Cubs approaching another historic feat as skid hits eight with loss to Astros

The Cubs are streaking toward more history this season, but this time, it’s the bad kind.

After winning 10 games in a row twice in a season for the first time in franchise history since 1935, the Cubs are close to joining a select group of teams in baseball history that have won and lost 10 games in a row in the same season.

With their 8-5 loss to the Astros on Sunday, the Cubs have dropped eight in a row, falling from a season-high 15 games over .500 on May 8 to five. It’s their longest skid since a nine-game streak in July 2022. They lost 10 in a row in June that year.

With two more losses, the Cubs would become the 25th team with double-digit winning and losing streaks in a season, according to SABR. The Guardians did it last season, winning 10 straight and losing 10 straight.

The Astros could’ve been a tonic for the Cubs’ sickly offense, which scored more than three runs for the first time in a week. The Astros’ pitching staff has the worst ERA in the majors at 5.17, but the Cubs scored only seven runs in the series. Starter Peter Lambert, who rehabbed his career in Japan last season after failing with the Rockies, had one bad inning Sunday.

Manager Craig Counsell used another new lineup Sunday, adding shortstop Dansby Swanson to the bench along with left fielder Ian Happ, who also sat out Saturday. Swanson’s absence meant Pedro Ramirez, who was called up Friday, would make his major-league debut. He started at second base, with Nico Hoerner moving to short.

It was Ramirez, the club’s No. 2 prospect, who gave the offense life with his first big-league hit, a first-pitch double in the second inning that drove in the Cubs’ first run. Ramirez had debuted Saturday as a pinch hitter, admitting he was nervous playing before such a big crowd. He got over it.

“Good at-bats. That’s the big thing,” Counsell said of Ramirez, who worked a walk in his next plate appearance. “He came up in a number of big spots. The double was a big spot to get us on the board. Even the at-bat in the eighth [when he hit into a double play], he scorched the ball. Proud of Pedro; had a really nice game.”

But it’s not a good sign when an untested rookie is the one delivering in the clutch. Nico Hoerner went 1-for-5, watching his batting average drop from a season-high .342 to .255. Alex Bregman went 1-for-4 and is hitting .250. Neither has been producing commensurate with their nine-figure contracts.

The Cubs were a bit unlucky Sunday, hitting some balls hard but into outs. Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena put on a show, too, with several fine plays. In fact, according to Baseball Savant, the Cubs’ expected batting average for the game was .289 compared to the Astros’ .199. Michael Bush, batting .230, hit a two-run homer. So maybe the offense is coming around.

Still, it’s hard to put a positive spin on eight straight losses.

“Obviously, [we’re] just not playing good baseball in all phases,” Bregman said. “It comes down to execution, and we’ve been outexecuted the last eight days in a row. We’ve got to make an adjustment. It starts with me. Too many empty plate appearances. Got to be better.”

“You’ve gotta keep the faith,” Happ told the Sun-Times. “At some point, this will look like a blip. We’re going to win a lot of baseball games this year. We’re still five games above .500. It’s been quite a roller coaster to get to that. When you rattle off two 10-game win streaks, that’s part of it. There’s gonna be some tough moments.”