The Pulse Ep. 6 | The Cubs Just Changed My Expectations

The Cubs didn't survive the grind. They owned it. After finishing a brutal stretch of 17 games in 17 days with a 12-5 record, the Cubs followed up an aggressive trade deadline by going 7-1 this week—including a sweep of the Dodgers, a walk-off win against Toronto, and another series win on the road in Kansas City. But Episode 6 of The Pulse isn't really about the record. It's about what that record has done to expectations. Last week, the Cubs organization told us it believed this team was worth investing in. This week, the players answered. And somewhere along the way, something changed for me as a Cubs fan: I expect them to win now. This week's Pulse: Validated. In this episode: Check the Pulse – The Cubs finish 17 games in 17 days at 12-5 and cap it with their best week of the season. 📈 Pulse Up – Javier Assad finally gets his opportunity, Kevin Gausman makes a strong first impression, and an offense getting contributions from everywhere keeps rolling. 📉 Pulse Down – When your team goes 7-1, you have to nitpick. Sorry, Clay Holmes. 👀 What I'm Watching – Ben Brown, Daniel Palencia, and Hoby Milner are getting healthy. The deadline additions have arrived. Suddenly Craig Counsell has options. So... who stays, who goes, and how does this pitching staff fit together? ⚾ Final Diagnosis – This team has changed my expectations. I'm not hoping the Cubs find a way to win anymore. I'm starting to expect it.