Key to Cubs’ second half? All-Star ‘swing-off’ good or bad? Here’s how you voted

Wouldn’t it be great if the Cubs kept piling up runs the rest of the season?

Then again, would it be even better if they plugged any pitching leaks and got the rotation cooking again?

In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we asked what the biggest key is for the Cubs in the second half.

“No injuries, please!” @JBIRD1268 commented.

Next, we wanted to know what you thought of baseball’s Home Run Derby-style tiebreaker for the All-Star Game.

“It was nice to see emotion from the benches,” @00723maui wrote.

“More exciting than putting a player on second base to start extra innings,” according to @ronw_sportsnut.

Last, we asked which Bears tight end will have a better 2025 season, veteran Cole Kmet or rookie Colston Loveland?

“Kmet will put up career numbers,” @RonaldVoigt4 offered. “I still predict Loveland for the PUP list.”

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: What’s the biggest key for the Cubs in the second half of the season?

Upshot: Matthew Boyd, a legit All-Star, has been a godsend. If Shota Imanaga gets himself into a groove, it’ll go a long way. After that, though, there’s no telling. That sound you hear is Cubs fans impatiently drumming their fingers as they wait for prez Jed Hoyer to trade for a game-changing starter.

Poll No. 2: What did you think of MLB’s “Home Run Swing-Off” All-Star Game tiebreaker?

Upshot: At least the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber brought some excitement to the spectacle, hitting three bombs in three swings to carry the National League over the top. But with half the All-Stars already showered and gone for the night — in other words, no Aaron Judge, no Shohei Ohtani — it was a tad anticlimactic.

Poll No. 3: Which Bears tight end will have a bigger 2025 season?

Upshot: The Bears didn’t spend the No. 10 pick on Loveland for him to be second banana, did they?