Seiya Suzuki's hot week keeps the Cubs in a rare race

Seiya Suzuki keeps pounding the baseball for the Chicago Cubs, batting .333 with two homers over a six-game week that ended in a split. That production matters because the Cubs sit five games behind Milwaukee and must pick up the pace, while a rare dual-contention Crosstown Classic at Wrigley Field underscores how little margin they have left.

Key Takeaways

• Seiya Suzuki hit .333/.385/.750 (8-for-24) with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and six runs over six games, a stretch that fits his five-year Cubs consistency.
• Alex Bregman launched four homers in two games against the Nationals, including the first three-homer game of his career, while Clay Holmes threw 6.2 one-hit innings in his first Wrigley Field start.
• The Cubs split six games (two of three in Washington, then two of three losses to St. Louis) and, as of Aug. 17, sat at 72-53, five games behind the Brewers.
• Chicago's dual-contention moment is historically rare: only 11 such mid-August snapshots since 1901, one Windy City World Series (1906), and about 63-to-1 odds of a 2026 rematch.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong, Edward Cabrera and Michael Busch were the week's notable slumps, even as fans packed Wrigley for the Crosstown Classic.

Why does Seiya Suzuki's week matter for the Cubs?

The top question after a split week is simple: who actually moved the Cubs forward? According to Bleed Cubbie Blue, Seiya Suzuki did, going 8-for-24 with a .750 slugging percentage, four doubles, two homers, seven RBI and six runs scored.

Managing editor Al Yellon noted that Suzuki's numbers have been remarkably consistent all year and, indeed, over his five years with the Cubs. That is the then-and-now thread: this is not a one-week fluke. It is the same hitter Chicago has watched across five seasons.

Yellon argued the club should make retaining Suzuki a top priority for the next few seasons. A three-run homer from Suzuki won Friday's game, giving the week a signature swing rather than empty highlights.

Context makes that bat louder. ESPN's Aug. 17 snapshot had the Cubs at 72-53, five games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, with a 12.7% National League pennant probability. Bleed Cubbie Blue put it bluntly: they will have to pick up the pace this week if they still hope to catch the Brewers.

How did Alex Bregman and Clay Holmes change the picture?

Alex Bregman's bat came alive in Washington. He hit four home runs in the first two games against the Nationals, including the first three-homer game of his career in Wednesday's win.

Over the six-game week he batted .300/.440/.900 (6-for-20) with those four homers, eight RBI, five walks and six runs scored. He also led all National League players with 557 plate appearances this year, a volume stat that shows how often Chicago has needed him in the lineup.

Clay Holmes, acquired in a trade, finally looked like the pitcher the Cubs thought they were getting. After a rough first start as a Cub in Kansas City, he was lights-out against the Cardinals on Friday at Wrigley, throwing 6.2 one-hit innings.

Eleven of his 20 outs were ground balls, the sinker-and-sweeper profile Bleed Cubbie Blue highlighted from the start. Yellon wrote that if Holmes keeps that up, it will be a very good trade, even if he is a rental only.

There was a quieter plus: Javier Assad posted another solid relief outing and his second save of the year. His reward, as Yellon noted, was a return to Triple-A Iowa despite a 2.35 ERA and 1.043 WHIP in 16 games and 61.1 innings since May 5.

Who cooled off while Chicago chased a rare dual-contention week?

The same recap listed three downs. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs but had only one other hit, batting .107/.107/.357 (3-for-28) with no walks and 10 strikeouts. Yellon said he had become so good at drawing walks that the league might have adjusted, and that adjusting back might take time.

Edward Cabrera's return from the injured list on Sunday was rough. After the game he said a blister issue might have caused command problems, including three walks in the fourth inning. Blisters have been a problem throughout his career, and Yellon suggested skipping Cabrera's next turn through the rotation.

Michael Busch might need a reset. He batted .200/.238/.200 (4-for-20) with no extra-base hits and six strikeouts in the first five games of the week before manager Craig Counsell gave him Sunday off.

Busch has hit only one home run in his last 112 plate appearances dating to July 21 and has batted just .243/.277/.295 in those 25 games. He has reached a career high in walks and owns a .353 on-base percentage, but more power would help.

What does this Crosstown moment say about then and now?

While Suzuki, Bregman and Holmes were carrying a split week, both Chicago clubs arrived at Wrigley as October hopefuls. That pairing is the nostalgia hook: a Nostalgia: Then & Now city still chasing a Fall Classic rematch that has not happened since 1906.

An ESPN historical review found that, using Aug. 17 as the snapshot date back to 1901, both teams have been in contention (within five games of a playoff slot) in only 11 of 126 modern-era seasons, or 9 percent. They have both made the postseason in the same year just three times: 1906, 2008 and the shortened 2020 season.

The only Cubs-White Sox World Series remains 1906, when the Cubs set the modern record by going 116-36 and the White Sox won a six-game upset. On Aug. 17, 2026, ESPN's simulations put a Windy City World Series at about 63-to-1, long odds that are still among the best mid-August chances in modern history.

The White Sox sat 65-58, 5½ games ahead of Detroit in the AL Central, after a three-game sweep of the Tigers. The Cubs had just dropped two of three at home to St. Louis. In May, the Sox took two of three, the series clincher coming on an extra-inning homer by Edgar Quero during what became a 10-game Cubs skid.

The Chicago Sun-Times described thousands of fans swarming Wrigley on Monday for the Crosstown Classic. Kenneth McGhee wore a jersey split Cubs on one side and Sox on the other. Mark Yolkowski and his son Hudson, on a layover from Toronto to Minnesota, called the vibe unreal after Hudson caught a batting-practice ball.

Then was 1906, when both clubs sat in first place on Aug. 17, the only time that has happened. Now is a Cubs team leaning on Seiya Suzuki's familiar thump, Bregman's sudden power burst and Holmes' first Wrigley start, trying to turn a split week into a chase that Chicago has rarely been able to share.