The 2025 Chicago Cubs have already proven to be a scrappy ball club that can win games in various ways. The team had playoff expectations entering the campaign and they have fought hard against one of the toughest April schedules that they could have been handed. Before playing a single game against a divisional opponent, the Cubs will have played the Padres six times and the Dodgers on seven occasions.
One way to know if this Cubs squad is legit from the jump is how they handle the other strong teams in the National League. With the exception of a rough start to the year in Japan over a month ago against Los Angeles, they have played some of the league’s best clubs well. This includes winning sets against the Dodgers on the road, the Padres at Wrigley, and the Rangers at home as well.
Even though the Cubs haven’t made things easy on themselves, they are above .500 through 25 games this season with a 15-10 record. This current homestand alone has given fans enough reason to be out on the team while also being more optimistic than they have been over the past few seasons. Tuesday night’s series opener against the Dodgers was no exception.
Craig Counsell had a message for Chicago Cubs fans on Tuesday
The Cubs had their backs against the wall on Tuesday night after the couldn’t hold onto a 7-5 lead in the seventh inning. Once again, it was the bullpen that struggled in a game that at one point had all the momentum in favor of the Cubs. The injury to ace Justin Steele doesn’t help with the organization’s pitching depth, but the relief unit has been an issue for more than two years now.
Despite dealing with adversity against the best roster in baseball, the Cubs found a way to comeback and win the ballgame. Down to their final out in the ninth frame, Miguel Amaya tied the contest up with a solo home run to make it 10-10 before Ian Happ walked it off with a base hit in the tenth. After the game, Craig Counsell had a message for the fans when speaking to the media.
“It’s a fun team to watch play…that’s what I’d tell you,” Counsell said. “Come out to the park and watch the team play. This homestand, they’ve done some amazing things and some resilient things.”
Along with the seesaw 13-11 victory on Saturday against the Diamondbacks, this club has proven that they can overcome some tough spots by hitting their way out of things. They won’t be able to consistently post 10 or more runs every game, so the pressure is on the front office now more than ever to get the bullpen straightened out as soon as possible.
There are still holes in this Chicago Cubs roster that need to be fixed
Mar 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs third base Gage Workman (25) hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Along with the bullpen, the third base position has been a glaring hole in Chicago this season. Highly touted prospect Matt Shaw did not have much success in his first big league stint and is currently back in Iowa working out his swing at the Triple-A level. Because of this, the coaching staff has a trio of players to work into this spot.
Gage Workman, Vidal Brujan and Jon Berti are the options that the team has at the hot corner right now, and Workman struggled mightily on Tuesday night. The 27-year-old made both Chicago errors which led to multiple Dodger runs coming across in the series opener. It’s apparent that Shaw needs to be back up sooner rather than later, or the front office needs to make a trade to address the position if they want to be serious about competing in October.
Chicago Cubs set to ‘shuffle’ up roster soon: Report
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