The 2025 Chicago Cubs are a good team, probably good enough to play post-season ball.
However, they are not yet a great team, and Thursday afternoon’s 4-3 loss to the Giants in San Francisco contained several illustrations of their shortcomings.
Good teams can pile up wins, and that’s obviously a big deal. Even with this third straight loss, the Cubs remain 18 games above .500 and seemingly secure in their postseason position. But great teams can prevail in games where the outcome is in doubt, as was the case on Thursday.