The Cubs are mired in a little difficulty, as Lee Elia once said, taking a two-game losing streak into this weekend's series with the Pirates at Wrigley Field.

One day President Theo Epstein was asking everyone to be realistic about the hot start, explaining that "bad karma" can happen in baseball. The next day the Cubs were losing a doubleheader to the Padres.


Now it's OK for you to ask if Jorge Soler needs some at-bats in Iowa, if the Cubs need another setup man, if Javier Baez should start at third every day, if Willson Contreras is being held hostage in Triple A, or if Jake Arrieta will get his big payday.

Return to your regularly scheduled worrying, already in progress.


During a start unlike any we'd seen in our lifetimes, the most worrisome thing on the North Side was that no one was worried about anything. Even in good years, there was always concern about the Cubs pitching, or the roster depth, or perhaps the clubhouse chemistry.

Now the Cubs are off to the best start since 1907, Arrieta's winning streak has grown Bunyanesque, they've survived the loss of Kyle Schwarber and built a 9-1 combined record against the Nationals, Pirates and Cardinals. Wrigley is a worry-free zone.

But this dominating-the-world scenario is not really a good fit with Cubs fans accustomed to waiting for the other shoe to drop, usually on their heads.

Times have changed, however, and everyone must adapt. The Cubs are suddenly baseball's best team, with their own party room, a spacious clubhouse and chefs who can fulfill any request.


"Their record doesn't lie," said former Cubs reliever Carlos Villanueva, now with the Padres. "It has a lot to do, I feel, with all the improvements they've made at Wrigley. It's no coincidence they get a new clubhouse, and all of a sudden, guys might be a little better rested. It helps, and obviously they have a really good team, and Theo and company know what they're doing. The (Anthony) Rizzos, the (Jason) Hammels, they're ready to go now, and they're getting it done."

Addison Russell shows poise, maturity beyond his 22 years

Addison Russell has shown improvement from his rookie season, with his average (.264), on-base percentage (.383), slugging percentage all markedly higher.

Epstein told reporters on Tuesday the Cubs have gotten too much good press, believed to be the first time a Cubs executive has complained about positive coverage.

"Baseball karma is real," Epstein said. "You see some of the stuff written about us in the winter, some of the World Series odds and things like that, for a team that is a defending third-place team and hasn't done anything yet. Some individuals haven't proven they can accomplish certain things in back-to-back seasons. We're still a losing team during my tenure here in Chicago."

Fine. But seeing is believing, and some Cubs players believe they can keep up this historic pace, making Epstein's pleas for restraint useless.

"I believe we all think we can make history," center fielder Dexter Fowler said. "It's just a matter of going out there day by day and winning, and playing. We know we're not going to win every game, but it's consistency.

"I don't think anything is slump-proof. It's baseball. You play 162 games, so you're going to go into a slump, but it's minimizing the slumps."

The Cubs have done that since last summer, starter Jon Lester pointed out, so what's going on should not be all that surprising to anyone paying attention.

"We started that last year," Lester said, referring to the Cubs' 46-19 record after July 27. "Once we got everybody here and were going in the right direction ... we won 97. We were a distant third, but we won 97, and we expected to win every game last year.


"Now, just with the few additions that we have, we're really expecting to win every game. If we continue to play good baseball and not beat ourselves, I like our chances, of 100 wins, or even further."

So does this look like a 100-win team?

Cubs' David Ross isn't fazed by the Cubs doubleheader loss.

"It'd be nice," he said. "I had a chance to be on one in Boston (in 2011) and we ended up not even making the playoffs. We were on pace, and didn't play well in September. We had a really good team in '13 (that won the World Series) but didn't win 100 games.

"I think the 100 thing, at some point in my career, would be cool to be part of, but it doesn't mean you're going to win the World Series. I'd rather us just play good baseball, and at the end of the year if we win 100, we win 100. Great. But if we don't win the World Series, that's where it really matters. If we win 90 and win the World Series? Great."

Arrieta, who goes after his 18th straight win on Saturday, agreed the Cubs can keep up this early pace, pointing to the solid rotation and a lineup with no glaring holes.

"We've done it for what, 30-something games?" Arrieta said. "If you could do it for a month, or a month and a half. … Our guys, especially our starters, once we get to midseason, that's when the starters really start to roll. It's beneficial for us because we've gotten off to such a hot start. Lester has thrown the ball incredibly well. ... You've got to be extremely optimistic about that.

"And (John) Lackey does his thing every time he's out there. Hammel has thrown the ball well, as expected, and (Kyle) Hendricks is getting better and better every time he goes out. ...

"We're going to have our struggles. The lineup will get cold from time to time. A starter might scuffle here or there, but you have four guys behind him that can pick him up.

"We're in good shape."


Twitter @PWSullivan