Red-hot Cubs surge early, but big questions still loom over October hopes: Telander

Why the month of May will be pivotal for the Cubs | 1-on-1 with Alex Bregman

Tina Nguyen goes 1-on-1 with Cubs 3rd baseman Alex Bregman. The Northsiders are red-hot, winning 15 of their last 18 games and Bregman talks about the pivotal next stretch against divisional opponents in May. Plus, how much as Bregman enjoyed playing for his favorite childhood team and in front of the Wrigley faithful?

CHICAGO - The Chicago Cubs are hot, and who isn’t happy about that?

Even White Sox fans should be moderately engaged, since the Cubs-Sox series starts this Friday at Wrigley Field, and, as we all know, the Sox always need a little help to draw fans.

The Cubs? They draw fans no matter their record. But how about being 20-5 since April 14 and in first place in the NL Central by 3.5 games?

Cubs’ hot start fuels early-season buzz

To think we’re only a quarter of the way into the season and the Cubs already have two 10-game winning streaks is remarkable. They haven’t had two such streaks in a full season in 91 years.

Nicky Lopez #5 and Nico Hoerner #2 of the Chicago Cubs celebrate their team's walk-off win against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on May 6, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Then there’s their record at the "Friendly Confines" — currently at 15 straight wins — that keeps the fans hungering for more. Nobody at Wrigley ever gets sick of singing "Go, Cubs, Go" after a win, though the verse, "You can catch it all on WGN," now sounds about as modern as a mullet.

What’s driving the Cubs’ winning streak?

How did the team get so good? It’s not an obvious thing, but it appears to be through the slow addition of talent, the right big-shot free agent signings, the gradual impact of third-year manager Craig Counsell (whom they swiped from the Milwaukee Brewers for a record-setting, five-year $40 million), the building of a cohesive locker room, and the likelihood that some players are playing over their heads right now, and nobody can say for sure how long this will last. It might last forever! (A joke, Sox fans.)

The addition of swift center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been a great blessing. Though he hasn’t lit it up offensively this season the way he did in 2025, PCA’s defense and enthusiasm are still top of the barrel. He’s an expert at getting a jump on liners and tracking down fly balls at the wall that almost no other fielder could get. His sliding catches of screamers just off the grass are highlight reels. His celebrations after wins are snapshots of joy.

Why despite a strong start, the Cubs should still have big postseason goals Chicago Sports Tonight

FS1s Danny Parkins joined Cassie Carlson on a Monday edition of CST. Danny explains how impressive the Cubs have been with all their pitching injuries and also despite a strong start, how the Cubs should still be focused on big postseason goals. Plus, does Danny like the idea of the Bulls hiring Matt Lloyd to lead the front office?

"Chicago is the best place to do it," Crow-Armstrong said of playing the game he was born to play. "Everybody is kind and patient and understanding. It’s only been love."

Injuries test Cubs’ depth early

It’s hard not to be in love when the Cubs keep winning even as pitchers seem to go down with injuries day after day. Stars such as left-handers Justin Steele and Matthew Boyd and right-hander Cade Horton are out. But so are other starters and bullpen guys like Riley Martin, Porter Hodge, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, and Tyler Austin.

Sometimes it seems simply throwing a slider overhand will blow a guy’s arm up. But the pitching staff has all tightened up around the injuries. It’s led by lefty Shota Imanaga. He is 4-2 with a 2.28 ERA, and hoping to get back to the fantastic year he had in 2024, when he finished 15-3, with a 2.98 ERA.

Signing Dansby Swanson to a $177 million deal that runs through 2029 locked up the critical shortstop position for the Cubs. But Swanson is only hitting .201 with just 10 multi-base hits. Yet his 25 RBIs puts him on pace for 100 this season, more RBIs than he’s ever had in his 11-year career. That’s but some of the clutch stuff that is propelling the Cubs.

Sweet home Chicago! Cubs home win streak reaches 15 | Chicago Sports Tonight

Cubs are the hottest team in baseball right now, after sweeping the Reds 8-3, as they have now extended their home win streak to 15 games and 9 games overall. Hear post-game reaction from Craig Counsell and Shota Imanaga after his 10-strikeout performance today. Also, ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers joins Tina Nguyen from Wrigley Field to breakdown the Cubs sweep, gives an update on Matthew Boyd's injury, the vibes around the clubhouse and how they continue to win despite all the pitching injuries.

Oh, and don’t forget second baseman Nico Hoerner, a quiet star who some even put in the MVP equation. He has just four home runs, but has 12 doubles and 28 RBIs. And it’s his fielding, as with Crow-Armstrong and Swanson, that sets him apart. Hoerner won a Gold Glove last season, the second of his career, with more certainly to come. The dude is like a vacuum cleaner in the dirt, with great anticipation on his high leaps to snag line drives headed to the outfield.

Cubs fans waited 108 years for the 2016 World Series championship, and that seventh game nailbiter in Cleveland came down to a rain delay and extra innings, with the Cubbie Nation dreading the thought of another 108-year drought.

One thing about that finally-victorious team: Almost every player from the start of the season was there at the end. Even slugger Kyle Schwarber, who fully tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in April, then had major surgery, was back for the World Series.

Can the Cubs sustain this run into October?

Will these Cubs be as fortunate with injuries if they were to make it that far? Can they, even if healthy, dream of getting past the monstrous Los Angeles Dodgers? The upstart Tampa Bay Rays? The monolithic New York Yankees?

We got three-quarters of a season to find out.

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Want more? Read some of Rick Telander’s recent columns for Fox 32:

The Source: This article was written by Rick Telander, a contributing sports columnist for FOX Chicago.

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