Tempers hit boiling point as Cubs' struggles reach new levels in loss to Toronto

Tuesday night was a bad night to be a Chicago Cubs batting helmet. Star outfielders Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong slammed them with more force than they put on the baseballs pitched to them.

In a frustrating 5-1 loss in Toronto, the Cubs fell 7 1/2 games back of the history-making Milwaukee Brewers (who destroyed Paul Skenes). It was another familiar tale; a lack of offense with Tucker, Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki remaining ice-cold at the plate. We have seen the young PCA get frustrated with himself plenty of times, even when things were going well, but the usually mellow Tucker slamming his helmet in the dugout in the seventh raised some eyebrows.

The once surging offense has been a shell of its former self for some time, and we know these guys are better than what they have been showing. It's clear the recent slumps have stuck in their minds at this point.It's hard to know if Tucker has ever been this frustrated during his big-league career.

On one hand, a fan can get a sense of reassurance that they feel the frustration we feel. On the other hand, seeing that kind of body language can raise alarm bells. If this is in their head, will they get out of it? Or will they get more and more frustrated, and things get worse? Cubs fans have seen the worst of these scenarios play out plenty of times...hopefully that does not end up being the case over the next six or so weeks.

Cubs lose again; fall a season-high 7 1/2 games back of the Brewers

What has also been frustrating is waiting for things to get better for them. A bad week or so is natural, but we have waited, and waited, and waited for guys like Tucker or Suzuki to snap out of their funk for weeks. The funny thing is, the record has not (to this point) been as bad as the slide the Mets have been in recently. However, if things do not get better soon, that could change. They've been able to tread water with some of these slumps, but it has started to turn much more sour as their slides continue. The Cubs cannot afford to see their top guys continue to slump like this.

At the end of the day, these guys want to win too. They don't like the fact that they are struggling just as much, if not more, than us. Even if they are getting paid the big bucks, they want to compete. It's just so head-scratching how all the big bats on this team have gone so cold at the same time. The best explanation is Tucker might say he's okay, but he's really not 100 percent, Crow-Armstrong is still young and going through it, and Suzuki is prone to bad slumps. That or the Monstars from Space Jam did this.

As Justin Steele said last year, "Wake the [expletive] up!" Now, not in 2032.