And Nico Hoerner did another \u201cNico thing,\u201d winding up on second when the Rangers middle infielders collided on a grounder up the middle and failed to notice he hadn\u2019t stopped running.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t try to understand it. Just let the wave wash over you and enjoy.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s crazy to think this was the first Cubs team since 1935 with a pair of 10-game winning streaks, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cNot necessarily,\u201d said Seiya Suzuki, whose two-run home run in the fourth inning sparked the offense early. \u201cWe\u2019re just playing our brand of baseball and just weighting the wins. Hopefully we just keep stacking them up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs are celebrating their 150th birthday this season, and according to MLB stats czar Sarah Langs, they\u2019ve had six other seasons with multiple 10-plus-game winning streaks: 1880, 1885, 1886, 1906, 1901 and, as mentioned, 1935. In 1906, they had four double-digit winning streaks in a 116-win season but wound up losing to the White Sox team known as the \u201cHitless Wonders\u201d in the only all-Chicago World Series.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously incredible,\u201d Hoerner said of the streak. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy. Baseball is a game full of a ridiculous amount of stats and things to look up. Any time you have to go that far back, it\u2019s obviously a good sign, especially on a positive like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust going to keep it rolling.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-Z-CUBS-TEX_425b3b.jpg\")
Cubs fans hold banners following the team’s 7-1 win over the Rangers on Friday, May 8, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (Julio Cortez\/AP)<\/p>\n
The Cubs already were the first major-league team with multiple nine-plus-game winning streaks since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, who were on their way to their first World Series title.<\/p>\n
Oh, and there are still three more weeks in May.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives you goosebumps,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIt\u2019s special to be part of. It\u2019s special to witness, special to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs have won 20 of their last 23 games, improving to an MLB-best 27-12.<\/p>\n
They led 4-1 in the seventh Friday when Hoerner led off with a grounder that shortstop Corey Seager botched while running into Justin Foscue, who was charged with the error. The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.<\/p>\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-Z-CUBS-TEX_924cbe.jpg\")
Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, center, reacts after reaching second base on an error by Rangers second baseman Justin Foscue, left, during the seventh inning Friday, May 8, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (Julio Cortez\/AP)<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Nico,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cIf there is a play maybe that they show about Nico\u2019s career, they should show that play, because that\u2019s just who he is. That was a great play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hoerner said it was mostly a matter of instinct and something the Cubs are always looking to do at any moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was not really any thinking or communication on things like that (while) baserunning,\u201d he said. \u201cAlways looking to take extra bases and capitalize on opportunities. Our team plays the game pretty hard and always looks for extra bases. \u2026 There are always opportunities to seize.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CTC-Z-CUBS-TEX.jpg\")
Cubs right-hander Ben Brown, making his first start of the season, delivers against the Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on May 8, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. Brown didn’t allow a hit in four scoreless innings in the Cubs’ 7-1 win, their 10th straight. (Ron Jenkins\/Getty)<\/p>\n
Seizing the opportunity has been a recurring theme of this year\u2019s Cubs. The pitching staff has been folded, spindled and mutilated but keeps on trucking. Brown started Friday on a bullpen day, knowing he wouldn\u2019t last long but treasuring the opportunity.<\/p>\n
Brown said he was able to go out and \u201cplay free\u201d and with \u201cnothing to lose.\u201d He lowered his ERA to 1.82 with his first scoreless start since a six-inning stint on May 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. His value as a late-inning leverage guy had to be sacrificed due to the Cubs\u2019 need for a starter after Boyd underwent left meniscus surgery that will sideline him for about six weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe couldn\u2019t have asked for anything more,\u201d Counsell said of Brown.<\/p>\n
Counsell wouldn\u2019t guarantee Brown a start in Atlanta next week but said he\u2019d \u201cbe involved in it somehow.\u201d Hard to believe he wouldn\u2019t give him another shot.<\/p>\n
Last year the Cubs went into September without losing more than three straight games until a five-game skid from Sept. 19-24. This year they won 10 straight, suffered a three-game losing streak on April 25-27 in Los Angeles and San Diego and now have whipped off 10 straight wins again.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, I think this is a group that\u2019s collectively playing at a high level,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cFrom a position-player standpoint I think we\u2019re very well-rounded, and that leads to consistency. It doesn\u2019t lead to winning streaks, but it leads to (the fact) you don\u2019t go in long ruts because we have the ability to beat you in a number of different ways offensively, so it\u2019s not just the home run, it\u2019s not just the speed or something like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019ve pitched well. If you go back to the starters, we\u2019re not well everywhere pitching, but the starters getting us outs at the start of the game has been a really big part of this thing. All the bullpen chaos and the name-switching and injuries and only one off day really in this whole stretch \u2026 the starters getting deep into games is what really sets that up to be possible to happen, in my eyes. And the defense helps the starters so much in that regard too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs on Friday activated Ethan Roberts, who suffered a freak injury to his right middle finger while working out in mid-April, and sent Gavin Hollowell down to Triple-A Iowa. Roberts pitched a scoreless ninth.<\/p>\n
Lefty Caleb Thielbar threw a bullpen Friday and is closer to returning from his left hamstring strain, though he\u2019ll probably go on a minor-league rehab stint in a week. Hunter Harvey had a setback while rehabbing a right triceps injury and will be shut down for another month.<\/p>\n
The bullpen chaos has only added to the wild ride, with many different players playing a role.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople stepping up in roles they maybe weren\u2019t expected to,\u201d Hoerner said, adding, \u201cyou\u2019d think there would be two or three stars\u201d carrying the group in two streaks like this.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to have a group that has star talent,\u201d he said. \u201cBut every part of the roster has been huge for us in big moments in parts of these streaks. And that\u2019s what it takes for a whole season and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 It was an ordinary day in an extraordinary run for the Chicago Cubs. Another 10-game…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":694288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2393],"tags":[5,734,24,576,4,33,35,149,105,1567,69,3240],"class_list":["post-694287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas-rangers","tag-baseball","tag-ben-brown","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-mlb","tag-nico-hoerner","tag-pete-crow-armstrong","tag-rangers","tag-seiya-suzuki","tag-texas","tag-texas-rangers","tag-texasrangers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116544064687998011","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=694287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/694288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=694287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=694287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=694287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}