Cubs News: Why the team will win 40 games this season

Just before the season kicked off, fans could not believe the Chicago Cubs capable of winning 40 games this short season. Winning changes everything, doesn’t it?

Last month during one of my Coffee Talk sessions, I discussed the possibility of the Chicago Cubs winning 40 games in a 60-game span, which hadn’t happened since 2016 when the team won 42 games. On social media, even die-hard Cubs fans didn’t think the task was possible. Now, a month into the season, the Cubs are on fire, and the chance to win 40 of 60 games seems much more realistic; here’s why:

The Cubs have turned it on offensively this season, hitting 22 home runs as a team, a .244 BA and a .343 OBP.  No longer are we relying on first baseman Anthony Rizzo or shortstop Javier Baez to bring home the bacon, now players from all parts of the lineup are stepping up and getting on base.  Now let’s add to the mix that our new players like second baseman Jason Kipnis are putting up great numbers and also getting on base, and there you have a recipe for success.

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Now I’m not saying there isn’t room for improvement, because in recent contests they have been stranding men on base. There’s some good news and bad news there. The bad news is the loss of potential scoring, of course, but the good news is there is a lot of possible scoring getting on base early in the season. As they get even tighter as a team this season, Cubs manager, David Ross will look to capitalize on those opportunities.

In the recent contest versus the Cleveland Indians, the team did go after those opportunities.  Players swung at pitches out of the zone to produce at least a sacrifice opportunity to bring in runs and it worked.  If you’re going to do the hard work, which is getting the bases loaded, then you’d better take advantage somehow – to bring in the runs.

Another reason they have a great chance of getting 40 is the schedule. So far, they have lost a game to the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and the Royals. They will play the Brewers and the Reds a total of ten games each and will not play the Royals again this season. Keep in mind; they have not played the St. Louis Cardinals yet either and are slated to meet the Cards ten times this season as well.

Right now, they are 13-3 with 21 more home games to play. The Cubs tend to perform better at Wrigley Field, and if they won 19 of those games – they would put them at 33 wins. That’s just seven games away from winning 40.

The Cubs have 23 away games left to play, including the postponed games at the Cards. Now things get much more interesting if you don’t believe the Cubs can dominate at home; there are still some 23 road chances to get close to 40.

While it won’t be easy, they have an opportunity, because of their hot start and offensive production, to bring home a 40-win season; and fans can’t wait to see it.