Cubs beat Rangers 7-1, match rare feat not seen since 1935

The Cubs did more than beat Texas 7-1 at Globe Life Field. They added another piece to a start that is beginning to look less like a burst and more like a statement, finishing their second 10-game winning streak of the season and matching a feat the franchise had not produced since 1935.

Ian Happ set the tone immediately, lining an RBI single in the first inning to extend his on-base streak to 29 games and put Chicago ahead for good. Michael Busch turned the game into a rout with a three-run double in the seventh, while Seiya Suzuki supplied another early blow with a two-run home run in the fourth. Pete Crow-Armstrong added a ground-rule double, and Ethan Roberts handled the ninth to close out a win that was never seriously in doubt.

The Cubs’ margin was reinforced by the way they opened the game on the mound. Ben Brown threw four no-hit innings, giving Chicago a controlled start in a park where the Rangers were supposed to have home-field advantage. Javier Assad later covered 3 2/3 shutout innings, a useful sign for a staff that has had to be managed carefully. Before the game, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy met with the club to discuss reliever usage, another hint that the Cubs are balancing short-term results with the strain of a heavy early schedule.

The bigger picture is why this game matters. Chicago improved to 27-12 and had won 20 of its last 23 games, with only a three-game losing skid separating two double-digit streaks. Major League Baseball said the Cubs were the fifth team in major league history to record multiple distinct win streaks of at least 10 games before their 40th decision of a season. Elias data cited by MLB showed the Cubs were also only the sixth team ever to have no more than three games between two 10-game streaks, joining the 1906 Cubs, 1897 Orioles, 1880 White Stockings, 1978 Pirates and 1955 Dodgers.

Happ’s streak has become part of the larger surge. His 29-game on-base run was the longest by a Cubs player since Bryan LaHair reached safely in 30 straight games in 2012, and only Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, with 31, had a longer active streak in the majors. Counsell did not hide the significance. “That means you’re doing something that’s pretty rare, and I think we realize that,” he said. For a team already leading the NL Central, the question now is not whether the Cubs are hot. It is whether this level of run prevention, lineup depth and timely hitting is the foundation of something durable.