Good, bad and ugly: 6 observations from Cubs' split with Brewers

Good, bad and ugly: 6 observations from Cubs' split with Brewers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

With less than one month to go until the MLB trade deadline, the Cubs entered the week with a golden opportunity to change the season's fortunes, with four games against the Milwaukee Brewers, who they trailed by six games.

After four riveting games filled with opportunities for the North Siders, the Cubs leave the series having gained no ground, splitting a hard-fought series against a team that is more certain in their expectation to compete for a spot in the postseason.

The four games in Milwaukee this week were perhaps the most exciting four games of the Cubs' season, with each contest going down to the wire with multiple lead changes throughout.

In a series that may very well have solidified the Cubs' fate at the upcoming trade deadline, here's six observations from the heart-stopping series:

1. Cardiac Cubbies supply 2 of the most exciting wins of the season

The series result is no cause to celebrate for Cubs fans as they enter a three-game set against the New York Yankees this weekend, but moments in two games of this series perhaps gave Cubs fans a reminder of what it's like to watch close, exciting baseball against a rival.

After blowing a 6-0 lead in Monday's 8-6 loss, the Cubs squandered 4-0 and 6-2 leads on Tuesday, looking to be a carbon copy of Monday's collapse.

Surviving until extra innings and retiring the Brewers in the 10th, two scoreless innings from Daniel Palencia in his MLB debut and a Nico Hoerner RBI single in the 11th led the Cubs to a 7-6 victory, capitalized by Ian Happ making a fantastic throw home for the second time in extra innings.

Then Wednesday night, trailing 3-1 in the 9th against arguably baseball's finest reliever in Devin Williams, the Cubs took advantage of two bloop singles before Palatine native Mike Tauchman brought some late-game magic after perhaps the best at-bat from a Cub this season.

Tauchman would then deliver for the Cubs on the base paths, taking advantage of an airmailed throw on a Nico Hoerner grounder to score the go-ahead run, paving the way for a 4-3 Cubs victory.

2. Cubs' blown six-run lead brings back painful memories of 2021

A pivotal series in Milwaukee with a looming decision on the trade deadline is unfortunately not a novel concept for Cubs fans, who may recall a visit to Milwaukee in the summer of 2021, amidst an unprecedented slump that led to the sell-off of much of the World Series-winning core of 2016.

After the Cubs blew a 6-0 lead in Monday's game, eventually losing 8-6, Cubs fans couldn't help but remember a similar game in Milwaukee just over two years ago.

The Cubs held a 42-33 record after tossing a combined no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 24, 2021, leaving them in a tie for first.

After making history in Tinseltown, the Cubs lost five straight games, losing their four-game set in Los Angeles before dropping the first two games against a Brewers team that would go on to win the division.

At 42-38 and five games out of first, the Cubs were still very much so in contention entering their June 30 matchup in Milwaukee, hoping to avoid the sweep and right the ship with around one month left until the trade deadline.

After jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning, the Cubs' mammoth advantage was quickly diminished, with the Brewers scoring six runs of their own within the first two innings to erase any notion of a Cubs blowout.

The first inning eruption for the Cubs is all there would be offensively in that game, as they would lose 15-7, suffering a devastating loss and sweep at the hand of the rival Brewers.

The Cubs went on to go 9-16 in July before trading away franchise icons Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, among several other players on the team, signaling a true rebuild for the organization.

3. Cody Bellinger's resurgence is for real

After a solid April was followed by missing around a month of action, concerns that Cody Bellinger would be unable to return to his previous form grew, as the 27-year-old outfielder was dealt yet another injury.

Yet thanks to a career-high 12-game hitting streak that was punctuated by a 4-for-4 outing that left Belli just a triple shy of the cycle on Thursday, it appears as if the former league MVP is back to being one of the league's more feared hitters.

While it's unreasonable for the Cubs or a trade deadline suitor to expect a return to his MVP form of 2019, Bellinger's recent hitting success since returning from the IL give more credence to the claim that a change of scenery has helped resurrect his career.

4. Injuries to Nick Madrigal, Dansby Swanson leave questions

The Cubs' margin of error was already very low entering the Milwaukee series for their playoff hopes, and injuries to two major contributors have perhaps further dampened the Cubs' chances of quickly working back into playoff contention.

Nick Madrigal, who has been injury-prone throughout his time with the Cubs, will be out for an extended period of time with a moderate hamstring strain.

Madrigal had raised his season average to .278, and had been emerging as one of the team's more consistent contact bats when he left Monday's game. The Cubs activated Patrick Wisdom off the IL in his replacement, who has yet to record a hit since returning to action.

To make matters worse for the Cubs, All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson was removed from Wednesday's game with a foot contusion, and was not in the lineup on Thursday.

It's unknown if Swanson will play this weekend in New York, and he is currently questionable to appear in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Seattle.

Shall Swanson miss extended time, the Cubs would be forced to change around their infield configuration a bit more, with Christopher Morel likely to see time at both second base and third base.

5. Cubs' trade deadline decision quickly looming

With the Cubs now eight games out of first place and six games under .500, splitting the four-game set against the Brewers left them without any ground gained and just under a month left until the trade deadline.

While the Cubs sought out this year to at least be mildly competitive, a notion further reinforced by extensions to Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner, the North Siders may be out of time to leapfrog three clubs in a struggling Central division that will likely yield just one playoff berth.

With left-handed bats and starting pitchers often being the hottest commodities on the trade deadline market, the Cubs could seek a hefty return for Cody Bellinger, Marcus Stroman and possibly Kyle Hendricks, with other smaller contributors possibly on the table for a trade.

Though this is undoubtedly a disappointing outcome in a season that has appeared competitive at times, the Cubs will likely to seek to bolster their farm system instead of their roster in the face of diminishing playoff hopes.

6. Bullpen inconsistencies come back to haunt Cubs

The Cubs' bullpen inconsistency has been an issue for the club all year, and after impressive stretches from Mark Leiter Jr., Julian Merryweather, Adbert Alzolay and Michael Fulmer, all four relievers endured rough outings in Milwaukee this week.

Holding leads in all four games of the series, the Cubs' absence of shut-down relievers became apparent as the North Siders squandered numerous opportunities with men on base throughout the series, leaving the pen with a minimal margin of error.

As the Cubs look to potentially sell at the trade deadline, stronger performances from Leiter Jr. and Fulmer could make the right-handers enticing trade targets.