Cubs sweep the Dodgers, but it won’t change this team’s narrative

Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer and Walker Buehler? No problem. Tasked with facing the Dodgers’ three-headed monster this week, the Chicago Cubs didn’t blink – running off a three-game sweep, including taking both ends of Tuesday’s doubleheader and finishing things off with a walk-off win courtesy of Anthony Rizzo on Wednesday.

Any time you play the defending World Series champs, it’s a sort of measuring stick to see where you stand. You’d think this week’s sweep would be enough to change the narrative around this Cubs team, which has gotten off to a pretty so-so start in the early going.

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But it’s not. That story is written in stone, for a myriad of reasons.

Even after running off three straight wins over Los Angeles, Chicago sits at 15-16, three games out in the division and two out of the Wild Card race. The hard truth is this: the roster has a lot of talent. Look at what Kris Bryant is doing or even Javier Baez, who could be on pace for one of the strangest statistical seasons of all-time.

For all that talent, though, there are a lot of holes and shortcomings. And, given the front office and ownership’s approach to remedying these issues, many of which have been present for years, a sweep of the Dodgers isn’t going to change how they view this team. It’s a talented, flawed club – and the team’s highest-performing players are viewed more as trade chips to build for the future rather than pieces to a championship puzzle.

“It’s a huge confidence boost,” Matt Duffy told MLB.com after Wednesday’s win. “I think it kind of reaffirms what we believe in the clubhouse — that we’re a high-quality team, that we’re capable of doing things like we did against them.”

Cubs have too many flaws to be a serious World Series contender

Chicago welcomes the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Friendly Confines this weekend, in hopes of finally clawing its way back north of .500. My fear for this team is that it’ll continue being erratic; a hot streak followed by a cold stretch where nothing seems to go right. The pure talent – Bryant, Baez, etc. – will keep the team afloat, but its weaknesses will keep it from ever really hitting its stride and being viewed as a legitimate contender.

This week was fun. But at the end of the day, the bed is made and we’re all going to have to lie in it whether we like it or not. So cherish moments like Rizzo sprinting away from his teammates after delivering a game-winning hit because his days – and the days of several of his teammates – are very likely numbered.