May 8, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Chicago fans display “W” flags after the Cubs defeat the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
The Chicago Cubs have been on a remarkable run this season, securing two separate 10-game winning streaks within a 23-game span.
Coming off a dominant victory to open a nine-game road trip, the Cubs aim to extend their current streak to a season-best 11 consecutive wins on Saturday night when they face the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
On Friday, Michael Busch delivered a key three-run double in the seventh inning, lifting Chicago to its 10th straight win with a 7-1 triumph over Texas. The Cubs also won 10 in a row from April 14-24.
Busch has been red-hot, posting a .340 batting average with six doubles over his last 14 games. He credits the team’s collective consistency for the success.
“We just have a lot of guys who are super-consistent,” Busch told the Marquee Sports Network. “They know whether it’s going really good or not so good. They just show up the next day and compete. They know what they need and just do it.”
Seiya Suzuki, back after a rest day, crushed a two-run homer on Friday. Pete Crow-Armstrong contributed an RBI double in the sixth as part of a two-hit performance, extending his hitting streak to six games. Ian Happ added an RBI single in the first inning to push his on-base streak to 29 games.
Right-hander Ben Brown praised the team’s offensive and defensive support.
“Our pitching staff is just better because our defense is so good,” Brown said. “Our pitching staff can breathe a little bit because our offense is playing so well. Our pitching staff is incredibly deep because our coaches are so solid.”
The struggling Rangers, meanwhile, have managed only two hits on Friday and have scored just 28 runs while losing eight of their last 11 games.
Texas will look to spark its offense against Chicago’s Edward Cabrera (3-0, 3.27 ERA). The Rangers will counter with right-hander Jack Leiter (1-3, 5.45).
Cabrera has dealt with home run issues lately, allowing two long balls on Monday in a no-decision against the Cincinnati Reds. He has given up five homers in his past three starts after none in his previous four outings. Still, the 28-year-old has worked at least five innings in all seven starts this season.
Leiter, 26, started strong in his last outing against the Detroit Tigers, taking a perfect game into the fifth inning before stumbling. He matched a career high with 10 strikeouts but fell to 0-3 with a 6.67 ERA over his past five appearances after allowing five runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 7-1 loss last Sunday.
“The pitching line doesn’t give Jack justice for how he really pitched,” Texas manager Skip Schumaker said.
Yet Leiter has surrendered 21 runs (20 earned) and six homers over his last five outings covering 27 innings.
“It’s frustrating, yeah,” Leiter admitted.
Both Cabrera and Leiter will face the opposing lineup for the first time in their careers.
