Erin Hooley/AP Photos
The Cubs’ season-opening gauntlet is over.
Well, sort of. It depends who you ask.
They’ve played 26 of their 29 games against contenders – the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Padres, Rangers and Phillies – and they’ve emerged mostly triumphant, owners of the highest-scoring offense in baseball and a 17-12 record that tops the NL Central.
A road trip to face off, finally, against division foes in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee would seem like an earned respite.
But that’s not how the Cubs see it.