Cubs on top at Memorial Day thanks to five names

1:39 PM ET

CHICAGO — Twenty games over .500.

It’s Memorial Day.

Those two sentences have been uttered together only one other time in regards to the Chicago Cubs in over 100 years. In 1907, they were 26-6 on May 25 and went on to win the World Series that year and the next.

Since then, they’ve hit a dry spell which continues until today, but after nearly two months of some of the best baseball this franchise has ever experienced, the championship drought seems as if it could end.

“It goes back to the good start,” manager Joe Maddon told reporters after the Cubs’ latest win on Sunday. “We talked about that in camp. [It] was so important to get off to a good start. We just absorbed a little bit of a hiccup. Right now, we’re talking about 20 over, whereas a week ago, we were talking about stubbing our toe a little bit.”

A 4-8 stretch was the Cubs’ version of stubbing their toe. But that was quickly followed up with five straight wins in which they outscored the opposition 38-16, putting them back on track to challenge the all-time record of 116 victories.

“That’s what a good start permits you to do,” Maddon said. “You can stub your toe and still look good.”

Even in losing a few games recently, the Cubs were still getting the job done on the mound, especially with their starting staff. If there is any one reason …

continue reading in source espn.go.com