The unofficial end of the first half has arrived in MLB, and if you had told Chicago Cubs fans at the start of the year that the team would have the fifth-best record in baseball, they would be satisfied, but disappointed and probably pissed off that they’re five games back of the Milwaukee Brewers. Expectations were sky-high heading into 2026; the team looked great in early May, but the fan base was in shambles by mid-June, and so was the Cubs’ pitching staff. Looking back at the first half, it’s miraculous that not only have the Cubs survived so many extreme obstacles, but they’re also still one of the best teams in baseball.
For as much shit as Craig Counsell has received from Cubs fans and around the league, I’m not sure we’ve seen a manager get more out of less in Chicago than Counsell has done so far in 2026. First, let’s begin with the raw numbers. At 54-12, they’re 6.5 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in MLB, and five games back of the Brewers for first place in the NL Central.
The Cubs have reached that win-total despite the following results from the pitching staff:
Starting Rotation: 4.52 ERA (23rd)
Bullpen: 4.09 ERA (16th)
24 Quality Starts (6th fewest)
16 Blown Saves (4th most)
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More on the pitching staff. The bullpen has only four relief pitchers with enough innings to qualify for MLB’s leaderboard. There are only two teams with fewer qualified relief pitchers. By the way, out of those four relievers for the Cubs, half of them weren’t even on the Opening Day roster, as Ryan Rolison was called up from Triple-A on April 14, while Trenton Thornton made his season debut on May 6.
The other two relievers who have been around for the majority of the season are Jacob Webb, who almost seemed destined to be DFA’d after April, and Hoby Milner, who is currently on the injured list with appendicitis and hasn’t pitched since June 25.
Due to the nature of the season, which includes a bunch of walk-off losses, a 10-game losing streak, and lots of blowout wins, the Cubs only have 20 saves, ranked 25th in MLB. What makes that stat crazier is that 10 pitchers have at least one save for the Cubs so far in 2026. Last year’s save leader, Daniel Palencia, has been on the injured list twice this season, so he only has three saves. Webb currently leads the group with five, while Thornton is second with three.
Shōta Imanaga is the only qualified starting pitcher for the Cubs, and that’s not a surprise as he’s been the only starter on the team who has not been on the injured list in 2026.
Chicago Cubs SP Injuries
Cade Horton: Tommy John Surgery, out for the year, only made 2 starts
Matthew Boyd: 2 trips to IL, 9 starts, 46 IP
Edward Cabrera: 2 trips to IL, 14 starts, 72.1 IP
Jameson Taillon: out since June 7, 13 starts, 67.2 IP
Ben Brown: out since June 19, 8 starts, 68 IP
Justin Steele: setback during rehab, has not pitched in 2026
Oh, and the bullpen injuries: Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, Ethan Roberts, and Riley Martin have all been on the injured list at least once.
While the offense has been on fire lately, we already remember the month-plus slump that hit nearly the entire lineup. From May 9 through June 16, the Cubs had the third-worst offense in baseball, posting a slash line of .217/.306/.355 over 35 games. During that stretch, the Cubs scored only 3.45 runs per game, the second-worst mark behind the San Diego Padres.
And despite all that, Counsell has managed the Cubs to a 54-42 record. Pretty damn impressive considering the circumstances, and if the team can get a little healthier and add a few more arms by the trade deadline, then Counsell might just end up as Manager of the Year.
