Chicago Cubs Set Mind-Blowing Record At Rival's Expense

The Chicago Cubs have accomplished a lot during their storied history, but over the weekend they achieved something that they've never done before in modern MLB history.

Even better, it happened at the expense of their division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers.

It started during Friday afternoon's 3-1 loss to the Brewers in the series opener at Wrigley Field. Before Adbert Alzolay blew yet another game for the Cubs, Hayden Wesneski had been fantastic, firing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his second start of the season. He yielded three hits, walked two and struck out eight in the no-decision, lowering his ERA to 0.54.

Chicago bounced back to even the series on Saturday with a 6-5 win. The bullpen struggled again, giving up five runs over the final three innings and nearly squandering another gem by Jameson Taillon. Taillon tossed six scoreless frames, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out seven. Unlike Wesneski, he received the win, improving to 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in four starts this season.

The Cubs got yet another masterful performance during Sunday's rubber match. Javier Assad delivered six shutout innings, scattering four hits and three walks while fanning four. This time the bullpen avoided any hiccups, securing a 5-0 victory and the series win.

According to Chicago's graphics coordinator Christopher Kamka, this was the first time in modern franchise history (dating back to 1901) that Cubs starters threw at least six scoreless innings in every game of a series that lasted at least three games.

The record is even more mind-blowing given that two of the three starters (Wesneski and Assad) are relatively inexperienced, and none of the three has ever been an All-Star. The staff accomplished it without co-aces Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, both of whom are scheduled to pitch during this week's series against the San Diego Padres.

It was good timing for Chicago, which moved into a tie with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central. The strong series also continued a remarkable run for the Cubs' rotation, which has a 2.03 ERA over its last 17 games. Surprisingly, Chicago is only 10-7 over those games due to some inconsistent offense (4.18 runs per game) and shaky relief work (especially from Alzolay) during that stretch.

Despite dealing with injuries to Steele, Kyle Hendricks and Jordan Wicks, the Cubs' rotation hasn't just persevered -- it's flourished.