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The Rundown: PCA’s Unprecedented Funk Helps Brewers Broom Cubs, Early Exit for Cabrera, Ohtani Nearly Dealt to Rays in ’23

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMay 21, 2026

“All of a sudden in a wink of an eye, a Cadillac sedan passed us by. I said, ‘Boys, that’s a mark for me,’ but by then the taillight was all you could see.” – Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

The Cubs are a mess right now, none more than Pete Crow-Armstrong, and things aren’t going to change until they refocus and get back to playing the dominating type of baseball that helped them win 20 of 23 games in late April and early May. They’re 2-9 since, and playing like dogshit, pardon my manners. Crow-Armstrong is the team’s worst offender and probably needs to put his interaction with a White Sox fan behind him.

You can always tell when the Cubs are struggling because the anti-Boog Sciambi faction comes out en masse. I read one article that said Sciambi needs to focus more on the game when the Cubs are getting their asses kicked and I couldn’t help but wonder why the author wasn’t holding himself to similar criteria. Ol’ Boog called the Cubs-Brewers rivalry the biggest in the game right now, and he’s correct. It’s just too bad it’s so awfully one-sided. Sciambi — who has as much to do with game-to-game outcomes as you or I do — is not the problem. That list is as thorough as it is uncompromising:

  • The Cubs aren’t getting the timely hits they need with runners on base.
  • Their starting pitching is regressing at an uncomfortable pace.
  • Daily injury reports, including another last night.
  • Defenders have been lackadaisical (and I’m being generous).
  • Chicago’s bullpen has been a little too inconsistent.

In other words, the Cubs are playing like they need a new timing chain and head gasket. I can use that analogy because I’m shopping for a 1984 Monte Carlo SS, but it’s accurate. The Brewers are going off like the best team in the National League, bullying Chicago to the point where games are over before they begin. Milwaukee outscored the Cubs 19-5 in the three-game set, and held our heroes to 16 hits with just one home run. Don’t let Pat Murphy distract you with his faux-American Gothic mentality, either. The Brewers are a whopping 43 games over .500 with a +257 run differential since the start of last season. They’ve gone from last place to first in the jacked NL Central in a little over a week.

The Astros come to town next and could be just what the doctor ordered. Houston is 8-17 (.320) in road games this year, and 4-10 against National League teams. Expect Craig Counsell and his squad to take out their frustrations on their weaker opponent this weekend.

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

What the hell is going on with PCA this week?

“Things happen, but we have to move on from them,” Counsell said.

Is he talking about the player or his team? Probably both. Crow-Armstrong is also hitting just .225 with 54 strikeouts in 50 games. His biggest whiff, however, was on that single by David Hamilton. The speedy outfielder may need a day off, but Counsell admitted he’s not thinking that. PCA is an elite defender, so when his struggles at the plate affect the best part of his game, it’s time to let him sit.

Central Intelligence

  • Milwaukee (29-18): The national pundits are also tiring of Murphy’s insufferable underdog rhetoric.
  • St. Louis (28-20): The shirtless trend among Cardinals fans is getting entirely out of hand. The Cubs will be in St. Louis next weekend in case you’d like to explore other ways to entertain yourselves.
  • Chicago (29-21): With trade talk ratcheting up, Jed Hoyer reminded us all that answers must come from within at this time of year.
  • Cincinnati: Infielder Matt McLain is slumping for the second consecutive season and could be in jeopardy of losing his starting position. Eugenio Suárez is on a rehab assignment, and talented prospect Edwin Arroyo is crushing it at Triple-A Louisville. The Reds may soon have four players to man three positions, leaving McLain the odd man out.
  • Pittsburgh: The Pirates recalled outfielder Jhostynxon García (aka ‘The Password’) from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday ahead of their series opener at Busch Stadium, and he went 1-for-4 in his debut.

How About That!

A blockbuster trade between the Angels and Rays that would have included Shohei Ohtani would have completely changed baseball’s landscape. The deal discussed at the 2023 deadline would have included Junior Caminero, Carson Williams, and another prospect. The Angels nixed the offer.

The White Sox are the best turnaround story through the 50 games of the 2026 season.

The ChiSox also have the first pick in the upcoming draft, and seem to be honing in on shortstop Roch Cholowsky of UCLA. Grady Emerson, a shortstop from Christian Fort Worth, is another option.

Skubal is already close to game velocity just two weeks after arthroscopic elbow surgery.

The Brewers are one of the highest-scoring teams in baseball despite sitting dead last in home runs.

Three from the Bill Chuck Files

  1. Jacob Misiorowski has thrown 24.1 IP over his last four starts with thee quality starts, and batters are 9-for-82 (.110) against him. All nine hits have been singles. He’s walked five, struck out 37, and has not allowed a run.
  2. The Angels have not been no-hit since September 11, 1999. That running total is 26 years, 8 months, and 9 days, and it is baseball’s longest active streak.
  3. How about this? What could a lineup do with just six pitches? Robbie Ray of the Giants was facing Ketel Marte and on the second pitch of the game, Marte singled. Up next, Corbin Carroll singled on the first pitch. Batting third, Geraldo Perdomo reached on an infield error on the fourth pitch of the inning. Then, with the bases loaded, on the second pitch to Nolan Arenado, Ray gave up a grand slam. Six pitches, and the Diamondbacks were up four runs. The statistical probability of a starting pitcher giving up four runs in the first six pitches of a game is roughly 1 in 250,000 games, or 0.0004%.

Extra Innings

I want to believe that the Cubs are simply a bit unlucky, but I’ll need a little more to convince me.

They Said It

  • “It’s never a lack of focus, but trying too hard to make up for a lack of production I have given this team and city. Not behaving like I should. Anything physical starts out mental. I think that’s what I am showing everybody right now.” – Crow-Armstrong
  • “Look, he made a mistake. He made a bad play, but it was a costly play. He missed the ball in front of him, [and] got his feet kind of caught in between, and then he didn’t know if he wanted to go get it. It’s like an infielder that got caught on an in-between hop.” – Counsell
  • “It’s the nature of how the sport is covered that people feel like you can always go out and get replacements externally. We’ve had discussions with teams, candidly, about guys who are struggling with their teams and there may be a buy-low opportunity. We’ve had some of those discussions. But the reality is to go out and get someone who’s pitching well early in the season, it’s just not realistic. You look around baseball and for a team to sell a starting pitcher for prospects at this time of year is just unbelievably unusual. For the most part, teams would wait to get a higher price if they know they’re going to sell.” – Hoyer

Walk-Up Song

We may need divine intervention to fix what currently ails these Cubs.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMay 21, 2026
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