Aiming for September surge, Cubs hit speed bump in opener

CHICAGO -- The Cubs returned to Wrigley field on Monday night as a team that had put itself back into the postseason conversation. An overwhelmingly successful road trip helped the North Siders continue to cut away at a deficit in the standings, setting things up for a potential September sprint.

Each win from here can keep the Cubs clinging to the possibility of defying the odds and pulling off an improbable push to the October stage. As Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Pirates illustrated, however, every defeat also emphasizes just how precarious Chicago’s footing is.

“We’re in a situation now where we’re chasing,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before the loss. “That’s what we’re doing – we’re chasing. And that, in itself, creates urgency. It just does. And that’s good. It kind of does it for you almost. And so, that’s how we have to play.

“We know we have to play at a really high level, because we’ve got significant ground still to make up. But, we’ve also, in a sense, earned this. We’ve earned the right to have some fun this month and to play some good baseball, and see what happens.”

The Braves (idle on Monday) currently reside in the National League’s third Wild Card seat, with the Cubs now trailing by 3 1/2 games. Chicago is also chasing the Mets (a half-game behind the Braves), while the Padres and D-backs occupy the top two Wild Card spots at the moment.

Following an 8-1 showing on the recent road trip against the Marlins, Pirates and Nationals, the Cubs looked poised to extend their winning streak to seven. Dansby Swanson (solo homer) and Ian Happ (two-run triple) each delivered against hard-throwing Pirates righty Jared Jones, while Jameson Taillon spun seven shutout innings.

Taillon was working with an extra day of rest and sat at 89 pitches after an efficient performance that generated a steady stream of groundouts. Counsell nonetheless called it “an easy decision” to hand the ball to late-inning reliever Jorge López with that 3-0 advantage in the eighth inning.

“I understand it,” Taillon said. “López has been one of the best relievers in baseball ever since we got him over here. He’s been lights-out.”

Isiah Kiner-Falefa entered as a pinch-hitter and led off with a bloop single to center field. Nick Gonzales followed with an infield hit, setting the stage for Bryan Reynolds. López fired a fastball at the top of the zone and the veteran Pirates outfielder sent it slicing high over left-center for a game-tying, three-run homer.

Two batters later, Andrew McCutchen hammered an inside sinker from López to left for a go-ahead blast. Entering the night, López had allowed just one homer and two runs total in his 23 2/3 innings since joining Chicago’s bullpen in June.

“I just couldn't execute the next couple pitches,” López said. “It’s tough. I’ve been doing good for the last two months, so it’s unfortunate to have these four runs and give the win to them. It’s something you don’t expect – the way we have been playing.”

Heading into Monday’s action, the Cubs had posted a 32-18 record in their 50 games dating back to the Fourth of July. After Chicago was swept by the Guardians on Aug. 12-14, Taillon said the challenge was for the Cubs to “punch back” quickly. The North Siders then rattled off 12 wins in the next 15 games.

In the 10 games leading into Monday, the Cubs scored 99 runs -- 34 more than any other MLB team in that stretch since Aug. 22. Chicago stacked up five series wins in a row going into this homestand, and still have a shot at extending that to six with two games to go in this set against the Pirates.

Even with all that winning, the play of the Braves and Mets has made it difficult for the Cubs to substantially increase their playoff odds. According to Fangraphs, Chicago had a 2.2% chance of reaching the postseason on Aug. 25 and saw that rate tick up to 6.7% by Sunday. The defeat against Pittsburgh dropped the odds back down to 4.1% with 24 games to go.

“A baseball season is a marathon, and it has to breathe,” Counsell said. “You don’t get to pick [how it goes]. And I think we’ve hit a good stretch right now. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but are certainly playing at a pretty high level right now.”