AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The Rundown: Cubs Extend Wrigley Win Streak to 12, Counsell Turning Scrap into Gold, Trout Playing Elite Baseball Again

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMay 5, 2026

“I was bitten by a boar, I’ve been gouged and I’ve been gored, but I pulled on through. Yes, I’m a sack of broken eggs, I always have an unmade bed, don’t you?” – Monkey Man by The Rolling Stones.

There’s something different about this year’s Cubs team, and I couldn’t put my finger on it until last night. I realized what it was when Jim Deshaies said, “Be a hero, Mike” while Michael Conforto was at the plate in the 9th inning. No matter the circumstance, I expect the Cubs to win, especially at home. That’s a feeling that has been absent on the North Side since the 2017 divisional series. Deshaies had barely finished speaking when Conforto and the Cubs were celebrating a walk-off 5-4 win.

Before going any further, a lot of fans owe Conforto, Jed Hoyer, and Craig Counsell an apology. The veteran outfielder had long been connected to Chicago, and Hoyer finally signed him. Counsell, who has been masterful as a manager this year, is becoming nearly impervious to second-guessing. Everything he does, including pinch-hitting Conforto for Matt Shaw, who pinch-ran for Moisés Ballesteros an inning earlier, turns to gold. Did anybody doubt that it was the right decision before the game-winning home run? I didn’t, because I don’t doubt Counsell and because I now always expect the Cubs to win.

“What Michael did…it’s just so hard,” Counsell told reporters after the game. “No at-bats in four days, there’s nobody on base, but he’s got the ability to do that.”

Counsell wasn’t lying. His look of absolute disbelief when greeting the players on the field after the game was his tell. The boyish-looking skipper had that “Am I lucky or am I just good” look on his face as he greeted Conforto. Counsell probably credits serendipity, but he’s previously been the type of manager who summons good fortune out of thin air, a fact Cubs fans know all too well from his days sitting in the visitor’s dugout while managing the Brewers. That voodoo magic that once left devotees of Chicago’s North Side Baseballers searching for answers and grasping at straws seems to have found a strong measure of hometown counterbalance.

Thus, the feeling of near invincibility.

The Cubs have now won six straight and 17 of 21, and they haven’t lost at home since April 11. They’re 7-2 in one-run games, a statistic that is commonly credited mostly to the manager. They were 17-9 in April and they’re undefeated in May. The concept of losing at Wrigley Field seems unfathomable, though Chicago’s current heater can’t last forever. That said, Hoyer has finally built a team that seems unsusceptible to prolonged losing streaks. Imagine where the Cubs might be with a fully healthy pitching staff?

Then again, a team that is clicking as well as the Cubs frequently gets a big boost from its unsung heroes. Conforto had his turn last night, and there might not be a more deserving player in all of baseball. The reserve outfielder laid waste to lofty pre-professional expectations and unfulfilled potential with one swing of the bat. The last player to walk it off with his first home run as a Cub was Orlando Merced in a 15-12 win over the Brewers in 1998. I forgot that guy even played for the Cubs, and I may well think the same about Conforto one day, but not this one.

What heroic endeavor should we expect tonight? Ian Happ facing a left-handed Reds pitcher is always a safe bet, and Seiya Suzuki primed his engine with a three-run blast yesterday evening. Suzuki’s a fine choice, but I’m putting my money on Alex Bregman, who’s due for his first signature game as a Cub. Jameson Taillon takes the bump tonight, with Andrew Abbott scheduled to oppose. Abbott has a propensity for putting runners on base, and it’s going to be a wipeout if the Cubs strike early.

Cubs News & Notes

  • Conforto said he was probably playing Tee Ball when he last hit a walk-off tater. “The flags were friendly, so I felt like I got it,” Conforto said. “That’s a swing I’ve been looking for for a couple years. Something I kind of came up doing, gap-to-gap power. That one felt really good.”
  • The outfielder’s oppo-taco capped a wild 9th-inning rally against closer Emilio Pagán and sent the North Siders rolling to their 12th consecutive win at the Friendly Confines.
  • Conforto was a late-winter free agency signing and not expected to make the team after batting .199 for the Dodgers in 2025.
  • Counsell warned hitting coaches Dustin Kelly and John Mallee not to overcomplicate things for Ballesteros ($), and it’s worked out quite well.
  • Ballesteros has quickly become one of the league’s young breakout stars.
  • In a piece for The Athletic, Joe Maddon named Jason Heyward, David Ross, and Cliff Floyd the three best leaders ($) he ever managed.
  • Bregman has yet to hit his stride as a batter, but he’s not lacking in energy and has been this team’s leader since arriving.
  • The Cubs scored another win in their ongoing legal battle with the Wrigley rooftop owners.

Ball Four

There was a little controversy last night, and Pete Crow-Armstrong was right, though he could have handled it differently. Crow-Armstrong was already in the air when Matt Shaw gave him the slide sign. It’s a bang-bang play, and it worked out, but let’s hope there are no hard feelings.

PCA took the blame for not sliding in a post-game interview, in case you were unaware.

Central Intelligence

How About That!

Angels outfielder Mike Trout has returned to elite form. Through 34 games, he has 10 homers and a .983 OPS. Trout also leads the American League with 30 runs scored and the majors with 34 walks. His next challenge is staying healthy all season.

The Marlins are designating starter Chris Paddack for assignment.

The Phillies have won six of seven since Don Mattingly was named the team’s interim manager.

The White Sox added veteran Randal Grichuk to their ever-changing outfield mix.

Apropos of Nothing

I quit drinking soda some time ago, but I had a Pepsi last night with some leftover pizza and immediately felt an insane craving for more. There has to be something in that swill that triggers a massive dopamine release and an almost immediate addiction. I imagine we can someday expect a class action suit against the soda maker. I’ll be at the front of the line.

Extra innings

Was there ever any doubt?

They Said It

  • “You just kind of try to convince yourself you’re going to be the guy in that spot. But it’s up to Counse what he wants in whatever moment. Say Nico walks [instead of hitting a sacrifice fly], the situation calls for something different. He’s going to do what he feels like is best for the team. He made a late switch there.” – Conforto
  • “We wanted Moisés, as much as anything, to just be himself. His timing is his great gift. He has to go through how the league is going to try to adjust to him, but not forget about what he’s good at, which is his swing. He’s going to swing a lot. He’s going to put the ball in play a lot. And you got to keep going when you go through a stretch where they catch everything.” – Counsell
  • “[Counsell] kind of looked over. We’re all sitting there, and he’s like, ‘Don’t f**k [Ballesteros] up. Stay away from him.” – Kelly
  • “He was half-joking, but he was right.” – Mallee
  • “Even when [Heyward] was not hitting — and like everyone, there were times he struggled — I always believed we were a better team on the field because of him. His presence. His outfield play and arm. His willingness to compete, and how everybody else fed off of that.” – Maddon

Tuesday Walk-Up Song

It’s a chilly 50 degrees here so I need to focus on hot summer days and warm, starlit evenings with good music and a cold beverage.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMay 5, 2026
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