For the spiraling Chicago Cubs, Sunday brought bad news on two fronts. First, the Cubs dropped their eighth straight game with an 8-5 loss to the visiting Houston Astros. Second, they placed right-handed starter Edward Cabrera on the 15-day injured list because of blister issues on the middle finger of his throwing hand.
As for the game, the Cubs held a slim lead until the fifth inning, when the Astros broke out for a five-run frame. Much of the damage came on Christian Walker's 14th home run of the season. In all, Cubs starter Shota Imanaga surrendered seven runs on as many hits in six innings of work, and he saw his ERA for the season rise from 3.38 to 4.04. The Cubs have now been swept in back-to-back home series, and their current eight-game skid is their longest since they lost nine in a row in 2022.
The Cubs were a season-best 15 games over .500 as recently as May 8, but they've gone just 2-12 since then. Presently, the Cubs are 29-24, which puts them 2 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers (who swept the Cubs in Wrigley just before the Astros did) in the National League Central and in third and final wild card position in the NL. They're only one game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for that spot. Over the span of their current losing streak, the Cubs' offense ranks 28th in OPS, and the Cubs' pitching staff ranks 28th in ERA. Nothing's going well, which is typically the case with deep streaks such as this one.
What's striking about the Cubs' current straits is that it continues a trend of tremendous streakiness for the club. The eight-game losing streak in progress comes after the Cubs this season enjoyed not one but two 10-game winning streaks. Up next will be a seven-game road trip to Pittsburgh and then St. Louis, and maybe getting away from the increasingly frustrated fans at the friendly confines is just what this team needs.
They will, however, be without Cabrera as they attempt to get right. Acquired from the Miami Marlins in January as part of a four-player trade, Cabrera has been solid in his first season with the Cubs:
Edward Cabrera CHC • SP • #30 ERA4WHIP1.35IP54BB20K47 View Profile Cabrera's excellent stuff, however, raises his ceiling above that of a mid-tier starter, and the Cubs hope he'll find that ceiling before he's eligible for free agency following the 2028 season. As for his malady, blisters of course aren't serious, but they can be stubborn. According to the Baseball Prospectus Recovery Dashboard, pitchers missing time with finger blisters on average are sidelined for 24 days. As well, those blisters often recur.
The loss of Cabrera for at least 15 days becomes more concerning against the backdrop of the rotation carnage on the North Side. Consider:
- Young ace-in-waiting Cade Horton will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
- Justin Steele, who was an All-Star and a top five Cy Young finisher in 2023, suffered a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. As a result, his targeted return to the rotation was pushed back from June until after the All-Star break. Even once he's back, though, there's no guarantee he'll be in vintage form for some time.
- Matthew Boyd, who last season earned his first All-Star selection at age 34, is sidelined after undergoing knee surgery to repair an injury he suffered while playing with his kids.
Throw Cabrera in, and that's four starters with front-half potential missing from the Chicago rotation right now. Those losses leave the Cubs with a patchwork rotation that right now includes Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Wicks (who was recalled to take Cabrera's spot on the active roster), Ben Brown, and Colin Rea. That's not optimal, especially for a team trying to battle through a surprisingly tough NL Central.
Coming off a 92-win campaign in 2025 and with a nice mix of young and veteran core talents, the Cubs in Craig Counsell's third season as manager were expected to reach new heights and perhaps contend for the World Series title. They still may, of course, but their present and forward-looking rotation concerns may be tough to overcome. First, though, comes the necessary matter of not letting the losing streak reach nine games.
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