In San Francisco, the Chicago Cubs aim to regain their footing after barely avoiding a sweep against the league’s worst team at Coors Field. A victory on Thursday is essential to generate momentum as they head into a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

The Cubs find themselves just a game above .500, sharing third place in the National League Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates, trailing the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by 7.5 games. Recent performance has seen the Cubs struggle, losing 22 of their last 30 games after a promising streak of winning 20 out of 23.

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong Thrives at the Plate

Pete Crow-Armstrong, center fielder for the Cubs, remains focused despite a sluggish start. As of Friday, he holds a 15-game on-base streak, reflecting his consistency among the Cubs’ batters. In his previous 31 games, Crow-Armstrong boasted a .267/.363/.509 slash line, with seven home runs, five doubles, and 16 RBIs. His remarkable 1.8 fWAR ties him with Shohei Ohtani for the best in the National League over the last month. This performance secured his first NL player of the week award.

“Knowing exactly what I want to do each at-bat,” Crow-Armstrong said. “You see people take good pitches, and they get more good pitches to hit, so just executing on those good pitches that I’m getting.” A notable feature of Crow-Armstrong’s game is his balanced walk rate of 9.6% and strikeout rate of 23.7%.

2. Ben Brown’s Standout Performance in Rotation

Ben Brown emerges as the Cubs’ standout starter this season, a situation few might have predicted. He stepped into the rotation on May 8, filling in for Matthew Boyd, who underwent knee surgery. Brown’s impressive performance includes a 1.44 ERA over six starts, 34 strikeouts, eight walks, and no home runs allowed in 31 1/3 innings. His ERA ranks as the fifth-best in the majors during this period.

When discussing Brown’s contribution, Counsell remarked on the opportunities presented by injuries, where Brown excelled by being ready for his moment. Despite Brown’s efforts, the Cubs’ rotation, over the past four weeks, holds a 6.29 ERA, ranking second-worst in the league. Nevertheless, Brown’s performance creates hope for a potential All-Star Game appearance.

3. Need for More Power in Cubs Lineup

A potent offense relies on hitting for power, yet the Cubs struggle here. A three-homer game on Thursday was their first since April 25. From May 16, coinciding with a 10-game losing streak, the Cubs rank 28th in slugging percentage (.364), ahead of only the Royals and Padres. Their .141 ISO stands at 27th. This issue affects multiple players, including Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Seiya Suzuki, who have all seen subpar performances.

Counsell explained that the key to hitting successfully is capitalizing on pitches that can be hit hard. He pointed out that the team is missing these opportunities, pointing to an absence of major chase but a lack of damage on versatile pitches.