This glaring statistic tells you everything that's wrong with the 2025 Cubs

Despite repeated promises from Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins in the wake of the trade deadline that offensive struggles would not be the reason the Chicago Cubs wouldn't succeed, that exact issue has turned August into a nightmarish hellscape as we watch a team that incapable of hitting its way out of a paper sack more often than not.

After watching Craig Counsell's club get walked off twice and swept in the three-game series against the San Francisco Giants this week, frustrations are again on the rise. It's hard not to be, really, when this team's biggest problem is so painfully clear.

Slumps from Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong in the first three-quarters of the month dragged down the offense and, while they've both come to life of late, Seiya Suzuki remains a complete non-factor and the team, as a whole, just isn't capitalizing on its run-scoring opportunities on a regular basis.

The Cubs are the lowest-scoring team not only in the month of August, but in the second half of the season. There's a reason the fanbase was hungry for added offense at the deadline (although, admittedly, the man most wanted to replace, Matt Shaw, has been a revelation since the All-Star Break). We've seen this song and dance before - but it's no less frustrating this time around.

At a certain point, it's on the players to execute, but Counsell's lineup construction has come under fire more and more with each passing week, ranging from continuing to bat Shaw at the bottom of the order or lead off against righties with Michael Busch. At least we finally saw Suzuki get a day off in Thursday's loss, because that was long overdue, as well.

This team was an offensive juggernaut in the first half and the hope is strong Septembers from PCA and Tucker will help it regain its form. At this point, the team is what it is. As flawed as they've seemed of late, the Cubs are still 76-58, 18 games over .500 with just over a month to go. But that won't matter if the offense doesn't get its act together. Not even a cushy schedule to close out the regular season will matter if the bats don't start delivering more consistent production - and the last thing we need is Chicago limping what we hope and expect will be its first postseason appearance in a half-decade.