MILWAUKEE -- The Cubs know they will have a pressure-packed two months ahead, given how the Brewers have pulled ahead in the division standings and with roster changes on the horizon.
With a 10-3 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon, the North Siders at least head into Thursday’s off-day without the pressure of a game on top of the 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline. Chicago will be on the hunt for reinforcements -- landing pitching help remains a priority -- and the players will be following along.
“I think it’s nice that we have an off-day for it,” Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. “We’ll be able to kind of just watch it unfold. I think it’s a tough day when you have a game that day to wait and wait and wait, and then right before you go out, you kind of see everything unfolding.
“I know that they’re moving and probably on the phone all day today and tomorrow. I know that they’re going to do everything they can to put the best team together for the next two months.”
The victory in the finale of the three-game set at American Family Field helped the Cubs pull to within one game of the Brewers for first place in the National League Central. Milwaukee claimed the first two games in the series to pull ahead in the race, continuing a scorching stretch that dates back to June.
In the win, the Cubs looked more like the team that has spent the majority of this season as the division leader. Lefty Shota Imanaga struck out eight and walked none over five solid frames -- two homers by William Contreras accounting for two of the three runs he allowed -- and the offense jumped on Milwaukee righty Freddy Peralta.
“We just played a very complete game today -- a lot of people did good things,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
Michael Busch got things rolling with a homer on Peralta’s first pitch of the afternoon, and the North Siders pieced together a four-run outburst in the third. That included a three-run double off the bat of rookie Moisés Ballesteros, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa before the game. Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker each doubled in the sixth to spark a three-run rally.
Happ, who was out of the starting lineup after fouling a pitch off his left shin in Tuesday night’s loss, pinch-hit in the seventh and homered in the ninth. Pete Crow-Armstrong collected two doubles, taking over the NL lead in that category with 30 on the year.
“It’s definitely nice to be able to minimize the damage a little bit,” Crow-Armstrong said of picking up a win in Milwaukee. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing them the rest of the year. It’s a good thing. When our back’s against the wall, I think we do a very good job of coming out on top.”
The task now is to find a way to make the most of the Cubs’ strong position at this juncture in the season.
At the moment, the Cubs have 63 wins, occupy the top NL Wild Card seed and are on a 94-win pace. Per Fangraphs, Chicago has a 96% probability of making the playoffs and the highest probability (49.9%) of winning the division.
Counsell was asked if the team’s play has earned a big push at the Deadline by president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to add impact pieces for the season’s home stretch.
“I think that’s Jed’s mindset, absolutely,” Counsell said. “But it takes two, you know? You’ve got to find a partner with that. This team has played well, for sure. And we’re excited about what lies ahead. No matter what lies ahead, we’re excited to get after it for the next two months.”
Wednesday marked the four-year anniversary of Hoyer reeling in Crow-Armstrong as part of the 2021 trade that sent Javier Báez to the Mets. The Cubs center fielder smirked when asked if he would be curious enough to follow the Deadline day news throughout Thursday.
“No, that’s my off-day,” Crow-Armstrong quipped. “We’ll see who’s in the clubhouse [on Friday].”
Kidding aside, Crow-Armstrong did take pride in the fact that the team has played well enough to make additions a possibility.
“We’ve put ourselves in this position to let Jed go do his work,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think the best, most confidence-building thing ever is like, you know what, man, if we don’t do a single thing, I’ve got the same confidence in this team to go play very well in the playoffs and go make a really good run.”