The Chicago Cubs’ struggles continued on Tuesday as they suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The game quickly slipped away with the Pirates exploding for five runs in the first inning, paving the way for a commanding 12-1 victory. This defeat extends the Cubs’ losing streak to a daunting 10 games, highlighting ongoing issues that have plagued the team during this tough stretch.
Throughout this losing streak, the Cubs’ offense has been notably ineffective at capitalizing on opportunities. On Tuesday, the team went just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position, leaving a total of 11 runners stranded. This offensive drought has been compounded by significant injuries in the pitching rotation, sidelining key players like Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Justin Steele, and Edward Cabrera. As a result, Jordan Wicks made his first MLB start since 2024, struggling as he allowed eight runs on nine hits over 4 ⅓ innings.
Despite the offense being mostly intact—aside from part-time player Matt Shaw’s absence—collectively, they have failed to deliver at the plate. The current situation is undeniably chaotic for the Cubs.
Meanwhile, in the latest MLB Power Rankings, the Milwaukee Brewers have surged into the top three, while the Cubs have slipped down the list. The New York Mets and the Detroit Tigers have found themselves among the bottom five.
Currently, the Cubs maintain a record above .500 at 29-26, but this is largely attributed to two separate 10-game winning streaks earlier in the season. They began the year with a 7-9 record, then embarked on a 10-game winning spree, followed by a three-game losing streak, another 10-game winning run, and have since stumbled to a 2-14 record post the second streak. Excluding those streaks, the Cubs are just 9-26. Notably, these are the longest winning streaks in Major League Baseball this season, with no other team achieving more than an eight-game streak thus far.
The Cubs are still above .500 at 29-26 and that’s largely due to two separate 10-game winning streaks earlier this season. They started 7-9, then won 10 in a row, lost three in a row, won 10 straight and have gone 2-14 since the second winning streak. The Cubs are only 9-26 other than the two winning streaks. Those are the two longest winning streaks in baseball this season, too, as no other team has a winning streak of more than eight games so far.
The Cubs are now two losses away from the longest losing streak of the 2026 season, too, trailing only the Mets’ 12-game losing streak (the Phillies also lost 10 in a row earlier).
This is the first time since the 2017 Dodgers that a team has had two 10-game winning streaks and a 10-game losing streak in the same season. It’s May 26!
This is the earliest in a season a team has ever pulled off what the Cubs have done. Remember, the Cubs joined four other teams in history by having two 10-game winning streaks in the first 40 games. None of those teams lost more than five in a row in their respective seasons.
This is to say that while it might sound hyperbolic to say something like “we’ve never seen anything like this,” we actually haven’t. Not this early in the season. It’s the most extreme sequencing we’ve ever seen before the calendar turns to June.
Further, the Cubs are now approaching dubious franchise history. They’re currently tied for the 13th-longest losing streak in Cubs history. This is the longest losing streak since they lost 12 straight (twice) in 2021. The record isn’t too far off. The Cubs started the 1997 season 0-14 and that 14-game losing streak is the longest in franchise history.
On Wednesday, the Cubs send Jameson Taillon (2-4, 5.20 ERA) to the hill against Bubba Chandler (1-6, 4.79) of the Pirates.
