards, and Pirates have all been losing ground.  The Reds have played .500 ball, the Brewers have gone 11-10, the Cardinals 12-9, including an 8-game winning streak, and the Pirates a disappointing 10-12, including a walk-off home run finale in the 10th after suffering through a regulation no hitter by Rich Hill of the Dodgers.

The Cubs are now on a roll, having won their last 6 games and stand 10 games over .500 for the year.  Granted they’ve been victories against teams like the Blue Jays and Reds, but they’re 3.5 games up on the Brewers, 4.5 against the Cards, and in contention for a Wild Card.  They wrap-up against the Reds today, hopefully keeping that winning streak intact, and then travel to play the worst team in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies, and wrap up the month with the Pirates and Braves at home.  I like their chances of going into September with a 4 or 5 game lead in the Central.  There are only 38 games remaining on the schedule, 6 against the Pirates, 7 versus the Brewers, 7 with the Cards, and 4 left with the Reds.  The Braves, Mets, and Rays are their only outside-Division opponents remaining, and none of these teams are even Wild Card contenders, so the schedule does favor the Cubs.

The cautious optimism stops there!  With regard to the top teams in baseball, the Cubs have struggled.  They are 2-5 against Colorado, 2-4 against the Dodgers and even Padres, 3-4 versus the Nationals, and may have some trouble come playoff time.  The pitching has improved, but relievers have given up too many runs in clutch situations, and starters have not gone deep enough into games.  I’m glad to see that Schwarber and Heyward are becoming better hitters, and that Alex Avila has been able to step-in for the injured Willson Contreras.  Ian Happ continues to play well, and Addison Russell is about to rejoin the team for the stretch.  Things are looking up for the Cubs, at least until the Playoffs.