It wasn't pretty but the Cubs passed a much-needed test in sweep against Rockies

Daniel Palencia was fired up after he blew a 101 MPH fastball past Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman to seal off a three-game sweep for the Cubs over Colorado. The Cubs did what they were expected to do in the win column against a historically bad Rockies team, who dropped to a dismal 9-47 record. However, it was not in the fashion that people expected.

Despite one of baseball's best offenses facing one of the worst pitching staffs, the Cubs mustered only nine total runs over the three games. Per baseball stat wizard Christopher Kamka, the nine runs surrendered by the Rockies were the fewest runs they gave up in a series. Two of those runs came in the 11th inning of Tuesday night's game when Michael Busch tied the game with a single and Matt Shaw walked it off with a bloop hit. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit the Cubs' only homer of the series. Two of the three games were one-run differences.

And yet, the Cubs still swept. That is what matters at the end of the day. Ugly wins are still wins in baseball. And every opponent, even the 2025 Colorado Rockies, needs to be respected on the field.

Sure, it was a bit frustrating watching a team that has been an offensive force not string a ton of hits and runs together against the Rockies. But that's baseball; any given day, any team can win. The Rockies pitchers attacked the Cubs hitters all series long and found ways to get outs. There was plenty of weak contact induced, but the chilly inward blowing wind also killed a handful of Cubs drives that likely would have carried further on a warm July day. Crow-Armstrong in the opener and Carson Kelly in the ninth of Tuesday's game were both notable victims of the Wrigley Field elements. Last year, this would have been a series where the Cubs fell flat on their face. Instead, this year, the Cubs are finding ways to win games--no matter the circumstance.

Either way, no team will score 10+ runs every game, and it's good to find ways to win when the offense isn't needed to score at will. The pitching took full advantage of the matchup after a rough go in Cincinnati and took care of business with Jameson Taillon, Cade Horton, and Matthew Boyd all throwing quality starts, and the bullpen shutting it down late.

There's no question the Cubs' bats will want to get going again going forward as they will face much better offenses coming up. Right now, enjoy the sweep.