Boos rain down at Wrigley Field as Cubs continue to ‘muddle’ through the season
CHICAGO — Following a one-hour delay, the rain mostly stopped Friday afternoon, but the Chicago Cubs were continually showered with boos after getting drilled, 18-3, by the San Francisco Giants in another rough performance at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs’ breathtaking comeback victory over the Athletics on Thursday felt like a galvanizing moment. Perhaps it was merely a brief reprieve from what feels like a never-ending freefall for a team that was once atop the league.
There was Edward Cabrera, fresh off the injured list, crouched down behind the rubber in the fourth inning Friday, lamenting the fact that he’d just given up a grand slam. It was symbolic of the distress being felt across the Cubs fanbase as they struggle to keep faith in their team.
The slam off the bat of Matt Chapman was the second of three home runs allowed by Cabrera and seven total by Cubs pitchers. It was one of 19 hits for the Giants, 10 for extra bases, as Chapman, Willy Adames and Casey Schmitt each ended the day with a pair of long balls.
SLAM Francisco 👀
Matt Chapman clears the bases with a grand slam! pic.twitter.com/sF4SXKdeB4
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2026
The Giants scored six runs in the fourth and seven in the sixth, and the Cubs trailed by 16 before they finally scored a run of their own. It continued a dismaying stretch of play that’s looking more and more like the standard than an aberration.
Cabrera’s return to the mound was a disaster. His stuff was up, but the Giants still made him look pedestrian — and the results were ugly. The big righty gave up eight runs on eight hits and lasted just 3 2/3 innings.
Cabrera was booed off the field as he strolled off the mound in the fourth.
“It bothers me,” Cabrera said through an interpreter about the booing. “Because I’m a competitive person that doesn’t like to lose.”
As much as Wrigley Field had been rocking early in the season, the opposite is now the case. The boo birds have become a regular occurrence on the North Side. Before the loss, manager Craig Counsell referred to the booing as “how frustration manifests itself for fans.”
The Cubs need to manifest some wins. It seems like all aspects are beginning to fail them.
The long ball has been absent from the offense and has been a problem for the pitching staff. They’ve now given up a league-leading 95 homers. The 62 from the starters is the most in baseball by a half dozen.
If there is a time to turn things around, it has to be now.
“We got way over .500, and we cashed a lot of that in, unfortunately,” team president Jed Hoyer said before the loss. “I do think it’s time to do that. You can’t muddle forever. You can’t struggle forever. We need to get back to playing well.”
This point in time is about more than one unexpected, thrilling win. There were big moments for individuals Thursday night, including Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong, that could have signified turning points. The team is getting healthier, with Cabrera rejoining the rotation and Matthew Boyd making what should be his final rehab outing on Saturday before returning to the big leagues.
And the Cubs are in the middle of 22 consecutive games against teams that started June under .500.
With a 20-3 run that pushed them to 27-12 on the season, the Cubs seemed to be sitting pretty. They followed that up with this 6-19 stretch they’re mired in and now look like a middle-of-the-pack team desperate for a spark.
Dansby Swanson reacts during the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field on Friday. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
In particular, the Cubs seemed unbeatable at Wrigley Field for a stretch, winning 15 straight. They then followed that up with eight straight losses at home, finally snapping it with Thursday’s improbable win, something that happened quite frequently during the winning streak.
“This is the story of the season,” Counsell said. “We frankly spoiled everyone for the first six weeks. Some games happened that were like, ‘Did that just happen?’ And then it’s been rough here over the last eight games.”
Friday was an early sign that the Cubs won’t build off Thursday’s win. Things could actually get worse. The fans are getting restless and exceedingly tired of watching the same story unfold day after day.
The pitching is probably the biggest concern long-term, but it’s not as if the bats have been doing much damage. On the season, the offense has been solid, but that unit has been the main culprit in this freefall.
Hoyer spoke of a game on May 8 against the Texas Rangers in which he felt the team had “World Series-quality at-bats.” The Cubs are 29th in batting average (.211) in the month following that game. They’re dead last in ISO (isolated power, which represents how many extra-base hits a team is getting) at .119. They still take their walks — the Cubs had six Friday – but what’s the point of getting those men on base if you can’t drive them in?
After feeling the highs of Thursday, the Cubs have fallen back to earth with a thud. Instead of capitalizing on that momentum, a weak spot in the schedule and the rotation getting healthier, it’s just more of the same.
A once-promising season is starting to look all too familiar. Fans have seen a hot stretch go poof before. If this lasts much longer, there will be little good to remember about the Cubs’ 2026 season.
“It’s really about us and how we’re playing,” Hoyer said. “I know if we’re playing well, any part of the schedule is doable. We haven’t been playing well, and that has to change.”