So, that sucked, huh? The Chicago Cubs closed out May with a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night baseball, wrapping up a 13-16 record for the month. On the surface, three games below .500 over a 29-game stretch isn’t the worst thing in the world, but considering the Cubs ended May by going 5-16, including both awful starting pitching and horrendous hitting, then you do feel like it was awful.
With that being said, there were some things that actually went great for the Cubs despite the gut-wrenching month of May. So, let’s take a look at the positive developments from the past month.
Ben Brown Has Arrived
Ben Brown looked dominant at times coming up through the Cubs’ minor league system, as he paired a power fastball with a devastating curveball. He had a solid rookie season, but a benign bone tumor derailed his 2024 campaign. Still, the Cubs had high hopes for Brown, who was in the starting rotation through late June of 2025.
Now, a year later, Brown has returned to the starting rotation, and he hasn’t just been a quality depth option, he has legitimately turned into the team’s best starting pitcher after May.
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He was inserted into the rotation following the knee injury to Matthew Boyd in early May, and while he was eased in as he built up his pitch count, Brown has quickly become a real difference-maker for the Cubs.
Brown was getting big outs out of the bullpen to begin the regular season, and now he’s locking down a spot in the starting rotation.
Michael Busch is Back
The first baseman was the team’s top hitter in 2025, and he had high expectations after the team let Kyle Tucker walk in the offseason. It was a brutal first couple of weeks for Michael Busch, who had a .454 OPS through April 19. Since then, Busch has homered six times, four of which came in May.
The left-handed batter ended the month with a 173 wRC+, sixth best in MLB. He slashed .300/.446/.510, which were the best numbers among all first basemen in the National League.
Busch was moved off the leadoff spot in the middle of April, and whether it was a mental thing or not, moving out of that spot has resulted in much better numbers, essentially returning to his 2025 form.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Is Hitting
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s emergence goes back to April 14, as the center fielder has posted a 129 wRC+ over his last 44 games. In May alone, Crow-Armstrong hit four home runs, five doubles, and a triple, while recording a .344 OBP.
They’re not league-leading numbers, but Crow-Armstrong has quietly made giant strides in his hitting profile.
From season-to-season, Crow-Armstrong has increased his hard-hit rate and the results are matching the data.
So, after starting the year with a slash line of .203/.239/.266 in 68 plate appearances, Crow-Armstrong is up to .237/.325/.388, a 105 wRC+ that, when combined with the best defense in center field, has him at a 2.4 fWAR in 60 games.
Jacob Webb Is A High-Leverage Reliever
This dude was public enemy number one among the fan base early in the year, but Jacob Webb has not only gotten better, he might be Craig Counsell’s most trusted reliever at this point.
Webb allowed at least one run to score in nearly half of his appearances through April. Since then, Webb has only given up one earned run in 14 innings, while recording a two-inning save, three holds, and earning a win out of the bullpen in 12 appearances.
He’s looked great, as the 0.64 ERA in May is backed up by a 19/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 48.4 ground ball rate.
The Cubs have been dealt a cruel hand with pitching injuries this season, and the bullpen has been in shambles since early April. Webb’s success has been a welcome surprise.
