3 questions the Cubs face before the postseason, as the Brewers clinch the division

CINCINNATI — A clinched playoff spot doesn’t eliminate the sting of a series featuring missed opportunities for the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs were swept by the Cincinnati Reds with a 1-0 loss on Sunday, which wrapped up the division title for the Milwaukee Brewers. In a season that has been defined by limiting the lows, the Cubs (88-68) have lost four consecutive games for the first time since June 2024.

Third baseman Matt Shaw was not with the team Sunday because he was attending the funeral of a friend, manager Craig Counsell said. Shaw’s absence proved costly in the ninth inning when Counsell was unable to pinch run for Moisés Ballesteros, who opened the inning with a walk and represented the tying run, because the switch-hitting Willi Castro was needed to pinch hit for the next batter, Justin Turner.

Reds right-hander Tony Santillan struck out and walked Michael Busch to put two on for Pete Crow-Armstrong. The runners were stranded when Crow-Armstrong struck out looking to end the game.

The Cubs’ lead for the top wild-card spot and host of that round is down to three games over the San Diego Padres. Since the two teams split the season series, the next tiebreaker is interdivision records, of which the Padres currently hold the advantage. With a week left in the regular season, the Cubs have three key questions to answer.

1. Is Kyle Tucker healthy enough to contribute?

Whether Kyle Tucker will be back in the Cubs’ lineup at some point during their final six-game homestand remains unclear. And with that, questions about his readiness for the first game in the wild-card series on Sept. 30.

Tucker left the team Wednesday to head to Tampa, Fla., for additional treatment on his left calf strain with a physical therapy group he worked with following his shin fracture last year with Houston. The injury has kept him out of the lineup since Sept. 2 and subsequently landed him on the injured list.

Tucker will fly back to Chicago on Monday’s off day, then be assessed. Manager Craig Counsell does not expect him to be in Tuesday’s lineup. As of Sunday, Tucker had still not attempted to run, which was the main hurdle he had been struggling to clear. Previous running attempts resulted in feeling something in his left calf.

Tucker would ideally like to get some regular-season at-bats before the playoffs begin. But time continues to work against the 28-year-old right fielder, who realistically has five games left for reps.

“I think when is more important right now to figure out,” Counsell said Sunday. “We’ve got to figure out when, and if, he’s going to be available.”

During Tucker’s absence, Counsell has largely used Seiya Suzuki in right field and a mix of options as their designated hitter, including Ballesteros. When Tucker is going well at the plate, his mix of approach and slug is an important part of a locked-in offensive group. Tucker, an impending free agent, doesn’t typically take many non-game swings as part of his pregame work and rarely is part of on-field batting practice.

How the long layoff from game action will impact his timing at the plate is an obvious unknown. However, the lack of clarity on his availability is not the position Tucker and the Cubs want to be in entering the final week of the regular season.

2. Who gets the ball for Game 1 in the wild-card series?

The Cubs have a few options they can consider to start Game 1 of the wild-card series.

Left-handers Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd have been two of the top starters the last two seasons and provide reliability when they take the mound. What rookie right-hander Cade Horton has shown this season, especially the last three months, makes him the potential frontrunner for the National League Rookie of the Year award and is the Cubs’ hot hand in the rotation entering the playoffs.

Horton’s performance in the second half puts him in elite company. The 24-year-old owns a 0.93 ERA in his 11 second-half starts spanning 58 1/3 innings. Counsell isn’t ready to provide any insight as to who the Cubs might go with to open the wild-card series. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Chicago Tribune that the Cubs want to get through pitchers’ final turn before locking in decisions.

“I hate telling a guy one thing, and then something comes up, you change your mind, or an injury happens or something so we want to cross the finish line,” Hottovy said. “We’ll line these guys up accordingly after that. But I think as soon as those guys start getting through these last starts, we’ll probably have a good idea where they’re going to be.”

Horton is scheduled to make his final regular-season start Tuesday against the Mets, while Boyd and Imanaga are slated to start the last two games of the series versus New York.

3. How will they put together their wild-card roster?

Figuring out who they want to carry on the postseason roster for the opening round will be an important discussion this upcoming week.

Among the toughest decisions is whether they carry three catchers, how many starting pitchers they want on the roster for the three-game series, and the balance to have on the bench. Since the Triple-A Iowa season ended Sunday, Miguel Amaya (ankle sprain) is heading to the team’s complex in Arizona to continue to work back from the injury. The Cubs were encouraged by his progress in the last week, though Amaya’s ankle is still not quite at 100%. Counsell expects Amaya to join the Cubs by the end of the weekend, though it’s not certain that means he will come off the IL. Reese McGuire’s performance this year has given the Cubs a great backup option to Carson Kelly.

Among those joining Amaya as a stay-ready group in Arizona: right-hander Porter Hodge, right-hander Ben Brown, Triple-A first baseman Jonathon Long and left-hander Austin Gomber. Long and Gomber are part of the group because they live in the Phoenix area.

The Cubs won’t need more than three starters for the wild card, so figuring out how many starters they want to use in the bullpen versus having ready for the division series if they advance is part of the equation. Beyond starters Jameson Taillon and Colin Rea, they also have multi-inning options with Michael Soroka, Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks. Daniel Palencia is trending towards a return from the IL after his rehab outing on Friday went well.

Counsell anticipates the Cubs carrying more position players than pitchers due to the shorter series. The Cubs must also decide what bench combination of Ballesteros, Carlos Santana, Justin Turner and Kevin Alcantara they might want to utilize.

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