The Cubs have given us plenty of reasons to believe. Now it's time to prove they're ready for the stretch run.

Season 2, Episode 25 of Club 1:20 looks at PCA's rise, roster decisions, injuries, a crowded pitching staff, and what we need to see from the Cubs out west.

⭐ PCA & Pals – Has Pete Crow-Armstrong become the superstar at the center of a championship-caliber team?

🚌 Flexing on Javy – The Cubs keep calling on Javier Assad to get them out of jams... then sending him right back to Iowa. Is he being punished for being useful?

🤕 Dinged Up Dansby – Can the Cubs survive their first real lineup injury without Dansby Swanson?

🔀 Surviving the Shuffle – The Cubs finally have pitching options. Now which arms actually deserve the innings?

🌙 Topic of the Week – Cubs After Dark – Crosstown champs. Now it's time to head west. What do we need to see to believe this team is ready for the stretch run?

🍺 Grab an Old Style, grab a bleacher seat, and settle in for Season 2, Episode 25 of Club 1:20.

👇 What ONE thing do you need to see from the Cubs out west?

#Cubs #ChicagoCubs #PeteCrowArmstrong #PCA #MLB #Club120 #CubsBaseball

The Chicago Cubs are 73–53 and 20 games over .500.

But where did those 20 games actually come from?

Break apart the Cubs’ record and something jumps off the page: Chicago is 36–16 against the NL East and NL West. Exactly 20 games over .500.

And these aren’t empty wins. The Cubs are an incredible 25–4 against the Mets, Phillies, Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks, including six series sweeps.

All season, these have been the trial runs. The measuring-stick series against teams the Cubs could very well see again in October. And they keep passing the test.

But there’s one contradiction they still have to solve: 19–17 against the NL Central.

In Episode 6 of The Margin, we follow the wins, put the Cubs’ success against the National League’s playoff hopefuls under the microscope, and ask what all of it actually tells us about this team’s chances in October.

Because the Cubs have spent five months proving they can compete with the National League’s best. Now go win the division.

⚾ THE MARGIN Chasing Wins, Not Stats.

Subscribe for weekly Chicago Cubs analysis, baseball philosophy and the numbers hiding inside the wins.

#ChicagoCubs #Cubs #CubsBaseball #FlyTheW #MLB #NLcentral #PeteCrowArmstrong #PCA #ChicagoSports #TheMargin #MLBPlayoffs #Baseball

Last week, I said something that apparently the baseball gods didn't appreciate:

I expect the Cubs to win now.

For a couple days, that looked pretty smart.

Then baseball did what baseball does.

It humbled me.

The Cubs started the week by taking two of three in Washington and scoring 20 runs in the first two games. They returned to Wrigley, won the opener against the Cardinals... and then things changed.

Three losses in four games.

The pitching got knocked around.

Dansby Swanson landed on the IL.

And suddenly, the team that had made everything feel comfortable reminded us that nothing in baseball is guaranteed.

But here's the thing...

My expectations haven't changed.

This week's Pulse: Humbled.

❤️ Check the Pulse — A great start to the week gives way to three ugly losses and a reminder that even good teams get punched in the mouth.

📈 Pulse Up — Clay Holmes goes from Pulse Down to Pulse Up in seven days, and Seiya Suzuki continues to be one of the most important bats in this lineup.

📉 Pulse Down — Edward Cabrera's rough return, the impact of losing Dansby Swanson, and my growing frustration with the Cubs' treatment of Javier Assad.

👀 What I'm Watching — The Crosstown Series actually matters for BOTH Chicago teams this year, and we find out how the Cubs handle life without their Gold Glove shortstop.

⚾ Final Diagnosis — There's a difference between confidence and comfort. I still expect the Cubs to win. I'm just reminded that they're going to have to earn that expectation every damn week.

💬 Question of the Week:

How concerned are you about losing Dansby Swanson?

And after the way this week ended, has your confidence in this Cubs team changed at all?

Let me know in the comments.

The Pulse goes beyond the box score to talk about the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

Because the heartbeat of a baseball season is always changing.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

#ThePulse #Club120 #ChicagoCubs #Cubs #MLB #CrosstownClassic #SeiyaSuzuki #DansbySwanson #CubsBaseball

The Cubs are 70-50 through 120 games.

At some point, we might have to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop and admit it:

This might just be a really good baseball team.

Season 2, Episode 24 of Club 1:20 looks at how far the Cubs have come, PCA's MVP case, an offense that's becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, and a problem we would've loved to have a few months ago — too many healthy players.

On today's lineup card:

Proof Is in the Pudding – At 70-50, have the Cubs finally reached the cruising altitude we were begging for back in May?

WAR-Time Inflation – Why is everyone working so damn hard to explain away Pete Crow-Armstrong's MVP case?

The Offense Is... Relentless? – Have the Cubs gone from PCA-dependent to a true pick-your-poison lineup?

Dawg Days – Nate opens the gates to Nate's Dawg Pound. Who's earned a collar?

Topic of the Week – Happy & Healthy – What's harder: finding enough healthy players or finding enough playing time for everybody once they're healthy?

Grab an Old Style, grab a bleacher seat, and settle in for Season 2, Episode 24 of Club 1:20.

Question of the Week:

At 70-50, have the Cubs finally convinced you they're legitimate World Series contenders?

Drop your take in the comments, and if you enjoy the show, please like, subscribe, and share to help more Cubs fans find Club 1:20.

#Cubs #ChicagoCubs #PeteCrowArmstrong #PCA #MLB #NLMVP #Club120 #CubsBaseball

The Margin - Episode 5 - The Defense Tax 

The Cubs have spent most of 2026 surviving a pitching staff that, statistically, looks mediocre.

One of baseball’s highest home run rates. A staff that entered the trade deadline near the bottom of MLB in pitching WAR.

The Cubs didn't survive the grind.

They owned it.

After finishing a brutal stretch of 17 games in 17 days with a 12-5 record, the Cubs followed up an aggressive trade deadline by going 7-1 this week—including a sweep of the Dodgers, a walk-off win against Toronto, and another series win on the road in Kansas City.

But Episode 6 of The Pulse isn't really about the record.

It's about what that record has done to expectations.

Last week, the Cubs organization told us it believed this team was worth investing in.

This week, the players answered.

And somewhere along the way, something changed for me as a Cubs fan:

I expect them to win now.

This week's Pulse: Validated.

Check the Pulse – The Cubs finish 17 games in 17 days at 12-5 and cap it with their best week of the season.

📈 Pulse Up – Javier Assad finally gets his opportunity, Kevin Gausman makes a strong first impression, and an offense getting contributions from everywhere keeps rolling.

📉 Pulse Down – When your team goes 7-1, you have to nitpick. Sorry, Clay Holmes.

👀 What I'm Watching – Ben Brown, Daniel Palencia, and Hoby Milner are getting healthy. The deadline additions have arrived. Suddenly Craig Counsell has options. So... who stays, who goes, and how does this pitching staff fit together?

⚾ Final Diagnosis – This team has changed my expectations. I'm not hoping the Cubs find a way to win anymore. I'm starting to expect it.

Every contender wanted the same thing at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline:

Pitching.

The Cubs weren’t shopping in a vacuum. They were shopping against every National League contender in an arms race where standing still meant falling behind.

In Episode 4 of The Margin, we look beyond prospect rankings and trade grades to answer a different question:

Did Jed Hoyer commit enough to give the Cubs a legitimate shot at the National League pennant?

From David Peterson to Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Zeferjahn, Aaron Civale, and Tyrone Taylor, every move points to the same philosophy:

October isn’t won by scoring more runs. It’s won by preventing them.

We also revisit the “Crooked Numbers” theory from Episode 3:

⚾ Zeroes are great.

⚾ Ones are manageable.

⚾ Crooked numbers kill you.

Can five new arms create just enough margin for the Cubs to survive October?

That’s what we’re investigating.

⸻

💬 Question of the Day:

Forget prospect rankings and deadline grades.

Did the Cubs buy enough pitching to compete with the Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers, and the rest of the National League this October?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

⸻

The Margin is a weekly baseball series exploring the hidden decisions, philosophies, and moments that separate winning from losing.

Chase wins… not stats.

#ChicagoCubs #Cubs #MLB #MLBTradeDeadline #JedHoyer #Baseball #MLBPlayoffs #NLPennant #TheMargin

The trade deadline is over, and the Cubs have made their statement.

In Episode 5 of The Pulse, Neil looks beyond the box score to explore what this week really meant. After taking three of four from the Cardinals and battling the Yankees at Wrigley, the Cubs didn't just add talent—they showed they believe this team is built to compete.

Whether every trade works remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the front office has committed to this clubhouse.

This week, the pulse of Cubs baseball feels... Committed.

❤️ Check the Pulse – Why this week was about more than wins and losses.

📈 Pulse Up – Pete Crow-Armstrong continues his MVP-caliber season, and Jed Hoyer backs this team with an aggressive trade deadline.

📉 Pulse Down – Big moments continue to find Alex Bregman, and a difficult decision at the plate leaves Cubs fans wondering "what if?"

👀 What I'm Watching – How Kevin Gausman, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Zeferjahn, Clay Holmes, and Tyrone Taylor fit into the Cubs' playoff push.

⚾ Final Diagnosis – The Cubs have stopped hoping. They've started believing.

If you enjoy thoughtful Cubs conversations that go beyond the box score, subscribe and join us every week as we check the pulse of Cubs baseball.

📺 Subscribe for new episodes every week.

🎙️ Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

#ChicagoCubs #Cubs #MLB #ThePulse #Club120 #MLBTradeDeadline #PeteCrowArmstrong #JedHoyer #BaseballPodcast

The Cubs just made one of the boldest moves of the Jed Hoyer era... and it might say more about where this team is headed than the move itself.

In Season 2, Episode 23 of Club 1:20, we're breaking down what the Jamison Taillon DFA means, whether the Cubs have officially shifted into win-now mode, and what Jed Hoyer needs to do before the trade deadline.

🚨 Status Revoked – Did the Cubs send their strongest message yet by DFA'ing Jamison Taillon?

🏆 MVPete Campaign Headquarters – Has Shohei Ohtani become the automatic MVP favorite every year, or does Pete Crow-Armstrong have a legitimate case?

👏 Kudos for Craig? – What's the best managerial decision Craig Counsell has made this season that won't show up in the box score?

⏰ Tik Tok Jed – What's the bigger deadline mistake: paying too much... or doing too little?

💥 Topic of the Week – Offensive Onslaught – Has the Cubs' offense become good enough to carry this team, regardless of what happens at the trade deadline?

🍺 Grab an Old Style, grab a bleacher seat, and join us for another episode of Club 1:20!

👇 Question of the Week:

If you could make ONE move before the trade deadline, what would it be? Let us know in the comments!

If you enjoy the show, be sure to like, subscribe, and share to help more Cubs fans find Club 1:20.

#Cubs #ChicagoCubs #MLB #PeteCrowArmstrong #TradeDeadline #JedHoyer #CraigCounsell #Club120

The Cubs don’t make sense.

More than 100 games into the season, they’ve already used 40+ pitchers, survived two 10-game winning streaks, endured a 10-game losing streak, and continue to climb the National League Wild Card standings despite one of the weakest statistical pitching staffs among playoff contenders.

So… how?

In Episode 3 of The Margin, we investigate where the Cubs are stealing wins.

⚾ In this episode:

Why scoring first matters—but isn’t the whole story.

This isn’t a recap.

It’s an investigation into the hidden edges that keep the Cubs in the playoff hunt.

Because championships aren’t always won by the most talented team… they’re won in the margin.

⸻

👍 If you enjoy analytical Cubs content that goes beyond the box score, like this video, subscribe, and join us every week as we go looking for the next hidden edge.

⸻

Chasing wins, not stats.