{"id":722560,"date":"2026-06-10T19:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T19:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/722560\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T19:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T19:03:15","slug":"the-rundown-cubs-dismal-play-continues-in-colorado-nl-honors-pca-white-sox-rookie-hits-debut-walk-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/722560\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rundown: Cubs’ Dismal Play Continues in Colorado, NL Honors PCA, White Sox Rookie Hits Debut Walk-Off –"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set and I think I need a Learjet.\u201d \u2013 Money <\/a>by Pink Floyd<\/p>\n

I spent the last two days testing for and renewing my financial regulatory licenses, and after all that I\u2019m actually happy to be back to writing about baseball. I\u2019m just not very happy to be writing about the Cubs, so this section will be awfully short and even more caustic. The tests did not provide any insight into why Chicago\u2019s players consistently play beneath their pay grades.<\/p>\n

The Cubs are 14-33 (.298) if you take away their two 10-game winning streaks. That pace represents 48 wins over a 162-game season. That\u2019s historically substandard, and bests the 1962 and 1966 teams, Chicago\u2019s worst in the history of the franchise. The \u201962 Cubs won 59 games and were managed to last place by P.K. Wrigley\u2019s college of coaches, which included El Tappe<\/a>, Lou Klein<\/a>, and Charlie Metro<\/a> as its managerial stewards. Leo Durocher<\/a> took over the \u201966 Cubs and led them to a second 59-win season.
\nChicago\u2019s North Side Baseballers haven\u2019t won a series since sweeping the Reds May 4-7. There\u2019s a Star Wars revenge joke in there somewhere, but I don\u2019t have the energy.
\nThe Cubs have lost 11.5 games in the standings over their last 30 games. That seems almost impossible, but here we are.
\nThey have been outscored 148-91 since their second 10-game winning streak ended on May 8.
\nChicago has lost 21 of its last 28 games, an absurd 75% loss rate.
\nAlex Bregman<\/a> entered play last night hitting .208\/.297\/.238 with runners on base. He\u2019s hitting .173\/.250\/.187 with runners in scoring position. His line drops to .100\/.206\/.133 with two outs and runners in scoring position, and there\u2019s nothing to indicate a turnaround is likely anytime soon.
\nBregman is merely the poster boy for a similarly putrid lineup. The Cubs have left the bases loaded without scoring 24 times this year. No other team has done that more than 14 times.<\/p>\n

Despite all of that, the Cubs sit just half a game out of the National League\u2019s final Wild Card spot, though they\u2019d have to leapfrog five other clubs. Losing 7-3 to the Rockies <\/a>after giving away sets to the Giants and A\u2019s hardly inspires confidence. They\u2019re nine games ahead of Colorado for the worst record in the league, a mark that feels a lot more likely based on the prior month of spectacularly inept baseball<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cubs News & Notes<\/p>\n

Ball Four<\/p>\n

O Death, where is thy sting?<\/p>\n

The White Sox are starting to have the season I thought the Cubs were gonna have.<\/p>\n

Happy for them, devastating for us. Everything sucks right now. <\/p>\n

Zero fun sir. #Cubs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4UCIQNL6aO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 OBVIOUS SHIRTS\u00ae (@obvious_shirts) June 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Central Intelligence<\/p>\n

How About That!<\/p>\n

White Sox rookie Braden Montgomery<\/a> earned his first hit, his first RBI, his first home run, and his first walk-off <\/a>all in his MLB debut.<\/p>\n

Montgomery fits the classic right field profile<\/a>, a position where the ChiSox have been lacking production all season.<\/p>\n

The A\u2019s played the Brewers in their first game in Las Vegas<\/a> on Monday night and lost 15-14, with the two teams combining for 11 home runs. William Contreras<\/a> blasted a big fly that may still be airborne. The stadium sits at an elevation of over 3,000 feet, which obviously helps the ball carry.<\/p>\n

Add John Smoltz<\/a> to the list of analysts who believe a work stoppage could be the death of the game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tarik Skubal<\/a> will pitch for the Tigers this weekend, which is something of a miracle, considering he has missed just five weeks and had surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Skubal is the first pitcher to have the surgery using a brand new NanoNeedle <\/a>($) technology. The smaller instrument means a smaller incision, which leads to more precise dissection and less tissue disruption. That, in turn, leads to a faster recovery time.<\/p>\n

Freddie Freeman<\/a> collected career hit number 2,500 <\/a>on Tuesday night in the Dodgers\u2019 12-2 win over the Pirates. He leads all active ballplayers.<\/p>\n

Three from the Bill Chuck Files<\/p>\n

Mason Miller<\/a> leads all pitchers with 10 innings of at least three strikeouts. Miller also has one four-strikeout inning this season. Skenes and Jacob Misiorowski<\/a> are next with nine.
\nThe Cubs entered play last night having scored just 19 runs in June. The Brewers were 57 runs better than Chicago in the same number of games.
\nThe three hitters who have left the most men on base this season all play for Chicago teams: Bregman, Colson Montgomery<\/a> of the White Sox, and Ian Happ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Apropos of Nothing<\/p>\n

Call me crazy, but I believe Craig Counsell<\/a> will be fired if the Cubs don\u2019t turn things around before returning home next week. He doesn\u2019t deserve the blame, but the team seems devoid of its baseball pulse, and the skipper\u2019s pressers<\/a> lack urgency. Some of you will say Tom Ricketts will not eat Counsell\u2019s contract, and that\u2019s a point to consider.<\/p>\n

You may also want to consider that a sold-out Wrigley Field generates $3.25 million or more in revenues per game. Playing .250 baseball for extended periods of time with dwindling attendance is worse for Ricketts, financially speaking. Counsell makes $8 million per year. The math isn\u2019t hard, and the decision shouldn\u2019t be either if the Cubs continue to play gutter-level baseball.<\/p>\n

Extra Innings<\/p>\n

Michael Busch<\/a> has 17 hits with four home runs in 38 career at-bats against the Rockies.<\/p>\n

solo shot launched by busch. pic.twitter.com\/wW3NGuYB0t<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

They Said It<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an accountable group. They understand what their job is. They know what we haven\u2019t been doing. We can talk about it a lot, but we also understand that we\u2019ve got to go play, play the game. and play it well. That\u2019s, ultimately, how you change the story. That\u2019s the only way to change the story.\u201d \u2013 Counsell<\/p>\n

Wednesday Walk-Up Song<\/p>\n

Clueless is as clueless does.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t