For much of the first half of the MLB season, it looked as though the only way for the Cubs to be successful for the 2025 season would be to have the bats stay hot and the offense aggressive. The team was getting star turns from both Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong, and surprising production from Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki.
On the mound, Justin Steele was expected to be the ace, but he has not pitched since April because of a UCL injury. No. 3 Jameson Taillon missed all of July and half of August before returning this week, and No. 2 Shota Imanaga has struggled with injuries, too.
The team’s big trade-deadline acquisition, starter Mike Soroka, lasted all of 2.0 innings before he was injured, too. The expectation was that Soroka could provide stretch-run rotation depth.
And yet, as the Cubs have seen their fortunes fade quickly thanks in part because of the Brewers‘ surge and the collapse of the offense, the thing that is keeping them afloat is the very thing that appeared to be an injury-ravaged weakness just weeks ago: the starting rotation.
Cubs Have MLB’s Best ERA Since June 25
As Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic wrote:
Since June 25, Cubs starters have a 3.02 ERA, best in baseball. The next closest staff, the Boston Red Sox, is at 3.31. These pitchers aren’t elite at getting groundballs or strikeouts. But they limit walks and hard contact and have an entire defense that helps them limit damage.”
Indeed, the fact that the Cubs have gotten a career-best performances from longtime Tigers back-ender Matthew Boyd (12-6, 2.61 ERA) and oft-injured journeyman Colin Rea (10-5, 3.96 ERA) has been an underrated aspect of the North Siders’ run at the postseason.
As Sharma pointed out, neither is a big strikeout type, and no one in the rotation really fits that mold. The Cubs have struck out 974 batters, which ranks 26th in MLB. But they get outs and stay around the plate.
Craig Counsell: ‘We Have Been Fortunate’
It has been a blessing for manager Craig Counsell. The Cubs‘ offense, since the All-Star break, has been reduced to 3.65 runs per game and a .228 batting average.
As he explained:
“We are at a place where, health-wise and depth-wise, from a starter position or a length position, we are in a better position with having options. Look, every year, in spring training we talk about the starting-pitching puzzle and the innings puzzle that every team needs to have go right. … So, you do your best as an organization to have options and have choices there. We have had some injuries. We have had some significant injuries. Overall, we have been fortunate in how we have been able to put that puzzle together.”
“Our group has been good. But Matt Boyd has been great, over the course of the season, Matt Boyd has been great.”
Cubs Finding Surprising Strength as Offense Sputters