Chicago Cubs News: 5-game winning streak, Patrick Wisdom to the IL, and more

Chicago Cubs proving resilience with latest winning streak

The Chicago Cubs have won five consecutive games and have moved to within four games of the .500 mark on the season with a record of 33-37. The Cubs enter play on Sunday only three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central division and it would seem that the baseball that the team has played over the past week is what team president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer envisioned at the start of the season.

The Cubs have had timely hitting and manager David Ross has utilized the pitching staff to near perfection.

The Cubs now have the chance to sweep the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday and that is no small feat considering the Orioles entered the series as the second-best team in all of Major League Baseball.

Chicago Cubs place Patrick Wisdom on the IL with a wrist injury

Chicago Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom was placed on the injured list on Saturday with a wrist injury as the team had to make a corresponding move with starting pitcher Justin Steele being activated from the 15-day IL.

Cubs manager David Ross told reporters that Wisdom had been dealing with a wrist injury for the past two weeks and that was the reason for his poor performance at the plate. That reasoning does not align with Wisdom's struggles since May 1, especially against left-handed pitchers. In that time, Wisdom is hitting .152 against left-handed pitchers with only 1 home run and 17 strikeouts.

More than anything, Saturday's roster move had the feel of a phantom injury for Wisdom as the Cubs look to kick the can down the road on a potential demotion to Triple-A Iowa.

Momentum growing toward Cody Bellinger remaining with the Chicago Cubs for the long-term

It is looking more and more likely that Cody Bellinger could be a part of the Chicago Cubs' long-term plans. Bellinger, represented by super-agent Scott Boras, is certainly going to test the free agent waters once again this winter but there seems to be building interest between both sides regarding a potential long-term deal. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic had this to say about Bellinger and the Cubs:

There figures to be internal support behind the idea of keeping Bellinger at the trade deadline, hedging with a qualifying offer and trying to bring him back next season.

For as much emphasis was placed on Bellinger being a gold-glove outfielder, it should not be overlooked that when he was first selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers, he ascended through their organization with the expectation of being a gold-glove first baseman. Given the struggles of Matt Mervis and the Cubs likely wanting top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong to get an extended run at the Triple-A level, Bellinger could very easily be a part of the team's plans next season.

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