ARLINGTON, Texas — We’ve already made the observation once, and it bears repeating: These are truly days of miracle and wonder for the Cubs.
How rare is it for a Cubs team to have not one, but two winning streaks of at least nine games in the same season?
Since the Cubs began play in Wrigley in 1916, it has happened only three times previously: The 1935 Cubs had winning streaks of 21 and 11 games. The 1927 Cubs had winning streaks of 12, nine and nine games, and the 1918 Cubs won nine games in a row twice.
With a win against the Rangers on Friday night, these Cubs would become the second team in franchise history to have double-digit winning streaks in the same season. The 1918 and 1935 Cubs both went to the World Series and lost. The ’27 Cubs somehow finished in fourth place, 8½ games behind the Pirates.
More streaking: The longest winning streak in the 21st century by a Cubs team was in 2001, when the Sons of Don Baylor won 12 in a row,
You had to go back to 1970 and the Sons of Leo Durocher, who won 11 straight. In all, there have been 26 winning streaks of nine games or more since 1916.
Another setback for Harvey
Reliever Hunter Harvey will be out at least four weeks, manager Craig Counsell said, after he experienced similar discomfort in his right triceps that led him to be placed on the injured list earlier this season. Counsell said Harvey underwent an MRI that showed a stress reaction in the triceps area. He is headed to Arizona to begin his rehabilitation.
Harvey, a former No. 1 draft choice (2013) who has had a history of arm problems, did not allow an earned run in 12 appearances for the Royals last season, and signed a one-year, $6 million free agent deal with the Cubs. He has made just four appearances with the Cubs, posting an 0-1 record with a 6.75 ERA.
More encouraging is the progress shown by Caleb Thielbar. The left-handed reliever, out since April 24 with a strained hamstring, had a good bullpen session, is scheduled to throw a simulated game next week, and could be sent on rehab assignment by next weekend.
Also back and activated is left-handed reliever Ethan Roberts, who has recovered from the freak cut he got from trying to catch an iron grate that had gotten dislodged while he was working out with a medicine ball in a Citizens Bank Park hallway.
Happ-enings
With his run-scoring single in the first, Ian Happ extended his streak of reaching base safely to 29 straight games. That’s the longest current streak in the NL and second longest in the majors, one game behind the 30-game streak of Sacramento’s Nick Kurtz. The last streak by a Cub that went longer was the 30-game streak by Bryan LaHair in 2012.
Going with the hot hand
Batting second and serving as DH in the Cubs lineup here Friday was Michael Conforto, who has hit two home runs this week, a walkoff Monday night and a solo shot for the Cubs’ first run Thursday afternoon against the Reds.
Conforto also singled, doubled and walked in that game and came into last night’s game batting .462 (6 for 13) and three RBIs. He hit an opposite-field bloop double in his first at-bat Friday and scored on Happ’s single.
