Chicago Cubs: Did Sunday’s win end the “collapse”?

I think I speak for most Chicago Cubs fans when I say these last three weeks were difficult to watch. Everything that was once right was oh so wrong. So did Sunday’s win put an end to the misery?

Do you remember the conversations we were having about the Chicago Cubs after the first month of the season? It was insane. Could the win 125+ games? How staggering would there run differential be? How many times will they walk this season as a team? It was a lot of fun to discuss, but even in the midst of it, Theo Epstein knew better.

"“We want to stay as locked in as we are right now. The game is very humbling. We’re aware that time is coming when there are going to be great challenges, and we almost look forward to it. That’s when you find out what you’re made of, more so than the good stretches like the one we’re on now.” – h/t Mark Gonzalez, Chicago Tribune"

It’s as if he could see into the future..or simply knew how difficult it was to keep up the pace that the Cubs started out of the gate with. And then came the stretch of 24 games in 24 days. The final tally? 8-15 over that stretch, yet still maintain a seven-game lead. Nine games under .500 over that stretch and they lost just 3 1/2 games off their lead. So was this the end of the “collapse”?

I’ve watched fans call it a collapse, a slump or just a difficult stretch of games. If not for the Cincinnati Reds, it could have been much worse. After drawing a record number of walks, the Cubs couldn’t but a free pass. The ridiculousness of having near the entire staff in the Top 10 in ERA turned into a nightmare as even the once untouchable Jake Arrieta has fallen on hard times. Score first, give it right back. Bullpen can’t hold a bag of balls, nevermind a lead.

But they’re still in first place. And with the largest lead of anybody in baseball over the second place team. So why is everybody freaking out? Because they’re Cubs’ fans and these ARE the Cubs. June swoons, the ’69 collapse, the Bartman game. There are more reasons to believe the team will fail than it will succeed. Last years run doesn’t trump 100+ years of those terrible memories.

But I digress. The Cubs indeed just finished playing 24 straight days of baseball. Whether you believe it’s a “kids game”, or understand the work these players put in each day–how would you feel after working that many days straight? Tired? Maybe not giving 100%?

The Cubs will send seven players to San Diego for this year’s All-Star Game. Dexter Fowler isn’t going to play–and that’s the best news yet. He needs the rest because the Cubs need him back at the top. I’m undecided on how I feel about the pitchers participating. I think they could use the rest, but it could be a good avenue to work on some things for that one inning they’re likely to get. And Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo learned their lesson last year on how tiring things can be, so no home run derby for either. Good choice gentleman.

I do believe that the Cubs will come out of the gate in the second half playing better baseball than they have been. Not at the 24-6 clip like they once were, but enough to keep the Pirates and Cardinals far enough back in the rear view to watch them battle for a Wild Card.

Next: Cubs don't have to give up everything

There’s still plenty of baseball left to be played, and the Cubs are in a good position even after this dreadful three weeks. It’s time for all the armchair GM’s to settle in for the trade deadline. You know, because we need a little bit of everything, everywhere and we have all the talent to give up to get it. Count how many times you hear that in the coming weeks.