Chicago Cubs: Reflecting on a difficult-to-watch weekend at Wrigley

Brooms and “L” flags were seen all over Wrigley Field Sunday night as thousands of Chicago White Sox fans migrated up to the North Side to see their team sweep the lowly Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are a shell of their former selves with a Triple-A caliber roster, while the Sox are one of the best teams in the American League. In the end, the outcome of this series was not surprising at all, considering the current position of both teams. Still, for Cubs fans it was brutal to see unfold.

Many were prepared for an ugly series, praying to not be totally embarrassed. Which ended up being the case the first two games. There was a point where it looked like the Cubs could pull off a crazy win Friday after Andrew Romine, of all people, hit a game-tying three-run homer off former closer Craig Kimbrel. Even though the Cubs lost in extra innings, it felt good to be in a game that looked like it was never going to be close. Even the  4-0 loss the following day, while not pretty, was not a complete blowout and was a game throughout most of it.

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Then came Sunday’s game…where it all crumbled down. Zach Davies got tagged for five runs in the first and two more in the second. He only lasted two innings and gave up seven runs on seven hits. The game was honestly over before the Cubs could even get to bat, and the realization that they were going to be swept set in. 9-3 was the final score and the game was never close.

To add insult to injury, the one doing the most damage in Sunday’s game was former Cubs top prospect Eloy Jimenez. The centerpiece of the Jose Quintana trade back in 2017 hit two home runs and added an RBI double. There was plenty of “Thanks Cubs!” to go around. It was the final gut-punch in the series. It all felt like the mid-2000s again for Cubs fans.

Chicago Cubs: The aftermath of a sweep at the hands of the White Sox

Let’s be real, the Cubs are no longer the talk of the town when it comes to baseball. It is all White Sox, and they prepared to contend for the title this year, and well beyond. The exact opposite position the two teams were in just a few years ago. It just goes to show sports, for the most part, is cyclical, and is all fun and games until your team is on the wrong side of it.

In the end, the Cubs and Sox only compete four to six times a year and are neither in the same division or league, but during the Crosstown Series, one cannot help but feel like these games are just a tad bigger than most. The Cubs had their time and now that has shifted. Sox supporters have earned the right to celebrate and flex. When your team is good and beating the snot out of the other team in town, that is what happens.

The two teams will play each other again in a few weeks on the South Side, and the results will most likely be the same. This past weekend really put in perspective how far the Cubs have fallen and what the remainder of the year will look like, regardless of the opponent. Us fans just want reason for hope again, and that the team will not be down for long.

At this point, it’s best just to strap in and try to get through the remainder of this season as fast as possible. Things could get a bit more interesting when prospects come up possibly in September, but the team will not see much success the rest of the year.

We are in the darkest of the night, and hopefully the dawn is coming sooner than later. Let this be rock bottom and then there is nowhere to go but up.