When last we checked in on our faithful heroes, they had lost two out of three on a quick trip to Pittsburgh. On the back of being swept in four straight games by the Phillies to end the last homestand, that made six losses in seven games. Suddenly the team found itself in third place and 2½ games out of first place in the National League East after spending more than a month either in first or within a half game of the lead. There was definitely reason to be pessimistic.
Yet, the Cubs had made a trade in May for Dennis Eckersley who’d given the Cubs consistent deep starts even if the team wasn’t yet winning many games when he pitched.