The Cubs know this is only a good start and that they ‘need better'

New York Times

28-04-2025

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs are off to their best start since, uh, last season, which ended with the big-market club 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers and outside the playoffs. That context illustrates the sense of urgency shown by Chicago's front office and field staff, as well as the dwindling patience with certain players. The lesson is to always keep pushing.
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'We had a good April last year, too,' Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. 'And then we erased that really quickly.'
So far, the Cubs have aced the test that — at least on paper — represented the hardest month on any club's schedule this season. Even with the degree of difficulty and Sunday night's 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in 10 innings at Wrigley Field, the Cubs are 17-12 at this juncture.
If that record sounds familiar, the Cubs were 17-11 after last year's April 28 appearance on 'Sunday Night Baseball,' only to go 21-34 in May and June, dropping into last place in the National League Central and falling nine games under .500 before the Fourth of July. The Cubs took hope off the table, forcing the organization to operate as a seller and a buyer at the trade deadline. A strong second half still left the club with the same 83-79 record that got manager David Ross fired in 2023.
In Craig Counsell's Year 2 on the North Side, the manager's subtle influences can be seen in how the Cubs approached their season-opening trip to Japan as a team-bonding opportunity and returned home to implement a more adaptable offense for the unpredictable conditions within the Friendly Confines. Led by superstar Kyle Tucker, the lineup features power, speed and athleticism, a combination that has allowed the Cubs to win close games in frigid weather, beat good pitchers and blow teams out of Wrigley Field.
''Embrace challenges' is something that Couns has always emphasized for us,' Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. 'The mindset from this group has been much more on the side of, 'This is really sick to get to play in front of all these people and against some of the best players in the world.' It's a hard April, but it doesn't mean that it's going to go good or bad. Same goes for parts of the year that are quote-unquote 'easy.' It's not that simple.'
we could watch this all day. pic.twitter.com/DzWeGG7RcT
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 28, 2025
The Cubs already completed their season series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. They faced Yoshinobu Yamamoto (twice), Roki Sasaki (twice), Tyler Glasnow, Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta (twice), Zac Gallen (twice), Merrill Kelly (twice), Corbin Burnes, Luis Severino, Nathan Eovaldi and Jesús Luzardo. They played in front of sellout crowds at the Tokyo Dome, Dodger Stadium and Petco Park. Wrigley Field is rocking again with Weird and Wild instant classics.
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'The fact that we came out of the gate hot and played really good teams really well is great,' Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon said Sunday night after matching Phillies starter Aaron Nola with seven innings of one-run ball. 'I also think we probably have a bit of a target on our back. We're the Chicago Cubs, and teams like it when we come to town. They want to beat us. There's no time to step off the gas.'
Counsell's expectations can be heard loud and clear in the Wrigley Field interview room, where last September he stated the obvious and called out the entire organization when he flatly said, 'We should be trying to build 90-win teams here.'
To reach that level, Hoyer's front office will continue to scour the market for reinforcements and upgrades. Counsell gave another blunt assessment after watching young starter Ben Brown unravel in Saturday's 10-4 loss to the Phillies: 'We need better, frankly.'
For now at least, nine comeback victories have covered up some of these lingering issues. All-Star pitcher Justin Steele is recovering from season-ending surgery on his left elbow. Javier Assad, another projected member of the Opening Day rotation, recently reaggravated his oblique injury, meaning he will essentially have to do another spring training whenever he's cleared to ramp up again.
The bullpen has a 4.99 ERA, but the Cubs see a path where that group becomes more efficient and effective. Ryan Pressly, the 36-year-old closer who had his knee drained last week, pitched a scoreless ninth inning Sunday to keep it a 1-1 game before Julian Merryweather took the loss in the 10th.
Third base remains a revolving-door system. Matt Shaw, the organization's top prospect, got 68 plate appearances before he was demoted to Triple-A Iowa. Gage Workman, the Rule 5 project who made the Opening Day roster, was designated for assignment last week and was traded to the Chicago White Sox. Vidal Bruján allowed the Phillies to score an extra run in Sunday's 10th inning when he played back on Trea Turner's two-out chopper to third base. Given Turner's speed and the game situation, Counsell said, 'You got to go get that ball.'
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When things go wrong and a team banks wins, it's a sign of resiliency and resourcefulness. After Monday's day off, the Cubs will begin a six-game trip to Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. In May alone, the Cubs will face the White Sox, Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies a total of 12 times. Only one more West Coast trip remains on their schedule, and that won't happen until the end of August. In any event, it's going to be an entertaining summer in Wrigleyville.
'We have a ways to go,' Hoyer said. 'All that really matters is how we're playing. Yes, playing the Dodgers, Arizona, San Diego — those are hard places to play, hard teams to beat. But I feel like the way Major League Baseball is now, it's just a lot flatter than it used to be. On any given night, if you're not playing well, you can lose and fall into losing streaks. The idea that we can exhale after this is wrong.'
(Photo of Dansby Swanson: Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)