Cubs Sweep Dodgers: Pete Crow-Armstrong Now MVP Leader? Shota is Back, More

After making serious noise at the MLB trade deadline, the Chicago Cubs only continued to bang pots and pans against the Dodgers.

The star-studded squad was in town for what felt like one of the biggest series of the season. Especially with the Cubs pushing their chips in for an October run, this was set up to be an excellent test. And it's safe to say they passed with flying colors.

After a dynamic 10-5 win to open the series, Chicago managed to down Tarik Skubal on Tuesday before evading a late-inning disaster for the sweep on Wednesday. Of course, one regular-season series isn't going to tell the full story come postseason time. But the Cubs have wanted to make it known that they have legitimate World Series aspirations, and what better way to do it than grabbing three against the reigning champs?

Pete Crow-Armstrong Bolsters MVP Case

Jul 26, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) runs the bases on an RBI triple against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pete Crow-Armstrong has already made Chicago Cubs history this season, but he might be on his way to joining the MLB record books.

The center fielder has crept up the MVP standings over the last couple of months, but did he officially snatch the top spot from his No. 1 contender? Crow-Armstrong not only went toe-to-toe with Shohei Ohtani throughout the series, but he also led his team to the convincing sweep!

This third and final game was particularly masterful. After Ohtani led things off with a home run, Crow-Armstrong stepped up in the bottom of the first and did the same. He sent the very first pitch from Eric Lauer 420 feet into straight center. One inning later, Crow-Armstrong would step up to the plate with Dansby Swanson on third, sending a ball down the right field line for an easy RBI double that put the Cubs up 3-1.

Can you guess what happened the next time he was up to bat? That's right, Crow-Armstrong recorded another RBI on his second home run of the day. This time it was a two-run bomb that went 405 feet into right field over the head of Kyle Tucker. The Cubs were now up 5-1.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has to be the MVP front runner.

He’s up to 7.9 fWAR, 26 HR, 28 SB, 22 OAA through 115 games.

Unreal. Unbelievable. All of it. pic.twitter.com/i1dwEwdZmf
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) August 5, 2026

To be clear, Ohtani also finished the game with three hits, including two home runs of his own. It was a truly epic battle between the top two MVP candidates. But it's hard to ignore the results of the series as a whole. Crow-Armstrong got the win with a combined six hits, five RBIs, five runs scored, and two homers.

The emerging superstar now has a .941 OPS over his five games in August. The second home run on Wednesday also made him the first player in Cubs history to have 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in consecutive seasons, per Jesse Rogers. He has the second-most home runs in Cubs history before turning 25 years old, as well, falling behind only Ron Santo.

“I think it’s fun watching Pete have this season," Craig Counsell said after the game. "It’s a season you remember. You remember watching seasons like this. You cherish seasons like this from individual players, you just do. That’s the best part.”

Shota Imanaga Shines Again

Jul 31, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) waves to the crowd after being relived in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What felt like the Cubs' biggest weakness could soon become their greatest strength.

The organization obviously addressed their starting pitching needs at the trade deadline, adding both Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes to the rotation. The two newcomers are expected to take the mound for their Cubs debut this weekend. However, the improvement that we've seen from the familiar faces on this team shouldn't be ignored.

Shota Imanaga has looked far more like his All-Star self over the last month. And this continued to close out a huge series against the Dodgers. While Imanaga did fork over eight hits in the finale, he only managed to give up a single run over his 5.0 innings of work. Shohei Ohtani got to his friend for a leadoff homer.

Imanaga used this six-strikeout afternoon to drop his ERA to 3.60. It's a drastic difference from where things sat in early June, when he held a concerning 4.74 ERA. If he can keep up this level of production, the Cubs are going to have a real weapon on their hands come October.

Nico Hoerner is Crushing

Aug 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) hits a home run during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nico Hoerner has officially put his mid-season slump behind him.

One of the team's best contact hitters, Hoerner has been electric since the All-Star break. He continued to see the ball remarkably well, connecting for three hits and an RBI in Wednesday's series sweep. This also came only one game after he recorded two hits and totaled five bases.

Even more exciting, Hoerner now has a homer in each of the last two series. This has bumped him up to seven on the season, matching his total from 2025 and 2024. Hoerner's career high came in 2022, when he smashed ten.

Since the All-Star break, among players who have appeared in at least 17 games, Hoerner's .389 batting average is the fourth-highest in baseball. The only players ahead of him are Freddie Freeman, Chandler Simpson, and Yordan Alvarez.

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