Chicago Cubs: Cubs need to start winning against top-tier teams

As reigning World Series champions, the Chicago Cubs cannot continue playing poorly against the league’s best teams. Period.

Listen, we’ve already beaten you to death about how the Chicago Cubs haven’t been playing to their potential. Key players are slumping, the starting pitching has taken a nosedive and Joe Maddon has lost trust in several bullpen arms.

Although fans are certainly talking about the team’s shortcomings, one often goes overlooked. The Cubs’ record against the upper-echelon teams in the league. Simply put, if the Cubs can’t beat the best teams in the league, there’s no chance they can repeat.

After the weekend, Chicago sits 4-11 against the Red Sox, Yankees, Rockies and Dodgers. That .267 winning percentage simply won’t cut it.

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Part of what makes a good team a good team is how well they play against other good teams. So far, the Cubs have averaged a shade over three runs a game against those teams. When you compare that number to the over five-and-a-half runs they’re scoring against every other team, it’s tough to swallow.

Of course playing against better teams means you’re not blowing everybody out, but that bad of a record is worrisome, especially when you’re supposed to be on equal footing.

A record around .500 – hell, even a few games under – would be fine considering those team’s hot starts but only four wins in 15 games is unacceptable. In fact, it’s, downright embarrassing.

Chicago isn’t going to play the Reds every week. It’s imperative that the team start playing better against the top teams if they want to build up a record and gain any sort of lead in the NL Central standings. One promising note is, despite their rough start to the season, the club is right there near the top of the division.

Next: Cubs fans back in panic mode after weekend sweep

We’re a little under one-third of the way done with the season and the struggles have been plentiful. One thing that cannot continue is poor play against good teams, or they can kiss their World Series dreams goodbye.