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  "path": "/cubs/2026/06/14/cubs-winning-streak-giants-pete-crow-armstrong-home-run-craig-counsell-ben-brown-seiya-suzuki-injury",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-14T06:14:18.907Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>SAN FRANCISCO – Three wins in a row. Can we declare the Cubs officially “back”?</p><p>“I think if we can get past the point of people asking that, then we’re in a good spot,” manager Craig Counsell said before Saturday’s game.</p><p>Well, maybe it’s time to stop asking.</p><p>The Cubs scored their third straight win Saturday night – and won a series for the first time in 11 tries – a meager streak, sure, but something this bunch hasn’t experienced in more than a month. You have to go back to the close of their second 10-game win streak on May 8 for the team’s last tic-tac-toe.</p><p>Who knows if the Cubs are finally out of the woods, if an 8-22 stretch that dropped them from first place to .500 is completely in the rearview mirror?</p><p>But the last three days have looked more like it for a team with championship-level aspirations.</p><p>“This is kind of what we expected,” starting pitcher Ben Brown said after Saturday’s game. “This is what we’ve experienced a ton this year, and it’s just awesome putting some good games together.</p><p>“It’s fun to be a Cub right now. It’s always fun to be a Cub.”</p><p>The latest effort, a 6-1 takedown of the Giants, featured three more home runs as the bats have come to life on the back half of this trip out West. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong set the tone with a homer on the game’s first pitch – he finished a triple shy of the cycle – and left fielder Ian Happ and infielder Pedro Ramirez joined in on the fun with homers in the fifth inning.</p><p>Those fireworks were part of an 11-hit night for the Cubs, who scored in less powerful ways, too, with first baseman Michael Busch – who <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/06/13/michael-busch-splash-home-run-mccovey-cove-giants-javier-assad-craig-counsell-back-to-back-wins\" >splashed down with a waterlogged home run</a> a night earlier – scoring on an officially ruled steal of home (some wonky Giants defense was to thank) and drawing a bases-loaded walk.</p><p>The Cubs drew four walks on the evening and raved postgame about lengthy at-bats that jacked up their opponents’ pitch counts, signs of a successful approach. Indeed, opposing starter Trevor McDonald threw 92 pitches and didn’t make it out of the fourth inning.</p><p>This is the kind of thing they envisioned their offense doing.</p><p>“The last few days have been really good, overall,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Whenever you get everybody up five times [in a game], something’s going right, whatever that is. … Maybe when we haven’t been executing with guys on base lately, it’s nice seeing the ball fly out of the yard, for sure.”</p><p>“It was a good offensive night,” Counsell said. “We’ve had some struggles, but tonight is a night, when you grind out at-bats, you see the effect of it.”</p><p>Brown didn’t have the type of dominant outing that’s become commonplace in his breakout season, but despite significant traffic on the bases, he only allowed a run in his five innings, keeping his 1.74 ERA right where it was when he started the night.</p><p>What did look typically excellent was the Cubs’ defense, which <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2026/06/13/cubs-michael-busch-defense-first-base-nico-hoerner-gold-glove-craig-counsell\" >has continued to be baseball’s best</a>, even as the bats and arms have struggled during the last month. Busch made a great snag on a line drive at first base, and right fielder Seiya Suzuki threw a runner out at second and made a terrific sliding catch before leaving with right knee discomfort.</p><p>It was the Cubs’ third all-around performance in as many days, making you really wonder if they’ve escaped the grip of the last few weeks, when nothing seemed to go right.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, they’ll remain cautious on making such declarations – as they should: A couple walk-off wins on the last home stand proved mirages, despite their cathartic feeling.</p><p>Maybe what the Cubs needed wasn’t emotional, drama-packed victories but solid, boring ones.</p><p>Either way, a team trying to claw its way back to the top of the division will take it.</p>",
  "title": "Cubs – winners of three straight – will be ‘back’ when we stop asking if Cubs are ‘back,’ says Craig Counsell",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-14T06:14:18.907Z"
}