The Cubs started off the week well, with a sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
The Cubs ended the week poorly, being swept in a four-game series in Cincinati, their first four-game losing streak of 2025.
Which is the real Cubs team? We’ll have some postseason games to find out, but first the Cubs have work to do to try to clinch home field for those games.
Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.
Three up
Jameson Taillon might have pitched himself into a postseason start
Jamo was outstanding in two starts on the road trip. He threw 13 innings and allowed seven
hits and two walks (0.692 WHIP), just one run (0.69 ERA) and struck out seven. Best of all, he hasn’t allowed a home run in his last 21.1 innings, dating back to his start against the Angels Aug. 24.
As of now, Taillon isn’t slated to start in the Mets series, so if the Cubs chose to do so, they could slot him in for one of the games against the Padres in the Wild Card series. As always, we await developments.
Here are Jamo’s four strikeouts Sunday against the Reds [VIDEO].
With those numbers, Taillon is a candidate for NL Player of the Week when that announcement is made later today.
Colin Rea had his best start of the season
Rea didn’t win because his seven-inning, one-run, 11-strikeout outing was in the Thursday 1-0 loss to the Reds. The 11 strikeouts were a career high and the most for any Cubs pitcher this year.
He won’t start in the postseason, most likely, but he could be a very useful multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen.
Here are Rea’s 11 K’s vs. the Reds [VIDEO].
Michael Busch hit his 30th home run
Busch hit .261/.379/.739 (6-for-23) over the week with two doubles and three home runs.
Here’s his 30th home run of 2025, hit on Saturday [VIDEO].
Busch became the first Cub with 30 home runs in a season since 2019, when Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant both did it.
Three down
Shōta Imanaga needs to get back on track
Imanaga had another one of his not-terrible-but-not-really-good-either starts against the Reds Friday, with three more home runs allowed. After a decent run through most of July and August, Imanaga has a 4.66 ERA over his last five starts, with 10 (!) home runs allowed in 29 innings.
Shōta will start against the Mets Thursday, and hopefully he gets back on track. If not, I don’t think I would start him in the Wild Card series.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is still scuffling
PCA had a couple of decent two-hit games on the road trip, including hitting his 29th home run in Pittsburgh. But overall in the seven games he batted just .231/.222/.423, and no, those numbers are not wrong — that’s an OBP lower than the BA, because he had a sacrifice fly and no walks.
Frustratingly, he struck out to end Sunday’s game with the tying run in scoring position [VIDEO].
This is pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if he’s trying too hard to get that 30th home run.
Matthew Boyd also needs a pitching reset
Boyd got hit pretty hard by the Pirates on Wednesday and threw 83 pitches in just three innings. He has a 5.77 ERA over his last eight starts.
Like Imanaga, Boyd will get a start against the Mets this week. If that doesn’t go well, Craig Counsell will have another decision to make about who goes in the Wild Card series.
