This was supposed to be a make-or-break series. But then the Brewers won 14 straight while the Cubs replaced their bats with pool noodles.

The Chicago Cubs own the NL’s top Wild Card spot ahead of Monday night’s bout with the Milwaukee Brewers, but they could’ve been even higher in the standings if their prized offseason acquisition had played better recently.

The Chicago Cubs have started up a key series against the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers to begin the week with the hope of building some momentum.  It has been a to

He lasted 2.2 innings on Monday, allowing a run on a Brice Turang homer, with four hits, a walk, and three strikeouts. Cubs manager Craig Counsell visited Horton on the mound twice in the early innings before ultimately pulling him. Horton had thrown seven consecutive pitches outside the strike zone before his exit.

The Chicago Cubs are seriously down on their luck. The team has posted a feeble 3-7 record in their last 10 games and has fallen 9 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division.

The Chicago Cubs once had a strong lead in the National League Central. However, the Milwaukee Brewers entered Sunday with a nine-game lead.

As the July 31 trade deadline neared, the Cubs, with one of the best records in baseball, were cast by seemingly all the national experts as big swingers, total movers and shakers, on the short list of contenders that were ready to pounce on major opportunities to improve their World Series chances. Remember that nonsense?

The MLB playoffs are quickly approaching, and there has been a lot of movement in the wild card standings — and the playoff odds — in the last week. For the res