If the Chicago Cubs are going to actually pull away from the Milwaukee Brewers and the rest of the NL Central, they’ll need their pitching staff to come correct. Here at the MLB All-Star break, the only true assessment of the Cubs is to label them as meh so far, and that fits in perfectly with the rest of the extremely mediocre division.

What’s the key to the Cubs snapping out of it and claiming the division crown?

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It’s still 11 days to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, but the actual numerical midpoint arrived yesterday, when Cookie Monster led the Chicago Cubs a thrilling coming from behind victory over the Atlanta Braves. The high scoring victory gave the Cubs a series (2-2) and home stand (5-5) split, perfectly befitting how the first half of the season has transpired.

The Chicago Cubs are 81 games in, 44 up, 37 down, 29-16 at home, 15-21 on the road and one game over arch-rival Milwaukee for first place in the National League Central. At this point, the Cubs are right where you thought they would be once all the MLB off-season transactions were completed: on pace to win about 86-89 games.

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Last night’s 8-3 Chicago Cubs win over the Atlanta Braves saw a major beef between the two catchers, Willson Contreras and Tyler Flowers, ensue, followed by the emptying of both benches. In other words, even the most strident “baseball is boring” kind of person would have found this game, in which tempers flared on both sides, riveting.

ICYMI, and you’re trying to catch up via media coverage today, just make sure you consider the source of what you’re viewing/reading. While there are some out there approaching this with a journalistic, fair and balanced approach, the Chicago media is largely taking a pro-Cubs slant while most of the Atlanta media is on Flowers’ side here.

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Whether the Chicago Cubs win or lose, just about everybody who drives to Wrigley Field will indeed take a L. Wrigley Field is located in the heart of a residential area, making parking options scarce and egregiously expensive. Add to that the ramped gentrification surrounding the ballpark, the closed-off streets that accompany it and overall nightmarish commute, and well, any option but driving is a good one.

If you must drive, park in one of the Cubs faraway lots that include a free shuttle bus. Better yet, take advantage of the Cubs free bike valet service, available for all home games in the alley just east of the main entrance to the CTA station adjacent to the ballpark.

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The Chicago Cubs enter Wednesday night’s home game against the Colorado Rockies leading the NL Central division and just one game behind Philadelphia for the second best record in the National League. The Cubs overcame a very slow start, but are hitting mid-season form now, largely due to a very balanced offense.

Led by Javier Baez, who leads the team in batting average (.309), hits (72) and slugging percentage (.588), the Cubs are scoring runs aplenty, and looking like a team that could be dangerous all season long and into the postseason.

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As the MLB Network talking heads pointed out in reference to the Chicago Cubs drafting Ryan Jensen out of Fresno State tonight: “from #99 to #27?!?!” The draftniks certainly did not see this coming; at all. It’s a bold move to be sure, only time will tell if it pays off for ’em.

Yes, it’s a reach to say the least, but time will tell if Ryan Jensen falls into the Mike Harkey, Ben Christensen, Lance Dickson, Ty Griffin, Kevin Orie category, or the Kris Bryant, Kerry Wood, Javier Baez classification. Or somewhere in between those two extremities.

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