The Chicago Cubs are stumbling through a season that can only be described as a rollercoaster of mediocrity. Sitting at 34-32 and stuck in fourth place in the NL Central, the team is eight games behind the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers. For most clubs, that gap would signal the beginning of a panic — but Ian Happ isn’t ready to sound the alarms. Yet.
In a recent sit-down with 104.3 The Score, Happ addressed the growing chatter that the division is slipping away from the Cubs. His response? Defiant, but with a noticeable edge. “I wouldn’t say slipping away,” Happ said, according to sources close to the interview. “Obviously for us, not where we wanted to be. Didn’t want to be looking up at it. The Brewers have played great baseball… I think for us, looking at the division standings, it’s not going to help. That doesn’t put us in a better spot.”
But insiders say that behind closed doors, the mood in the Cubs’ clubhouse is far less confident. One team source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told us that players are reportedly growing frustrated with the lack of consistency. “Nobody’s waving the white flag yet, but you can feel the tension,” the source said. “They know time is running out.”
The Brewers Are Surging — And the Cubs Are Stalling
Milwaukee hasn’t just been good — they’ve been dominant, building an eight-game cushion that feels increasingly insurmountable. Meanwhile, the Cubs have been plagued by injuries and underperformance across the board. Multiple roster holes have left the front office reportedly scrambling for trade solutions ahead of the deadline.
“What we have to do is, we have to play better,” Happ added during the interview, a sentiment that sounds simple but has proven difficult for this squad to execute.
Can One Player Carry the Load?
Happ, 31, has been one of the few bright spots. The 2021 All-Star is slashing .232/.347/.485 with 14 home runs, 13 doubles, and two triples. His four Gold Gloves remind everyone that he’s still elite in the outfield. But baseball is a team sport, and one man can’t drag a whole franchise out of the mud.
Observers are buzzing about what the Cubs will do next. Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? According to multiple reports, Chicago’s front office is keeping all options open — but a move to bolster the roster seems increasingly likely if they want to close that eight-game gap.
For now, the immediate focus is on Tuesday night’s road matchup against the Colorado Rockies at 8:40 PM EST. It’s a game that, on paper, should be winnable. But for a team that has been as unpredictable as the Cubs, nothing is guaranteed.
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