5 September storylines for the Cubs

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- This year’s Cubs have already accomplished something no past Cubs team has ever done, but the ballclub wants to take things even further.

At one point during their recent four-game split with the Reds, the North Siders reached 10 games above .500. It was the first time in franchise history for Chicago that it had a team reach that mark after previously being 10 games below .500 in the same season. The Cubs raised their playoff odds (per Fangraphs) to 78.9% from 7.1% since June 8, when they were 26-36.

The Cubs are in Wild Card position with an eye on chasing down the first-place Brewers in the National League Central. Starting Monday, Chicago has seven games in a row (and 10 in the next 13 games) against the Giants and D-backs -- two Wild Card contenders. The Brewers will host the Cubs to end the regular season from Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Milwaukee.

“We are in control of our own destiny,” Cubs manager David Ross said on Sunday.

With all that in mind, here are five storylines to follow over the next four weeks:

1. Can Jameson Taillon find his rhythm again?

Jameson Taillon allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings on Sunday, giving the big right-hander a 7.86 ERA in his last five starts. He has given up 34 hits (eight homers) in 26 1/3 innings during that span. The numbers are a bit inflated by an eight-spot yielded in Toronto on Aug. 13, but the fact remains that Chicago needs more from Taillon for the final push.

It wasn’t that long ago that Taillon was on a great run. From July 7-Aug. 8, the Cubs’ big free-agent acquisition last offseason fashioned a 2.17 ERA in six outings. It was the kind of in-season turnaround the North Siders needed then, and it’s the kind of boost the rotation could use again with so many big games looming.

2. Will Marcus Stroman make a comeback?

When it was revealed last month that Marcus Stroman sustained fractured rib cartilage, it sure seemed like the kind of setback that could end his season. Well, a recent checkup went positively and Stroman has a bullpen session in the works on Monday in Arizona. Barring any setbacks, Stroman at least has an outside shot of returning by the end of the month, or maybe during a playoff run. One step at a time -- beginning with the upcoming mound workout.

3. Can the bullpen stay strong down the stretch?

The quartet of Adbert Alzolay, Michael Fulmer, Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather emerged as the main late-inning arms by June. They played a key role in getting Chicago back into the race, but they have to push through some recent hiccups.

Fulmer is currently on the injured list, aiming to return in the next couple of weeks. Alzolay finally flinched recently after a run of 18 straight saves. Leiter has been on a nice run all year but has hit a bump in the road (7.20 ERA last six outings). Merryweather is setting new career highs in workload with every pitch he throws. The Cubs need them to keep holding the line as the number of close, playoff-esque games stack up.

4. Can some cold bats heat up before October?

The Cubs have featured one of baseball’s top offenses in the second half -- Chicago’s 282 runs scored rank second in MLB since the break -- but a handful of key hitters have gone into lulls lately. Chicago will hope that the 15-run, 18-hit outburst against the Reds on Sunday is a sign that the likes of Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Jeimer Candelario and Mike Tauchman are all getting over a recent two-week slump.

5. Is there more help coming from Triple-A Iowa?

The initial Sept. 1 promotions went to outfield prospect Alexander Canario and veteran righty Shane Greene, but expect the Cubs to remain flexible with those two extra roster spots. Besides possible injured list returnees, two prospects to monitor at Triple-A for later in September include outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (Pipeline’s No. 1 Cubs prospect) and righty Ben Brown (No. 5). There aren’t regular at-bats to offer Crow-Armstrong right now, but his speed/defense could be intriguing later in the schedule. Brown probably would’ve been up earlier, but a left side injury cost him time and he only recently returned to the mound.