Cubs Poised For September Surge With Soft Schedule And Improved Play

Now back on their home diamond they are gearing up for a pair of three-game series with the Atlanta Braves (62-75) and Washington Nationals (53-83). It would be fairly disappointing if the team cannot come up with a sweep against one of those organizations. The Cubs are needing two things going into this stretch- breakthroughs swinging a bat and keeping runs off of the board.

The offense for the Cubs is lacking confidence, especially in the outfield, but Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker are starting to look like themselves again. Despite a loss in the finale vs. the Rockies at Coors FIeld, Happ hit a three-run homer to tie the game up in clutch fashion in the eighth inning. Tucker finished the game with three hits and an earned run. It has been a long time since Tucker had three hits in a game.

This might be a good time to give Pete Crow-Armstrong a break or even Seiya Suzuki. Neither has been able to find their swing in the last month and if Owen Caissie could get reps at the plate it could be a huge benefit down the stretch in October. Caissie was a terror in Triple-A the last two years and he could be a weapon for the team when the postseason comes around and he needs to see his bat make contact in major league games.

Ultimately the NL Central is not out of their reach if they take care of business in the next three weeks. There isn't a series that one could justify losing and a few sweeps would do a lot for everybody's confidence. September is officially here and all eyes are on the postseason.