Monday's series opener kicks off at 7:05 PM CT, and even with both rotations still listing TBDs as the weekend nears, the Rockies are lined up to roll out some mix of Kyle Freeland, Sugano, Lorenzen and Feltner across the three games at Wrigley. Chicago's staff is doing the same shuffle, only with a lot more empty chairs behind the curtain. Because the Cubs' rotation is in actual shambles. Justin Steele is shelved into the All-Star break, Jameson Taillon's hamstring has him out until after the break too, and Matthew Boyd was supposed to be back this weekend before shoulder soreness wrecked the rehab plan. Craig Counsell is essentially patchworking starts and leaning on a bullpen that just gave up 7 runs to the worst offense in baseball at Coors last week. The good news for Chicago is Pete Crow-Armstrong is unconscious right now. PCA just took home NL Player of the Week with a .440/.481/1.401 line, rode an 11-game hitting streak into the weekend, and has 5 homers over that stretch. He saved Sunday's 9-3 laugher in Denver and is the single biggest reason the Cubs are still hanging at 35-34 with this rotation. For Colorado, the story is the same as it's been all year under Warren Schaeffer: 26-43, dead last in runs allowed, and a position-player group that's missing half the outfield. Brenton Doyle (oblique), Jordan Beck (hamstring) and Mickey Moniak (ankle) are all on the 10-day IL, Tyler Freeman got drilled in the helmet over the weekend and hit the 7-day, and Jake McCarthy is dealing with an illness. Kris Bryant is, of course, still hurt. Recent form is genuinely weird here. The Rockies just won a series at home against the Cubs — which they basically never do against anyone — and split the last 5 overall. Chicago went 1-2 in Denver and now gets a Coors-less rematch where the math should snap back. Series opener at Wrigley, 7:05 PM CT, and the Cubs have every motivation to remind everyone which team is supposed to be the contender.