The Chicago Cubs have found their rhythm and are starting to turn things around after dropping the first two games of the season in Japan.
The Cubs are finally flying back to Chicago to play in their Home Opener after coming off their first sweep out in Sacramento.
In the three-game series, the Cubs demolished the Athletics, scoring 35 runs, which set a record for the Athletics.
The series didn’t just see a ton of runs being scored, but it also saw the first cycle of the season be hit, which came from Cubs catcher Carson Kelly.
Now, the Cubs are traveling back home for a six-game series, which will be a test for them on top of the gauntlet they’ll face for the rest of the month.
A tough stretch ahead for the Chicago Cubs
The Cubs will have a tough rest of the month, as they are slated to face some of the top teams in the National League and one of the top teams in the American League.
The gauntlet for the Cubs begins with them welcoming the undefeated San Deigo Padres to Wrigley to square off for a fun three-game series.
The Padres, at the moment, are firing on cylinders, with the Padres getting contributions from their offense and their pitching staff.
The best aspect of the Padres is their bullpen, which is considered one of the best in all of baseball and could be the X factor in the series.
Following the Padres, the Cubs welcome the Texas Rangers to Chicago, who are leading the American League West at 5-2. The Rangers have one of the better starting staffs in the American League, especially since they got a healthy Jacob deGrom back.
The rest of that 20-game stretch won’t be a walk in the park either, as the Cubs will face the Los Angeles Dodgers two more times, the Padres again, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and finally the Philadelphia Phillies.
The reprieve for the Cubs doesn’t come until the end of the month when they play the Pittsburg Pirates on April 29-30 and May 1st.
An early test for the Cubs
The gauntlet the Cubs will be running through for the next month could make or break their season, as you can’t win a World Series in April, but you can certainly lose one if you don’t play well.
A successful scenario for the Cubs would be going .500 (10-10), but if they can manage to go 12-8, that would be great and show that the Cubs can hang with the big boys.
The Cubs have an off day today before playing the Padres tomorrow for the home opener, which they needed after having a long trip out west.
The Cubs should have a good chance to take the first game of the series as their Ace Shota Imanaga will be taking the mound and will square off against the Padres right-hander Randy Vázquez.
If the Cubs can take 2/3 from the Friars, that should give them a good chance at withstanding this gauntlet ahead of them.
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