3 Things the Cubs Need To Improve To Turn Things Around

Just weeks ago, it seemed as if the Chicago Cubs were on top of the world. The team was off to a 27-12 start, their best start to a season since 2016, and they were riding their second 10-game winning streak of the season already.

The offense was clicking, pitching was stepping up, and they seemed unstoppable.

Since reaching that 10th straight win in Texas, they have hit a brutal slump that has completely derailed their momentum and spot in the standings. The North Siders are 4-14 since then and are coming off a 10-game losing skid.

It seems like nearly every player on the roster is in some sort of a slump, and injuries have continued to pile up. If they want to get back on track, they’ll need to break this stretch of inconsistency and begin performing like they’ve proved they can.

It will take a group effort, but the talent on the Cubs’ roster is simply too high for them to be playing at this level. Changes can and likely will come, it’s only a matter of time.

All stats updated before play on May 29.

Offensive Approach Has Disappeared

After finishing their second 10-game win streak of the season, the Cubs’ offense looked unstoppable. As a team, they were running a 125 wRC+, .354 OBP, and 0.60 BB/K, all topping major league baseball. They were getting production up and down the lineup and looked every bit like the team they were expected to be entering the season.

However, they have fallen into an offensive collapse since that point. Over the last 18 games, they are slashing .193/.297/.294 with a 75 wRC+ as a squad. During that stretch, six out of 10 players with at least 30 at-bats are batting below .200 and four of them have been worth neutral or negative fWAR.

Even worse, they have failed to convert the vast majority of their limited chances with guys in scoring position. Here are the Cubs’ numbers with runners in scoring position since May 9th:

	Result	League Rank
AVG	.150	29th
OBP	.267	26th
SLG	.245	28th
OPS	.512	29th
wRC+	52	29th
K%	27.2%	29th
RBI	34	28th
R	39	26th
wOBA	.240	29th

Those struggles with runners in scoring position are largely the result of poor plate approaches. The quality of at-bats has regressed significantly over the past few weeks, making it much more difficult to sustain rallies.

Ultimately, they’ve become less selective as a group, leading to more strikeouts, fewer hits, and lowered pressure on opposing pitchers. Over the last 17 games, their overall swing rate is up, O-Swing% has risen, and contact rate has dropped.

Being a patient bunch was where they succeeded the most to begin the season. Making pitchers make pitches, forcing mistakes, and keeping their foot on the gas at all times.

To break out of this elongated slump, the most important thing they can do at the plate is get back to the approach they began with. It’s not always easy to watch pitches amidst a slow offensive stretch, but that could be key for them to find their footing and begin to dominate once again.

Injuries Have Exposed Pitching Issues

It did not take long to realize that pitching was going to be an uphill battle for the Cubs to begin the year. Despite acquiring Edward Cabrera from the Marlins this offseason, both the Cubs rotation and bullpen have had their struggles early.

For the first part of the season, they made do, won games, and it didn’t seem to have a large effect on their record. However, these injuries have continued to pile up, and the effects of that have been amplified over this cold streak.

Over the last 18 games, the staff as a whole has posted a 5.16 ERA and 5.15 FIP, both bottom three in baseball over that stretch. Whether the starter fails to provide length, or the bullpen is unable to hold leads, one thing is certain: improvement needs to happen.

Over the last 18 games, they have allowed an MLB-leading 32 home runs. Opponents have totaled 54 extra base hits and are slugging .475 over that stretch.

While it is easy to blame injuries and chalk up the bad performance to lack of experience, or really just missing key players, they still very much need to execute at a higher level than they have been.

The quality of contact they have allowed is near the bottom of baseball in nearly every category.

	Result	League Rank
Average Exit Velocity	90.0 mph	27th
Hard-Hit Rate	43.3%	29th
Barrel Rate	12.1%	30th

They have a 20.5% strikeout rate as a staff over this period, good for 23rd in baseball, meaning the ball has been in play a lot. This has not only opened the door for opposing hitters to generate runs, but poor pitch execution has welcomed it.

As players continue to return from injury, improvement should follow naturally to some degree. Still, the Cubs cannot continue allowing this level of damaging contact if they want to stabilize the pitching staff. More strikeouts would help, but limiting extra-base hits and poorly located mistakes needs to become the priority.

Finding Stability

Throughout the Cubs’ first 56 games of 2026, they have managed extreme highs and extreme lows already. After play on May 8th, they had just completed their second 10-game winning streak in one month and were 20-3 over that stretch.

Since then, they are 4-14 and just snapped a 10-game losing streak. They have looked like a truly elite group at times, but also have had moments where they seem completely lost.

During the hot stretches, they did the little things well. Worked quality at-bats, played sound defense, and avoided making mistake pitches so frequently. That has since flipped, all of which have played major roles in their recent collapse.

While any team can be subject to the occasional cold streak, truly elite teams tend to avoid having them to this extent. It’s been established that the Cubs’ ceiling is as high as anybody’s, but finding steadier game-to-game performance could prove to be more valuable than riding the highs and suffering the lows they’ve faced.

Despite the disastrous stretch, the Cubs remain talented enough to turn things around quickly. However, unless they rediscover the disciplined offensive approach, cleaner pitch execution, and steadier overall play that fueled their hot start, this recent skid may become more than just a temporary setback.