Cubs Are in Grave Danger Unless They Turn Their Dismal Play on the Road Around

The Chicago Cubs are in a tight NL Central race, and the road is only going to get tougher.

We know how good they are at Wrigley Field, but the grueling baseball season forces teams to travel for 81 games a year. And with the Cubs' current road success, they look destined for another couch seat during the postseason.

Joe Maddon's crew is 18-27 away from Chicago and that's just not going to cut it for a World Series contender. What's even worse? 19 of their next 25 games are coming on the road.

And it won't be easy. First they visit the surging San Francisco Giants, who have miraculously climbed back into the NL Wild Card race. Then they head to Milwaukee to face the division-rival Brewers before going to St. Louis to battle the hated Cardinals. Then, after returning home for two quick series, they'll go back out to visit the Reds (who they seemingly can't beat), Phillies and Pirates.

Maddon knows the team has to step it up, but this is a test they might not be ready for.

The Cubs just haven't been the same ever since their 2016 World Series victory, losing a semblance of magic when the final out was snagged. They got handled by the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games during the 2017 NLCS, and then lost the Wild Card game at home to the Colorado Rockies last year.

Is the sky falling? Not at all. The Cubs lead the NL Central by two games and have been hot coming out of the All-Star break. But this is a significant test for Chicago now that we're approaching August and the division race is insanely close.