AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The Rundown: Cubs, Bregman Bomb Brewers & Set Franchise Record for Home Runs, Buckle Up for Home Stretch

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 1, 2026

“The ghouls all came from their humble abodes to get a jolt from my electrodes.” – Monster Mash by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt Kickers

If the 2026 Cubs remind you of the 1961 Yankees, you’re not alone. Chicago slugged a team record nine home runs in yesterday’s 17-3 win over the Brewers, providing yet another reminder to the league that they cannot be beat when putting up two touchdowns or more. Can we get Billy Crystal over here to make a movie about Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman?

Jokes aside, the Cubs showed the Brewers that they’re not going to lie down and surrender despite Milwaukee’s nearly insurmountable division lead. Winning the NL Central would be nice, but besting the Brewers in the playoffs is infinitely better. There’s no telling how far Chicago can go if Bregman and Crow-Armstrong stay hot once October arrives. On the one hand, you can’t help but feel that the Cubs might be destined to win because of all they’ve overcome. The flipside to that is obvious: Where would Chicago be with fewer injuries and a little more luck?

It’s worth noting that the Cubs now have 78 wins without Justin Steele and Cade Horton, and without a bona fide closer. Yet the difference between winning the NL Central and taking a Wild Card slot is going to be that wretched 10-game losing streak earlier this season. The division would be much tighter if the games of May 16-25 were completely expunged. It’s too bad there are no do-overs.

  1. Cubs 78-50
  2. Brewers 78-50
  3. Cardinals 65-63
  4. Pirates 62-66
  5. Reds 59-69

The Cubs dug that hole themselves, and it’s a tough bunker to climb out of when you’re battling a team as consistent as the Brewers. Plus, it seems like the North Siders can’t win lately unless they score in double digits. They’ve scored 87 runs in their last 10 games but won just four of them, and Chicago averaged 17.67 runs per game in three of those victories. It’s pumpkin spice season for the latte drinkers among us, but with the way the Cubs are mashing, they could be crowned Chicago’s new Monsters of the Midway. When was the last time a baseball team scored 17+ runs three times in eight games?

Then again, cracks that cannot be ignored still exist, and they’ll be exposed in October. Shōta Imanaga is giving up too many home runs and can’t be trusted in a game where every run is crucial. Chicago’s bullpen is struggling, too. The team’s disparity between offense and pitching this late in the season is truly remarkable. The Cubs have clicked to the tune of 33.2 WAR on offense so far this season while their pitching lags at 5.2 WAR per Baseball-Reference. Chicago has neither a true ace nor an established closer, and it’s tough to get to the World Series absent one of those, let alone both.

That means slugging is everything from today through elimination or parade day. Pitching almost always wins championships, and data backs that. I’ve not investigated it personally, but I saw on television recently that only a dozen or so teams have won a World Series with below-average runs allowed, while only three teams earned hardware while simultaneously boasting elite offensive numbers. If you’re looking for a comp, the 1913 Philadelphia Athletics seem like a good one to me. Led by Connie Mack and their famous “$100,000 Infield,” the A’s rostered the top offense in the American League and a pitching staff that surrendered more runs than the league average. Philadelphia won that year’s World Series in five games over the New York Giants.

The Cubs have a shot to be added to that list of outliers because they also have elite defense. That said, they’re still going to have to power their way through October, and any type of offensive slump will almost surely eliminate this team. Last night was a great example of how special the Cubs can be, but their current 10-game subset rightly causes obvious reasons for concern. Only four teams have scored 17 or more runs in a playoff game: The 1936 and 2004 Yankees, the 2001 Indians, and the 2004 Red Sox.

The 1932 Yankees averaged 9.25 runs per postseason game, though they only played four games that year, sweeping the Cubs. If you’re looking for a modern comparison, the 2007 Red Sox averaged 7.07 RPG across 14 contests, winning 11 of 14 playoff games while beating the Rockies 4-0 in the World Series. Theo Epstein built that team, and Jed Hoyer was his assistant. The ’26 Cubs are averaging 5.9 runs since the All-Star break, and teams average about 16% fewer runs once the playoffs begin.

Why all the numbers? World Series champions generally average between 4.8 and 5.2 runs per postseason game, and that’s right in the team’s wheelhouse. The Cubs, therefore, have a championship-caliber offense. I said it last week, and I’ll repeat it today: I like Chicago’s chances once the playoffs start. Craig Counsell will virtually reconstruct his bullpen with the additions of Steele, Edward Cabrera, Javier Assad, and Shelby Miller. Ben Brown could return, too. That is one hell of a “fifth street” if you’ll pardon the Texas Hold’em reference.

Cubs News & Notes

By the Numbers

  • The Cubs now lead the league in slugging (.434), on-base percentage (.341) and OPS (.775) and are fourth in team batting average (.253). Their 1,205 hits lead the league, as do their 196 home runs, 583 walks and 742 runs scored.
  • Cubs batters hit 62 home runs in August, the most ever by a National League team in a calendar month.
  • The Brewers have not won the first game of any road trip since July 3rd. They’d better secure home-field advantage as quickly as possible.
  • Assad cannot be recalled from Triple-A Iowa until he completes a minimum 15-day stay in the minors. He was demoted on August 21, and the September roster expansion does not automatically void the remaining balance of a minor-league option.
  • Carson Kelly (three) has made more pitching appearances this season than Horton and Steele combined (two). Brown still leads Cubs pitchers in bWAR (2.2), even though he hasn’t pitched since June 19.
  • Entering the postseason as a Wild Card entry means four potential playoff series instead of three. The Cubs are going to need to get every pitcher healthy, and then adjust their staff each series based on the competition. Miller and Steele could be the keys to Chicago’s postseason success or failure.

Ball Four

I’ve always said that the person who pushed Arte Moreno out of baseball will drink on my tab for as long as I live. Someone forward me Stan Kroenke’s number.

Central Intelligence

How About That!

September is all about playoff races, and there is no shortage of compelling stories this season.

Races for individual honors are entering their stretch runs, too.

The aimless Angels finally have an owner who is committed to winning.

The $4 billion acquisition won’t change the league’s push for a salary cap.

The Padres have recalled catcher Ethan Salas, the organization’s top prospect.

Three from the Bill Chuck Files

  1. Every team in the AL East, with the exception of the Yankees, has improved their record since June 24.
  2. Sal Stewart is the 14th rookie in MLB history with 30+ homers and 100+ RBI in a season.
  3. Trey Mancini will sign a one-day contract on September 19 to retire as an Oriole at Camden Yards.

Apropos of Nothing

Sorry for the lack of content lately. I am working overnights to finish route trees for a call center we built in Lusaka. There is an eight-hour time difference.

I will also be unable to write for Cubs Insider September 6-13 due to a work commitment. You can decide if that is a good or bad thing. I will be in Nashville for a series of nerdy meetings with our nation’s great automated voice response telephony architects. Yes, it will be as boring as it sounds.

Extra Innings

Feed the world, gents.

They Said It

  • “Every reliever goes through stretches where they’re going to get scored upon. Maybe they’re not going to pitch well, they’re going to make mistakes. The best thing you can do is get them back out there.” – Counsell
  • “Shota’s going to make his next start. We’re going to continue to work on — like everybody — having him just be more effective. Be your best possible self, and as effective as you possibly can. That work never stops. We need Shota to be one of our guys.” – Counsell
  • “I don’t know how much longer they’ll let [position players] pitch. We’ll see what happens here at the CBA, but I feel like it’s kind of a competitive advantage to get into a team’s bullpen early in the season or early in the series. It’s above my pay grade to talk about that.” – Bregman
  • “We’re not playing for run differential. We’re playing to try and win as many games as we can. We’ve had a really young pitching staff all year. There is going to be days like this.” – Pat Murphy

Tuesday Walk-Up Song

Welcome to September and the culmination of a season’s worth of expectations and aspirations. I don’t do pumpkin spice, but for me, it is officially Hubie Halloween season.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 1, 2026
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