Cubs try to keep momentum rolling in makeup game with Blue Jays as homestand closes

The Chicago Cubs open Thursday’s slate with a clear objective, finish strong at home. The game against the Toronto Blue Jays is set for 1:20 CT and doubles as a makeup contest for a rainout from June 21, turning what would have been a normal weekday into a direct continuation of the season’s story for both clubs. For Chicago, the matchup also functions as a final chapter of a homestand in which the team’s identity has looked noticeably different than it did in mid-June.

The reason is straightforward, the Cubs have been playing better baseball on a sustained basis. According to the team’s recent stretch, since they were 34-34 on June 10, Chicago has gone 32-15. That is not just a run, it is a swing in how quickly a season can change. The preview notes that Chicago’s last time creating a 32-15 type of span before this year was the 2017 stretch from Aug. 13 through Oct. 1, and that in recent memory the Cubs have carried similar momentum from mid-summer into September, including a 2023 run from July 19 through Sept. 7 that also reached 32-15.

Those kinds of comparative streaks matter because they show what the Cubs are doing now is not an isolated week. The preview places the current surge into a broader historical context, highlighting that the Cubs have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to separate themselves when everything clicks, pitching to a level that holds up across series, timely offense that can compress game situations, and defense and baserunning that reduce the number of free passes that can unravel a good stretch.

For Toronto, the game’s importance is more about timing and rhythm than the calendar label. A makeup date can catch teams at any point in their own routine, sometimes forcing an adjustment in rest and preparation. The Blue Jays, coming into the matchup as the visiting opponent, will need to manage the same practical issue, a game that is simply arriving later than it was originally scheduled. For the Cubs, that delay can be a double-edged sword, but it also gives them a clean opportunity to apply the confidence built during the recent run, rather than trying to build it from scratch.

Chicago’s ability to sustain a long winning stretch has a ripple effect beyond any single game. It changes how opponents approach them, it raises the internal standard for consistency in every department, and it also gives the Cubs a more comfortable runway for the later part of summer. The preview underscores how quickly the team moved away from the 34-34 baseline to a far more compelling pace, and that is the core storyline that makes this makeup game worth watching even as the season moves into its later months.

Still, a preview is only a framework, and the outcome depends on how both teams execute on the day, including pitching matchups, bullpen usage, and situational hitting that can flip a close game in either direction. With the Cubs entering Thursday with the momentum of a 32-15 stretch since June 10, the key question is whether they can maintain that level against a Blue Jays lineup that has its own reasons to compete hard in the final push of the regular season picture.