The Cubs (48-53) opened up the second half by dropping a series to the Diamondbacks at Wrigley. They were able to salvage the final game of the set with a dramatic 9th-inning comeback, but the offensive struggles that were such a big part of their flailing in May and June returned with a vengeance as they tallied just four total runs against Arizona pitchers.
Things don’t get any easier with a matchup against the first-place Brewers (57-42) starting Monday. Pat Murphy‘s squad came out of the All-Star break with no hitting problems, putting up 16 runs in a two-game mini-sweep of the Twins.