Why The Cubs Stink, And What History Says Happens Next

The Chicago Cubs have played themselves into history.

Only one other team has ever had a pair of 10-game winning streaks and a 10-game losing streak in the same season. The 2026 Cubs have accomplished that. Keep in mind, it's only May.

The Cubbies emphatically dropped their 10th straight on Tuesday, a 12-1 laugher at Pittsburgh. They previous game they allowed only two runs – but still got beat.

Cubs Not Hitting

During this 10-game losing streak, the Cubs:

• Are batting .185, easily the worst average in the league.
• Are posting an OPS of .581. Only the Detroit Tigers, who have lost nine of 10, have been worse.
• Have scored 25 runs in those 10 games, lowest in the league.
• Have drawn 38 walks, which is actually the fourth-most in MLB in this span. Their strikeout rate is safely middle-of-the-pack.

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They're seeing the ball fine, just not hitting it.

Cubs Starting Pitching Even Worse

The pitching has been even worse. Specifically, the starters.

• The Cubs' starting rotation has an 8.46 ERA over the last 10 games. No other team is even close to that bad, not even the hapless Rockies (29th at 7.17).

The bullpen has been just fine, actually, posting a 3.13 ERA. The defense has been good enough as well, only five unearned runs out of the 65 allowed.

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While the Cubs have had injuries at pitching, five of the starters during this poor stretch also started during the good runs. Mostly the same guys, with far different results.

During their 10-game win streak from April 28 to May 8:

The Cubs' rotation had a 2.64 ERA – nearly six runs better per game than the current skid! The bullpen ERA was in the 3's.

The team averaged 5.9 runs in that 10-game span, tied with the Yankees for tops in the league. They led solidly in walks drawn while striking out the third-fewest.

In the prior 10-game run from April 14-24, the Cubs' offense was red-hot, scoring 7.2 runs per game, No. 1 in MLB by a wide margin, while batting a ridiculous .327.

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Pitching-wise, the rotation was at 2.78 in ERA, the bullpen 2.43.

Everything clicked.

Now, nothing is clicking.

Dodgers Offer Hope

In Tuesday's blowout loss, the Cubs left 11 runners on base, hitting 1-of-13 with runners in scoring position. They've tallied under four runs in eight of the 10 defeats, and we've seen how the starting pitching has done.

It's not easy to be that level of hot or col. The northsiders have done both. Only the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers have matched such a slew of runs.

That L.A. team does offer one glimmer of hope for suffering Cubs fans. Those Dodgers ultimately won 104 games and won the National League pennant before losing in a seven-game World Series thriller to the Astros.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 12:03 PM.