Monday was the Chicago Cubs’ first day off since June 2. In that time, they played 13 games in four cities.
There were seven wins, six losses, two Craig Counsell ejections, three Matthew Boyd pickoffs and seven games decided by one or two runs.
The starting pitching was good and the relief pitching was outstanding, but the hitting was so-so, as was the team’s record.
The most important part of the 13-game stretch, however, is that the Cubs began the June 2 day off with a four-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.
And after the baker’s dozen, the Cubs (44-28) entered Monday’s day of leisure with a 5½-game advantage over the Milwaukee Brewers (39-34) for the division lead, while the Cardinals (37-35) and Cincinnati Reds (37-35) were tied for third at seven games out. That’s progress.
After this day off? How about another 13 straight games?
Barring weather or other issues, the Cubs are scheduled to host the Brewers for three games beginning Tuesday, host the Seattle Mariners for three more this weekend, then visit St. Louis for four games and the Houston Astros for three before a day off June 30.
So with 13 games in 13 days coming up, here are three takeaways at the midway point of this stretch.
1. Homerless Nico Hoerner is very valuable.
Through 72 games, Pete Crow-Armstrong is on pace for 41 home runs. Seiya Suzuki is on pace for 38, Dansby Swanson and Kyle Tucker 29 each and Michael Busch 25.
Second baseman Nico Hoerner is on pace for zero.
Asked if being homerless bugs him, Hoerner told the Tribune, “Yeah, of course” — but he won’t obsess about it.
“It’s not going to change my day-to-day work,” he said. “But you want to contribute to runs in any way possible. Hitting for power is a part of that.”
His main approach is hard contact.
“Generally, I want to hit hard line drives,” Hoerner said. “Everything kind of works with that. There are certain game situations that do require you to change your approach, but the best is to hit hard line drives up the middle.”
For now, the Cubs are fine without him putting the ball over the fence. Hoerner leads the team with a .288 average.
He singled, stole second and scored a vital tying run in the third inning of Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. His 10th-inning diving catch saved a run in Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Pirates. So he is more than pulling his weight.
Homers haven’t been a big part of Hoerner’s game in his career; he has 29 in 2,281 at-bats. And Counsell isn’t dissatisfied with Hoerner’s body of work in 2025.
“He has an elite skill,” Counsell said. “Contact is an elite skill. Generally with that skill, if you make contact, you can hit the ball all over the field and you can manipulate the barrel to make contact.
“He’s dependent on the ball being in play. You see him getting rewarded more for soft contact. That’s a function of the ball being in play. Those are all things that he does well and it’s a part of who he is as a player.”
2. PCA’s star power keeps growing.
Crow-Armstrong is getting the loudest ovations at Wrigley Field when he steps to the plate. His hitting, base stealing and center-field defense are all entertaining. Even routine groundouts are close because of his speed.
Before Saturday’s game, the left-handed Crow-Armstrong took grounders at third base. Don Mattingly in 1986 was the last left-handed thrower to start a major-league game at third. Could PCA be the next?
“You never know,” Counsell said. “You never say no.”
It was hard to tell if Counsell was joking, but the way Crow-Armstrong is playing is no joke. He has sharpened his hitting and is batting .268 with a team-high 18 homers and 23 stolen bases and is second to Suzuki with 57 RBIs.
Column: Why Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is content with just being himself
Earlier this month he became the first Cub since 1901 to record at least 15 homers, 50 RBIs and 20 steals through the team’s first 64 games.
His hitting needed work last year and he’s making big strides in 2025.
“Last year we talked about establishing consistent routines,” Counsell said. “The biggest difference you see is that in the box he is more spread out and there is less of a leg kick. He has more rhythm and that’s created his ability to be on time more.
“Frankly, I think that’s a function of his daily routine of getting to a good place. He’s been trying little things throughout that process.”
3. Craig Counsell is mum on Milwaukee.
Last season was Counsell’s first with the Cubs after leaving Milwaukee, where he won 707 games from 2015-23.
Counsell facing the Brewers was a big story last year. This year it’s not as big. He wasn’t interested in engaging in any talk about it Sunday.
“Let’s enjoy Father’s Day and have a day off,” he said when quizzed on the Brewers. “That’s where I’m at right now.”
Now that the Cubs are leading the division and the Brewers are in second, this series should be fun.
In his first year of facing his old team, Counsell and the Cubs went 5-8 overall against the Brewers and 3-3 at Wrigley. The last time the teams met was a July 22-24 series at Wrigley in which the Cubs won the opener 3-1 and lost the next two 1-0 and 3-2.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
