Chicago, meanwhile, is dealing with its own attrition. The Cubs are already down five bullpen arms to injury — Phil Maton, Gavin Hollowell, Ben Brown, Riley Martin and Hunter Harvey are all out — and the rotation isn't much healthier, with Justin Steele still on the shelf and Edward Cabrera sidelined after getting torched for 7 earned runs in his last start.
The Cubs have lost 2 straight, both after taking 2 of 3 from the White Sox — the second of those losses coming right here, a 6-5 defeat to open this series. Seattle, at 61-68, is well out of the race, but that opener win snapped them back into form and they've won 3 of their last 5. None of it changes the standings picture: Chicago's still scrapping for position in a crowded NL Central, and Seattle's mostly playing out the string.
Between a bullpen running thin, a rotation that's lost two starters for the year, and a middle infield missing both Dansby Swanson and Matt Shaw, Chicago has less margin for error than its record suggests. Seattle's issues are more top-line — the Woo scratch is the one that actually moves the needle for this series — but a club with nothing to play for tends to play loose, and loose has been enough to beat a contender before.