Cody Delmendo of CHGO joined “9 Good Minutes” on WGN News Now to discuss the Cubs’ recent stretch of success ahead of two games with the Cardinals in London.

CHICAGO — The Cubs couldn’t have picked a better time to step onto the world stage this weekend.

That’s because the team is playing their best baseball in 2023 heading over to the United Kingdom to face the Cardinals for a pair of games in London. What looked like a season on the brink two weeks ago has flipped thanks to a strong stretch of play by the group.

At ten games under .500 on June 8, the Cubs have won 10 of their last 12 games, finishing off a sweep of the Pirates on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. Improvement across the board, from hitting to pitching and even the bullpen, has helped to change the outlook of the club for the rest of 2023.

Now 3 1/2 games behind the Reds for first place in the National League Central division, Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins could look to be buyers instead of sellers at the trade deadline on August 1.

Perhaps they’ll even consider giving starting pitcher Marcus Stroman a contract extension as he enjoys arguably the best season of his major league career so far. His performance along with that of Justin Steele and, more recently, Kyle Hendricks has been one of the bright spots for the Cubs this season.

Can they keep it going the rest of the year, including their first regular season games in Europe this weekend, or will the ups and downs that have defined the team continue?

Cody Delmendo of CHGO talked about that on “9 Good Minutes” this week on WGN News Now, and you can listen to his conversation with Larry Hawley in the video above.