Bregman stays on a roll as the Cubs beat the Reds 8-4

CINCINNATI — Alex Bregman described the Cubs’ first half of the season Saturday as a time of “some high highs and some low lows,” which sounds about right.

It was highlighted by a pair of 10-game win streaks, an MVP-caliber performance by Pete Crow-Armstrong, the emergence of Ben Brown as a primetime starter and the continued defensive excellence that has been the team’s hallmark under manager Craig Counsell. Ten walkoff wins, a 23-run outburst featuring eight home runs and a PCA cycle were all binge-worthy moments.

The low points included the devastating loss of Cade Horton, the nonstop march of pitching injuries, the 10-game losing streak, a prolonged offensive slump by Dansby Swanson and an early power outage by Bregman, the team’s biggest offseason acquisition.

There was even a cameo appearance by a well-fed rat at Wrigley Field in April, which forced a team spokesman to assure fans the Cubs “take the health and safety of our guests seriously.” Rat aside, the mental health of Cubs fans was almost always in question, thanks to a team that went from ridiculously good to unquestionably bad and then back to good again.

The Cubs finished things up Sunday with a victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark, ending the first half with a bang.

Bregman’s three-run, seventh-inning home run, his second in two games, was part of a four-run inning that gave the Cubs the 8-4 win. He wound up with four RBI as the Cubs improved to 54-42 and 20-8 since June 11, the best record in the majors.

Afterward, everyone but National League All-Star Crow-Armstrong headed off for parts unknown for a brief respite and a chance to decompress before the second half.

Take a deep breath, Cubs fans. Barring a reversal of form, it’s only going to get crazier.

With the MLB draft ending Sunday, the focus quickly shifts to the Aug. 3 trade deadline, where the target will be pitching, pitching and pitching. Whether the Cubs will bring in as many as three pitchers — maybe a starter and two relievers — is anyone’s guess.

“I don’t have a good answer for that,” Counsell said before Sunday’s game. “But there’s opportunity there, and definitely with our injuries we could use pitching.”

Counsell heads to his Wisconsin home to relax and said he might have the All-Star Game on as background noise, though he’s hoping for some non-baseball recreation to fill his days.

Here are some appetizers to munch on before dessert is served after the All-Star break:

• Jameson Taillon is set to return next week after allowing one hit over 4 2/3 innings Saturday in his second rehab outing for Triple-A Iowa, while Brown will begin a throwing program a week after the break and eventually return as an “out-getter,” Counsell said. The Cubs are unsure how Brown will be utilized when he gets back from his neck injury.

• Entering Sunday, Crow-Armstrong’s 5.9 fWAR led all position players besides two-way player Shohei Ohtani (6.1) and was over a win per game higher than the second-ranked position player, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (4.7). His viral incident with a taunting White Sox fan at Rate Field and his home run into a group of taunting St. Louis Cardinals fans at Busch Stadium were the yin and yang of an epic first half. With Ohtani and Aaron Judge out of the All-Star Game due to injuries, Crow-Armstrong might be the biggest attraction for Fox Sports, which mic’d him up in last year’s game. Some Cubs higher-ups believe it’s a crime that Crow-Armstrong wasn’t voted into the starting lineup by fans, some of whom no doubt disapprove of his behavior. But perhaps the fans’ snub motivated him. He’s been on fire since.

• Swanson’s 30 RBI in the last month was almost double the total of the next-highest shortstop, the New York Mets’ Bo Bichette (17). Despite his brutal start and a .210 average, Swanson’s 2.4 bWAR was seventh among all shortstops. A sensational diving catch to rob Tyler Stephenson in the second inning Sunday was another example of why Counsell refused to bench him during his prolonged slump. Of the prominent free agent shortstops available in the winter of 2022-23 — Swanson, Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts — Swanson’s 15.9 combined bWAR over the last 3 1/2 seasons in Chicago is the highest of the four.

• Cubs pitchers served up 147 home runs before Sunday, second-worst in the majors to the Atlanta Braves (148). And don’t forget, the wind is only starting to blow out regularly at Wrigley Field. The bullpen’s 16 blown saves were tied for fourth-worst, and the rotation’s 24 quality starts were tied for sixth-worst, meaning more work for the ’pen. Yet the Cubs’ 75.6% left-on-base percentage was third-best, behind only Atlanta (76.1%) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (76%), so the no-name bullpen has been good at getting out of jams. Relievers Ryan Rolison, Trent Thornton and Jacob Webb have all stepped up in difficult circumstances with Daniel Palencia and Hoby Milner out and Phil Maton struggling while battling knee issues.

• Bregman said his swing the last few weeks is the best he’s felt, even though some hard-hit balls resulted in hard outs in Baltimore. The Cubs obviously need Bregman at his best for a playoff run. Players have said he makes an impact in the clubhouse and on the bench. “It’s a really good baseball conversation,” Counsell said of Bregman’s interactions. “It’s what the player is feeling during games. He’s really into that, and that’s why the guys feel that way about him.” Bregman’s “thumbs-down” gesture during a home run trot, after his failure to go all-out on a grounder in Milwaukee that he would’ve reached on, was a strange response to criticism. But he’s been accountable and has conceded he needs to be more consistent offensively. After a successful road trip, he’s seemingly on his way.

“Super excited for the rest of the season,” Bregman said Saturday night.