CHICAGO — In the supposed dog days of August, the Chicago Cubs returned to Wrigley Field with a record 20 games above .500 and the Milwaukee Brewers in their sights. Mr. T threw a ceremonial first pitch and led the seventh-inning stretch as a crowd of 40,374 gathered for Friday afternoon’s matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, a historic rival. And roaring sounds from the sky echoed throughout the ballpark during the practice runs for this weekend’s Chicago Air and Water Show.

With momentum on their side, the Cubs are grappling with an issue that would have seemed unthinkable while injuries kept piling up throughout this season: too many good pitchers and not enough open spots.

“It’s certainly better than the alternative,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Absolutely.”

Good teams are supposed to have this level of internal competition, rolling roster crunches across the 162-game schedule that force the coaching staff and the front office into difficult decisions. There will be more setbacks and unforeseen problems, but the Cubs are nearing that point where everything takes on a different sense of urgency.

Those pressure situations suit Clay Holmes, an All-Star closer with the New York Yankees who remade himself into an Opening Day starter for the New York Mets. And given Kevin Gausman’s impressive resume, Holmes wasn’t even the most accomplished pitcher the Cubs acquired at the trade deadline.

In his first career start at the Friendly Confines, Holmes showed why the Cubs gave up top-100 prospect Jefferson Rojas in a deal with the Mets, taking a perfect game into the sixth inning of Friday’s 3-0 victory over the Cardinals.

“That’s what you imagine,” Holmes said. “Pitching at Wrigley with a Cubs uniform on, in a Friday day game, it’s special. It’s iconic. To do it with this team — and these guys that have been so great at welcoming me in — was a lot of fun.”

Holmes projected to be such a good fit for this defense and at this moment that Jed Hoyer’s baseball operations group looked beyond his option to become a free agent after this season, as well as the fractured fibula that sidelined him for almost three months.

As expected, Holmes looked rusty in his first major-league outing since both the May 15 injury and the Aug. 3 trade deadline. He had made three rehab starts with three of the Mets’ minor-league affiliates this summer. But Saturday’s performance on the road — he allowed four runs in four innings and took the loss against the Kansas City Royals — indicated he wasn’t totally in rhythm yet.

Known for his heavy sinker, extensive pitch mix and ability to generate weak contact, Holmes kept the Cardinals off the bases until the sixth inning, when José Fermín lined a one-out single into right field. Over 6 2/3 innings, Holmes gave up only that hit, plus a walk to Jordan Walker, the 22nd and final batter he faced. He exited the game to a standing ovation.

“Coming back from injury, it’s always a process,” Holmes said. “I probably wasn’t as bad as my stat line last time, and I probably wasn’t as good as my one this time. It’s just one of those things where you have to keep finding ways to get better. In between starts, there were some simple things that we worked on (and) tried to nail.

“Step by step, I’ll eventually get back to the pitcher I know I can be. I feel good, and I feel like the stuff’s there, but just getting that final little bit back is the hardest part.”

Holmes and Gausman — added with the idea that they would work at or near the front of the rotation along with Matthew Boyd — should have a runway through the end of the regular season. But looking ahead to the final stages of the playoff race, as well as at the roster possibilities for October, the Cubs will have multiple options.

Seiya Suzuki’s three-run home run in the sixth inning accounted for all of the Cubs’ scoring. (Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

Edward Cabrera, the club’s signature offseason pitching acquisition, is expected to be activated off the injured list to start Sunday against the Cardinals. That anticipated move will slot Shota Imanaga into Monday and the opening of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field.

Cabrera still has not become the next-level pitcher the Cubs envisioned when the Miami Marlins traded him last winter, posting a 5.10 ERA and a negative WAR rating (-0.8, per Baseball Reference) over 14 starts, leaving much to prove.

Imanaga has been the club’s most durable and consistent starter this year, compiling a 3.74 ERA while leading the Cubs in starts (24) and innings pitched (137 1/3). His late-season drop-off last year — the Cubs avoided using him during their playoff-elimination loss in Milwaukee — also can’t be ignored.

For now at least, Counsell ruled out the idea of using a six-man rotation, which could bump David Peterson into a bullpen that already includes swingmen Javier Assad, Colin Rea and Aaron Civale, and no obvious reliever to clear out with a minor-league option. The Cubs want to get to Cabrera’s start before announcing their plans.

“Five starters is what we have to use here to protect everybody else,” Counsell said. “It just means somebody’s not going to start for at least one time through. And I don’t think we are bound to any of this.”

There’s also the long list of pitchers on rehab programs, most notably Ben Brown, who functioned as a high-leverage reliever and a top-of-the-rotation starter at various points this season, until a chronic neck injury sidelined him in late June.

After completing a bullpen session Friday, Brown estimated he’s “probably three weeks, four weeks away, if all goes well,” while adding a dose of realism to the roster projections.

“There’s no givens here — you don’t just step back into your role,” Brown said. “I’ve been saying the same thing for the last five years I’ve been a Cub: I want to be a major-league starting pitcher. But I just got to get to tomorrow, honestly. That’s priority No. 1: Just keep progressing.

“This is a really talented team. There’s not a lot of spots available on this team. I’ve got to go out there and pitch well to earn my opportunity to pitch in September and in the playoffs.”

That motivation pushes players through the monotony of spring training and the ups and downs in a six-month season. If Wrigleyville is like this during the dog days of August, just picture the neighborhood on crisp October nights.

“You feel the environment,” Holmes said. “You feel the passion they have here. You just feel that they love baseball. They love winning baseball. It’s just fun to be a part of that. It was definitely a warm welcome.”

Year three of the MLS Archive Collection adds retro-inspired alternate kits for eight clubs across the league: Austin FC, CF Montreal, Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, Orlando City, Philadelphia Union, Real Salt Lake and Vancouver Whitecaps. These kits will be worn during the remainder of the 2026 season.

“The final Archive drop is a nod to the roots of MLS culture, giving fans kits that feel nostalgic while capturing the true spirit of the eight cities that have played an important part to cultivate the fandom around soccer culture,” said Griffin Claes, Adidas’ senior designer, club and MLS. “We didn’t design these to just be third jerseys, they are pieces for fans to rep the authentic energy, landmarks and pride of their home cities whether they’re in the stands or out in their communities.”

Let’s take a look at each design.

Austin FC

Brooks: This one has a strong retro vibe and I like the “Austin” font. I’m not against the purple, which is meant to represent the “iconic sunset glow that’s defined the city for over a century,” according to the MLS press release. But the shorts and socks that complete this kit are the same “Violet Crown” and that’s just a lot of purple. You’re now in Grimace and Barney the Dinosaur territory with all that.

Ilie Sánchez in the full Grimace. (Photo courtesy of MLS)

Meg: I just Googled what an Austin sunset looks like for journalism purposes, and now I very much get the reference. To your point, Brooks, the full purple look is a lot. I wish they had leaned into a color combo a little more. Trying to use the sunset for a secondary accent color would have still been too much, but this purple with a cream/off-white to balance it out would have been elite.

CF Montreal

Brooks: The Impact made their pro debut in 1993 and the vibes here are definitely of that time. I like the throwback Impact logo, but I kind of wish they took the blue tie-dye effect a little further down the shirt.

Meg: Am I still annoyed over the New England Revolution getting an Archive kit last year and refusing to use their original badge (RIP “crayon flag”)? Yes. So I am mighty relieved this year to see that everyone else is totally normal about using old crests in the proper manner.

What I am sort of baffled by is teams using away looks as the inspiration for these archive kits. Per the MLS release, this one “throws it back to 1993, when the Montréal Impact played their first pro game away from home.” I guess I get the first game ever appeal, but sometimes the struggle of walking the line between homage and full on retro gets exposed. The originals were way more interesting visually, with the Adidas stripes getting in the way on the Archive kit.

Chicago Fire

Brooks: This is a pretty faithful reproduction of the 2000 Fire away shirt. It’s nice, but a reimagined throwback would’ve been more fun. Plus the year 2000 wasn’t that long ago and shouldn’t be considered for an Archive collection… right? Please tell me the year 2000 wasn’t that long ago.

Meg: We’re old BUT we’re also the target demo for these. So you win some, you lose some. It’s a white kit, but again, bringing back the OG branding always helps. I’d also argue the current home and away kits for Chicago are both awful, so the third immediately becomes the best option of the season.

Houston Dynamo

Meg: Before I read the jersey explainer (because some of these really do need explainers to spell out the lore, if you are not a longtime fan of a specific club), I thought the pattern across the shirt was of an actual archive from above, with rows of shelves and books across it. It’s actually the Astrodome roof. Whoops. It’s a step up from a white shirt, but again, the specificity of feeling that the older crests evoke helps sell these more basic options.

Brooks: Yeah, once spelled out I can see the Astrodome roof design, but at first glance I was getting more “amphitheater seating chart.” A little too bland and, aside from the badge, doesn’t really give off a retro vibe.

Orlando City

Meg: Color! Thank you, Orlando. This is also one where I think a club has really nailed the thoughtfulness of a design, picking elements across multiple decades to create something that feels authentic to the city. My favorite element might actually be the pattern, pulled directly from Adidas Questra soccer ball. There are USL-era Orlando nods here. as well. Definitely in the top three of this year’s archive offerings for me.

Brooks: Yeah, I like this one a lot. The Lions were Orlando’s first soccer team. The Questra design as a reference to Orlando hosting ‘94 World Cup matches is an inspired choice and well executed. And the vibrant reds as worn by the club’s first USL title winners is a great bit of team history (that I’m kind of surprised MLS is on board with).

Philadelphia Union

Meg: I’m not sold, but I’m gonna let the Pennsylvania guy handle this one. I’ll admit though, I’m really surprised at how underwhelming this Philadelphia Union offering is, though. The press release says the kit is a throwback to the ‘90s, but… show your work, Union! Show your work!

Brooks: Yeah, this one is a let down, as someone from Philly. The city and the club have so many interesting visuals to work with and all we get here is a cream shirt with the skyline and the colors of the city’s other sports teams squeezed in on the collar and cuffs. That said, this shirt is a blank canvas for true Philly customization via dropped soft pretzels covered in mustard and oozing cheesesteaks. It’ll take some DIY, but after a couple of wears these shirts will have some more character.

Real Salt Lake

Meg: RSL is going for vintage ski vibes with their jersey drop, and I’m here for it, although I would not have known that was the inspiration for it at first glance. Shooting the release video in a ski cabin is a nice touch, though. Elite color combination, with the yellow gold really making this one feel premium in the approach. Another top three contender for me.

Introducing the Black Diamond kit.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the mountains, you’re lucky enough. pic.twitter.com/BPGFDRJWWc

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 13, 2026

Brooks: Mountain motifs usually produce good results when used in kit designs and this is no exception. The colors and design work great together. If I was an RSL fan this would be an instant buy.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Meg: Nothing this year hits the heights of last year’s offering from Minnesota, but my first look at the collection overall had me immediately focusing on Vancouver. It is a relatively simple approach, compared to Orlando’s or Salt Lake’s, but there’s something about these colors together that scratched a very specific part of my brain and also hits on ‘90s/’00s design themes, when  teams weren’t afraid of color. If I had any reason whatsoever to add a Vancouver Whitecaps jersey to my collection, I’d definitely be thinking about buying this one. Top three, and maybe the winner by an inch over Orlando.

Brooks: The Vancouver ‘86ers had some excellent kits back in the day and this does a solid job of invoking the spirit of them. The centerpiece of the shirt, with the pacific dogwood (the official flower of British Columbia) is lovely and kind of reminds me of a beer label… in a good way.

Meg’s top 3: 

1. Vancouver Whitecaps
2. Orlando City
3. Real Salt Lake

Brooks’ top 3:

1. Real Salt Lake
2. Vancouver Whitecaps
3. Orlando City

Meg: Wow, consensus for the most part again!

Brooks: Last year we had the same top two and this year we’re three for three — albeit in a completely different order. Congrats to those three clubs on stellar archiving.