After expectations soared with two separate 10-game winning streaks early in the season, the Cubs crashed in May, falling out of first place and erasing nearly all of their cushion with a 10-game losing streak. June represents a new opportunity with a softer stretch in the schedule and starting pitchers potentially getting healthy. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney break down the month ahead, with a particular focus on Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, based on conversations with those players. For insights and information directly from the clubhouse, listen to “North Side Territory” all year round.  

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It’s a long season, but one-third of the way through a 162-game schedule is a good time to reassess, especially given the extremes of the club’s performance. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney give their takes, based on information from their travels, and conversations on the field and in the clubhouse. What’s the secret to the Brewers’ success? How will Craig Counsell adjust to the circumstances? And which direction will Jed Hoyer’s front office go at the trade deadline?  

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The 10-game losing streak is finally over. To put these wild swings of the season into context, listen to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney, who share field-level insights and clubhouse observations from their reporting. How are the Cubs reacting to these ups and downs? At this point, when should the club be counting on Steele to return? (Because the latest update did not sound promising.) Plus, an explainer of why Ben Brown appears to be a different pitcher right now.

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An extreme downturn has made those two 10-game winning streaks feel like ancient history. Even if it’s not quite time to panic, it’s fair to wonder how good this team really is, and question how the club is going to get out of this rut. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney have some ideas, based on their reporting from inside the clubhouse. After reshuffling the lineup, benching veteran players and calling up top prospects from the minors, how many more cards do the Cubs have left to play?

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Once again, the Brewers showed they are a superior team, dominating a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field from start to finish. As the Cubs try to regroup, The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney explain how they flipped from the hottest team in baseball to a club that looks completely discombobulated. Are the Brewers really that good? Shouldn’t Alex Bregman be better than this? And what do you want to see from Craig Counsell right now?

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PCA looks like he needs a break. After his vulgar exchange with a White Sox fan on the South Side went viral, the Gold Glove center fielder has committed two glaring errors, physical mistakes that he believes comes from a place of being mentally distracted. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney share their reporting from inside the Wrigley Field clubhouse, explaining what’s gone wrong for the Cubs recently. Plus, their understanding of the Edward Cabrera situation and how the Cubs might move forward with their pitching.  

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The PCA Show came to the South Side, which generated an electric atmosphere for the latest installment of the crosstown rivalry. In winning that three-game series, the White Sox showed off their young talent and exposed some areas of concern for the Cubs. Crow-Armstrong always plays with emotion, and the All-Star center fielder complimented the White Sox for the team they’re building, but the Cubs need to get their lineup going again. The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney also break down the state of a pitching staff that appears to be feeling the effects from all those injuries.

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Do the Cubs have enough top prospects in their farm system to make a blockbuster deal this summer? The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney are back with another primer on the trade deadline, bringing you the names to know and explaining the concepts that guide Chicago’s front office. Does Kevin Alcántara have a future at Wrigley Field? Could Pedro Ramírez be a keeper? And are Matt Shaw and Moisés Ballesteros untouchable parts of the major-league roster? It’s still early in the season, but these are relevant questions as the Cubs think about ways to fortify a World Series contender.

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Ahead of another crosstown series on the South Side, The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney empty their notebooks in Chicago. How has Brown evolved to the point where he might actually become that top-of-the-rotation starter the club previously envisioned? What do the Cubs see in the recently signed Hendriks, a former All-Star closer for the White Sox? And is this version of the White Sox for real? Get ready for a Cubs-Sox weekend with North Side Territory.

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Chicago’s front office does not expect to execute a major trade in May. But that process of scouting players, gathering information and reading the markets never really stops. And the Cubs have both a roster that can compete for a World Series title and a multitude of pitching injuries. For an overview of where things stand – and where this could be heading in the summer – The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney share their preliminary list of starters on the radar for the trade deadline.

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