Cubs off to Good Start After Opening Week West Coast Road Trip

The Chicago Cubs 2025 season is off and running after a successful 5-2 west coast road trip to open the year that included stops in Arizona and Sacramento. There was a fair share of ups and downs as this critical year for the future of the franchise got underway, and that means there is a lot to take away from this first week of baseball. We saw some offseason acquisitions shine in their first few games with the team, and we saw some others look shaky. So, here are my three takeaways from the first road trip of the Cubs’ 2025 season.

Offensive Firepower

The offense was by far the bright spot of this opening road trip. The Cubs scored 56 runs over the seven-game span, including 35 runs in just three games against the Athletics. Newcomers Kyle Tucker and Carson Kelly were both outstanding as Tucker hit a home run in four consecutive games while tallying 10 RBI’s. As for Kelly, he accomplished something that had not been done by a Cub since 1993; hit for the cycle. He accomplished this feat on Monday in the Cubs 18-3 rout of the Athletics. Overall, the entire lineup was clicking on all cylinders which was great for Cubs fans to see after the struggles that the offense endured at times last year, especially in the power department. Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson also put together fantastic weeks at the plate, which they will undoubtedly look to continue as they both make the middle of this order very tough on an opposing pitcher when they are rolling.

Bullpen Struggles Continue 

While a 5-2 road trip is a success, it could have been even better if not for a recurring theme that the Cubs and their fans know all too well. The bullpen was the hot topic last season as there was a revolving door at the closer position all year, and they felt they let too many games slip away in the late innings. So, this was a point of emphasis this winter for President of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer, and he seemed to put in the effort to fix the bullpen woes by making a splash to acquire Ryan Pressly from the Astros to be the closer. Hoyer also went out and signed quality arms like Eli Morgan, Caleb Thierlbar, Ryan Brasier, and Brad Keller. However, the first week with this new unit was far from a success. Pressly avoided a near-blown save on Saturday night thanks to a heads-up play by Dansby Swanson to tag out Garrett Hampson as he was rounding third as the potential tying run. That was after Pressly had already surrendered a two-run homer to make it a one-run game. The next day, the bullpen did not get as lucky. The Cubs had a 6-2 lead entering the 8th inning before Thielbar and Morgan imploded, giving up eight runs in the frame which included three doubles, a two-run home run, and an RBI single from a pitcher. Luckily for the Cubs, the bullpen was not needed in any high-leverage situations against the Athletics, but this is going to be a situation for the Cubs to monitor as the season progresses.

Production From the Young Players

This is a team that has playoff aspirations in 2025, but one of the storylines to monitor to see if they can accomplish this goal is the play of their up-and-coming stars. Particularly, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and third baseman Matt Shaw. Both of these guys are in their first full Major League seasons, but they are both expected to produce for this team this season as well as down the line. Crow-Armstrong got his feet wet in the big leagues last year after Cody Bellinger went down with an injury, but this is the first MLB experience for Shaw. This first week was a great sign of things to come from both of them. Crow-Armstrong produced seven hits, drove in three runs, scored six runs, and played a sensational center field including one of the best throws of the early season, throwing out a runner trying to tag up from second base. The Cubs will look for PCA to wreak havoc all year long both on the bases and in the outfield, and this opening week has a great sign from the promising outfielder. As for Shaw, some people around the Cubs were concerned about Shaw’s ability to hit right away at the big league level, but he put those concerns to rest this week, at least for now. Shaw racked up six hits over the seven-game stretch in which he also knocked in three runs and scored eight runs. Shaw has shown the ability to put together quality at-bats against big-league pitching which is exactly what the Cubs wanted to see out of their top prospect. If the Cubs have any hope of playing in October, these two promising players will have to continue to produce as they showed this week. 

Overall, the Cubs have to be pleased with how the first full week of the season went. If this offense continues to produce like they have, this is going to be a very difficult team to beat all year long. The starting pitching, which was not mentioned in the takeaways, continued to be solid as well. The Cubs will have an off day on Thursday before welcoming in the red-hot Padres for the home opener on Friday.