3 Cubs players trending up over the last week, and one heading in the wrong direction

The month of April is drawing to a close and, by all accounts, it's gone about as well as it possibly could have for the Chicago Cubs - at least in terms of a win-loss record. The team sits in first place in the National League Central at 17-12, despite a brutal schedule that opened their season with the toughest matchups any team will face in a single month this year.

The Cubs close out the April calendar in Pittsburgh, opening a three-game slate against the Pirates at PNC Park on Tuesday night. So before we close the book on the first month of the season, let's take a look at three Cubs players whose stock is on the rise over the last seven days and one who's trending in the wrong direction.

Trending up: Porter Hodge

With Ryan Pressly battling a knee injury and missing several days as he underwent treatment, right-hander Porter Hodge slammed the door against the Dodgers last week - and made a trio of scoreless appearances in all, picking up a high-stakes save in the Los Angeles series.

He's been the team's sharpest reliever for pretty much the entire season - and if not for one appearance when he allowed six earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Diamondbacks, his overall numbers would be far more indicative of how well he's pitched this year.

Whether or not Pressly returns to ninth-inning duties will be something to keep an eye on in the upcoming road trip. You can easily make the case Hodge deserves a shot at the gig, but taking him out of his fireman role could create more headaches than it's worth for manager Craig Counsell given the lack of reliable arms in the mix right now.

Trending up: Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pete Chaos Armstrong was on full display last week at Wrigley, putting up monster numbers and performing his usual astonishing defensive acts in center field. Anyone who was calling him a subpar offensive hitter a few weeks ago is feeling awfully sheepish right about now because he is on an absolute tear of late.

Crow-Armstrong is slashing .421/.421/.842 over his last seven, smacking two home runs, adding two doubles and driving in nine. When he's locked in at the plate, this looks like an entirely different offense - one that's capable of hanging crooked numbers on a nightly basis and finding production from any part of the order.

On the year, PCA is up to 1.9 bWAR (third in MLB) and a 140 OPS+. It's been all eyes on Kyle Tucker, and rightfully so, but it's his fellow Cubs outfielder who's stealing the show right now. With Crow-Armstrong doing a little bit of everything to close out the team's strong month, his first All-Star selection could be in the very near future.

Trending up: Ian Happ

It seems like folks worry about Ian Happ every year when he hits a cold spell, and when we close the book on the season every fall, he's put up the numbers we've come to expect. After a sluggish stretch in early April, the switch-hitting Gold Glover is finding his rhythm at the dish.

Over his last 13 games, he's got an OPS north of .900 and over the last week, he's slashing .333/.440.476 - right in line with that recent trend. You'd definitely like to see more power from the Cubs' leadoff man (he's slugging just .366 on the year) but he's still doing what he does best: seeing pitches, working counts and getting on base.

Oddly enough, he's really struggled from the left side this year. Hopefully, he can get it going as we head into May and add yet another layer to an already-dynamic Cubs offense.

Trending down: Michael Busch

I hate even having to include him on this list because people seem to want to poke holes in his game, but Michael Busch is going through a rough patch of late. The second-year first baseman is slashing just .083/.353/.167 over the last week (just four games for him) - but even that cold spell can't dampen the mood when you look at his season numbers.

Busch has a whopping 163 OPS+ and ranks third on the team with five home runs. For whatever reason, we're still seeing a good number of platoons with Justin Turner getting the lefty matchups at first base, but it's clear that Busch is here to stay and could be an unsung hero for this team in 2025. I'm chalking this up to it being a long season and every players has ups and downs.