Two players stood out for wrong reasons for Cubs this weekend

The Chicago Cubs looked like a team capable of outrunning their flaws during their recent 10-game winning streak. Their pitching staff is holding together despite losing starter Matthew Boyd, relievers Caleb Thielbar and Riley Martin to injuries.

They went 7-0 at Wrigley Field, which included a 4-game sweep over the Cincinnati Reds, featuring 3 consecutive walk-off wins. It felt sustainable only if you didn’t look too closely.

The Texas Rangers made everyone look closely.

The Cubs dropped two of three in Arlington over the weekend, losing the last two games by a combined 9-0 score. On Sunday, Rangers starter Jacob DeGrom flashed his old self, striking out 10 Cubs batters, allowing only 3 hits and 0 walks, with Nico Hoerner having 2 of the 3 hits.

While losing two out of three against the Rangers is nothing to be ashamed of, this series was a reminder that the margin for error is microscopic, and the players they’re counting on the most are starting to show strain.

Moisés Ballesteros hits the rookie wall — Hard

After sitting out the first two games, Moisés Ballesteros looked completely overmatched against deGrom on Sunday. He is hitting only .163 in his last 15 games. After a scorching start that made him look like the Cubs’ next homegrown star, the league has adjusted, and Ballesteros has not adjusted back.

Meanwhile, Michael Conforto, who started at DH in the first two games, has been swinging the bat well. He had a huge walk-off home run against the Reds last Monday night. After a slow start, he is starting to show the plate discipline, power, and ability to lengthen the lineup. And right now, the Cubs need someone who can grind at‑bats and give them professional swings against elite pitching. Why was he not in the lineup against DeGrom on Sunday?

The Cubs need to protect Ballesteros from overexposure, especially with the league adjusting and the schedule tightening anyway. Demoting him to the lower half of the lineup or playing Conforto on certain matchups gives him the breather he needs.

A slight shift in playing time is not a demotion. It is part of his development, which Ballesteros needs to understand and must learn from to take the next step.

Edward Cabrera’s command issues finally cost him

The Cubs acquired Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins this past offseason, hoping he would pitch like an ace. He opened the season with ace‑level outings, but the last several starts have shown rising hits, reduced swing‑and‑miss, and more hard contact. And on Saturday, he gave up 7 hits and 5 earned runs in a loss that snapped their 10-game winning streak.

MLB analyst Nape Roper said the other day that he saw Cabrera’s regression coming in his recent tweet.

Cabrera faced regression last night, allowing 5 ER over 5 innings, surrendering two solo shots to Josh Jung and Justin Foscue.

The same trends were present, including a lack of velocity and less movement on the curve. https://t.co/4iZmKqTOy0

— Nate Roper (@NateRoper_) May 10, 2026

Cabrera has now allowed three or more earned runs in six straight starts and dragged his ERA upward, erasing the early‑season optimism around his stuff.

The concerns Roper pointed out are:

• Velocity is down nearly 1.5 mph from April
• Whiff rate on the changeup has cratered
• Hard contact is up, especially early in counts
• Hitters are sitting on his fastball

Fans know the Cubs desperately need to add another frontline starter. But it will not happen for another month or two. And with the rotation already decimated by injuries — Horton out, Steele out, Boyd out — Cabrera has to stabilize things and needs to be an ace of this staff. Instead, his performance against the Rangers showed he has suddenly become the biggest question mark in a rotation.

The post Two players stood out for wrong reasons for Cubs this weekend appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/two-players-stood-out-for-wrong-reasons-for-cubs-this-weekend/