The Cubs entered their weekend series against the Cardinals as one of the hottest teams in the majors. They had won nine of their last 12 games and were beginning to creep up on the National League Central-leading Brewers.
Now they’re entering a three-game set Monday against the White Sox in a much worse place.
The Cubs lost 11-4 on Sunday to drop the last two games of the series and fall five games behind the Brewers. Shortstop Dansby Swanson will get an MRI exam and is headed to the injured list after hurting his left oblique on a swing in the third inning, and right-hander Edward Cabrera returned from the IL to give up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.
No, that’s not the way to step into the biggest Cubs-Sox series at Wrigley Field and the teams’ most high-stakes matchup since the 1906 World Series. The Sox have a 5½-game lead in the American League Central, just swept the Tigers in Detroit, beat the Cubs twice in May and have powerful bats that can punish pitching mistakes — something the Cardinals did by scoring a combined 19 runs Saturday and Sunday.
Swanson won’t be around to help cover for any pitching issues. And that will be an adjustment because he has played in 119 of the Cubs’ 125 games this season and in at least 147 in each of his three full seasons since joining them as a free agent.
‘‘I just want to play and do everything I can to win,’’ Swanson said. ‘‘In the meantime, people call me ‘Coach’ for a reason, so I can find some fun ways to be useful.’’
Swanson will watch Nico Hoerner shift to shortstop and rookie Pedro Ramirez get the bulk of the playing time at second base. Though Hoerner is a strong shortstop, the Cubs know their defense — a huge strength — will be somewhat diminished without Swanson for at least 10 days and possibly much longer if the MRI reveals bad news.
‘‘We can cover it,’’ Hoerner said. ‘‘We have great athletes on our team and good depth, but there’s no replacing Dansby. Anytime you have moving parts in the middle of the field, it is a challenge.’’
Getting the most from Cabrera also has been a challenge, and the Cubs didn’t receive much from him Sunday.
Cabrera had been out since June 24 with a strained left hamstring but wasn’t exactly giving the Cubs quality starts before that. He had a 5.10 ERA in 72⅓ innings and was falling well short of justifying the Cubs’ decision to send the Marlins a package that included outfielder Owen Caissie to acquire him.
Nothing Cabrera did Sunday indicated he should be counted on for the rest of the season, and the Cubs might feel the same way about him as a starter. Manager Craig Counsell said the team will discuss whether Cabrera will take his next turn in the rotation.
Cabrera got only 10 swings-and-misses, and Counsell said the separation in velocity between his changeup and fastball wasn’t enough to make a difference.
‘‘It didn’t go well,’’ Counsell said.
Cabrera said he has a blister on his right middle finger, which was bandaged when he talked with the media, but Counsell didn’t mention that during his postgame briefing.
Early in the game, Cabrera said he felt a ‘‘sensation’’ and tried to pitch through it. But he felt it the most in the fourth, which is when he was removed and told Counsell and the staff.
If the blister isn’t an issue, Cabrera is optimistic he’ll remain in the rotation.
‘‘One hundred percent [confident],’’ he said through a translator.
The Cubs won’t be 100% when they see the Sox.