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2026 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 44
TL;DR
The Cubs have lost four consecutive games, struggling particularly against the Dodgers and Rangers. However, pitcher Ben Brown has shown promise with a strong start, and the team is projected to perform better in upcoming home games.
Key points
- Cubs lost four consecutive games
- Struggled against Dodgers and Rangers
- Ben Brown has a 1.60 ERA this season
- Fangraphs projects Cubs to win seven of next nine games
- Historical trend shows Cubs often have losing streaks
Mentioned in this story
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The Cubs might have looked worse in this series than they have in any series since the one at Cleveland in early April. There were series losses to the Pirates (cumulative score 12-10 Pirates advantage), the Dodgers (22-10) and Rangers (10-7) in the interim. So maybe that Dodgers one was worse than the Cleveland series (10-7 Guardians). So if we say the two series where they have looked worst were the Dodgers (back-to-back championships) and the Braves (best record in baseball so far this year), those two series donāt look particularly embarrassing.
You certainly hate to lose four in a row. I donāt really follow other teams, so I canāt say how representative historical Cub results are, but Iām guessing somewhat typical. As we saw yesterday, every Cub team going back to at least 2003 had at least one losing streak of four or more games. Excepting those 2003 Cubs, every other team had at least a five-game losing streak. These things can and do happen. The losses to the Rangers feel pretty lousy, though one of them was a superstar effort out of Jacob deGrom who has done that throughout his career when healthy.
Iām not losing any sleep at all over this stretch. I donāt think itās likely to even be a footnote in my memory of this season. Instead, Iām dreaming on the two Ben Brown starts that have bookended the four losses. His first two starts of the year have come on the road. Heās thrown eight innings, allowed two hits, one walk and no runs. He has a 1.60 ERA on the season. IF he can build on this, that potentially fills an enormous hole on this team. Moving him to the rotation has weakened a bullpen that was the already the weakness of this team. But, at the end of the day, Iām going to prioritize better starting over better relief every single time.
The Cub bats were still pretty well stifled in this game. But six hits and three walks were just enough for them to put two runs on the board and combined with a strong outing from the pitching staff, that was enough to salvage a win heading back to . Coupling a āroadā series on the South Side with two home series and a day off means the team will now get 10 nights in their own beds. The early Fangraphs projections favor the Cubs in seven of these nine games. I like to think the team can grab six over this stretch. If they can grab two from each series, they would be 34-19 heading to for the holiday. Iāll take it.
Q&A
What teams did the Cubs lose to during their four-game losing streak?
The Cubs lost to the Pirates, Dodgers, and Rangers during their four-game losing streak.
How has Ben Brown performed in his starts this season?
Ben Brown has had two starts this season, throwing eight innings with only two hits allowed, one walk, and no runs, resulting in a 1.60 ERA.
What are the Cubs' upcoming game projections according to Fangraphs?
Fangraphs projections favor the Cubs in seven of their next nine games, with the expectation of winning at least six of them.
How does the Cubs' current losing streak compare to historical trends?
Historically, every Cubs team since 2003 has experienced at least one losing streak of four or more games, indicating that such streaks are somewhat typical.