The Cubs doing this should terrify every single Chicago Cubs fan

As the Cubs have been grinding through their April schedule against top-tier contenders, they will finally see some divisional action starting Tuesday. From now through June, the Cubs will face the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Milwaukee Brewers. The matchups against the division throughout the year will be a big test for this team as they look to improve upon their 23-29 record against the Central last year.

The Cubs are the current odds favorites to win the division, and while there has been so much promise in how they've played teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers, their quest for the NL Central crown greatly lies in how they do against their Central foes.

It is not to say any other NL Central team is definitively better on paper at the moment, and the postseason odds for the other teams in the division are lower, but these teams still cannot be taken for granted either. The Central has a lot of great young pitchers and All-Star caliber position players on each team, and they will not make these games easy for the Cubs.

The Cubs can't overlook their NL Central rivals

The biggest threat to the Cubs right now is still the Brewers, who find ways to win every year with great pitching, defense, and timely hitting. They develop through their farm so effectively, and it seems like when one guy leaves or stops playing well, they just replace them immediately. Cannot fail to mention their hitters like the upcoming Jackson Churio, William Contreras, and veteran Christian Yelich, among others. We've seen the damage a healthy Yelich can do to the Cubs. Since the end of 2018, the Cubs have consistently looked up at the Brewers in the standings and have lost tough games in Milwaukee over recent years. They will need to flip that script.

As mentioned before, over the next month, the Cubs will get some doses of the Pirates and Reds. Both teams feature some notable arms, such as phenom Paul Skenes, Hunter Greene, and Nick Lodolo, while boasting All-Star caliber guys in Elly de La Cruz and Oneil Cruz. Watch out for Reds 3B Noelvi Marte, too. Again, not saying these teams are overall powerhouses, but they can give you trouble, and the Reds are a team capable of competing with the talent they have under Terry Francona. Like Milwaukee last year, the Cubs had some trouble winning at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

It will be some time before the Cubs see their archrival Cardinals; June 23 will be their first game against them. They are a team in transition, but still have plenty of talent that can make them a tough opponent, especially with Nolan Arenado still playing well. The Cubs need to beat their rival while they are down, because knowing that organization's history, they will not be down for long. Take advantage while you can, because they missed the mark the last two years.

The overall point here is to emphasize the importance of these games, even if the division is not loaded with the likes of the Dodgers, Padres, Mets, Diamondbacks, and Phillies. These teams have talent and players that can beat you and are not gimmies. For all the elite opponents you have competed well against, it can be all for not if they do not beat their division rivals.