“We’ve played the tougher part of our schedule are in the back end of that right now,” Ross said.
In 2017, the Cubs were 40-41 after 81 games and 52-29 the rest of the way.
Bryant had just been helped off the field with a sprained ankle, joining Kyle Hendricks, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist on the injured list.
When Jon Lester gave up 10 runs in the first inning against the Pirates in Game 81, I was convinced the 2017 Cubs were going nowhere.
• In a wonderful development, White Sox center fielder Luis Robert has been medically cleared to “increase his level of baseball activities” at the team’s complex in Arizona.