Outside of sweeping the Giants and taking all three games from the Rockies to finish their home slate, the Cubs haven’t been playing a very fun brand of baseball in September. Their 11-14 record this month is indicative of a team that burned up all its emotional energy and has since been pressing to little avail, especially after consecutive late losses to the Braves. Even the wins over Colorado were filled with more anxiety than was necessary.
Much of the hand-wringing has come from relying on a bullpen that has been stretched thin by a series of injuries that left the back end almost barren.