The sky has been falling for a while on the north side of Chicago. Fans are unhappy and, on occasion, booing in Wrigley Field. After all, the Cubs had a 6 ½-game lead in the NL Central after beating the Brewers on June 17, humming along with one of the best offenses in baseball.

Dansby Swanson hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Sunday in the rubber game of the weekend series. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ each had two hits for Chicago,

Fresh off the loss of their 14-game winning streak, the Milwaukee Brewers just kept winning, taking a 7-0 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley.

The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 at Wrigley Field on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. Chicago Cubs pitcher Andrew Kittredge (59) takes a breath before throwing a pitch during the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

It has not been a fun stretch for the Chicago Cubs by any means. Following the All-Star break, as the team began to sputter to the point where they sat with an