3 things we learned about the Cubs this weekend against the Braves

3 things we learned about the Cubs this weekend - #1: It's not a flash-in-the-pan; this team should be playing baseball in October

It's not that the Cubs are having a good week or two. Since early June, Chicago has been one of the top teams in all of baseball - and the deadline acquisition of Jeimer Candelario has the offense firing on all cylinders.

With the third-best run differential in the National League, trailing only Atlanta and Los Angeles, the most runs scored and stolen bases and the highest OPS in baseball since the All-Star Break and a clubhouse-wide confidence that grows by the day, it's time to acknowledge the Cubs are not only capable of winning the NL Central, but potentially making a surprise October run.

This was a critical homestand for David Ross and his team and they responded as well as we could've possibly hoped. Now, taking the same energy on the road will be key in New York and Toronto this week - but they've put themselves in the situation we all hoped for at the start of the year: to play meaningful games down the stretch in 2023.