CHICAGO -- The Cubs have come out in their first three games of the second half like a team that knows what’s at stake.

Not only were the Cubs able to create some space between them and the Brewers in the National League Central, but they also put teams on notice that they can still be one of Majors’ best teams by securing a series sweep over the Pirates with an 8-3 victory on Sunday afternoon.

“We had wonderful focus today,” manager Joe Maddon said. “The guys had a good look from the beginning.”

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It seems the All-Star break came at the perfect time for the Cubs as they not only came away from the weekend series with three wins, but they played a much cleaner brand of baseball than they had before the Midsummer Classic.

“I think [the improvement is] more mental than anything else,” Kris Bryant said. “You can play through the physical tiredness, but when you’re going at it every day, getting beat up like we were before the All-Star break, it’s more of a mental grind. So I think we are mentally rested, and that’s a good thing.”

After being chased down by the Brewers last September for the division crown and being forced out by the Rockies in a one-game playoff, the team’s goal of not having history repeat itself is evident.

The Cubs’ start to the second half is not only important to this team in the scope of this season, but it looms pretty large in terms of the next step of the franchise.

With Maddon managing in the last year of his contract and the franchise’s core players at the big league level, the team could look drastically different depending on this year’s outcome. Especially if the team bows out early again.

“For me, that’s not a good way to look at it. If you’re sitting in my seat or the player’s seat on a daily basis, that’d be very unhealthy,” Maddon said. “I think you really need to work on a day-by-day basis, you need to focus on the job at hand for today.

“I would prefer that we continue with the same attitude we’ve had over the last several years. It’s been pretty successful. For me or for the guys to change right now, I don’t want that. I don’t seek that, whatsoever. If you want to create internal ultimatums, that’s never going to work.”

Almora and Schwarber come up big with Trade Deadline looming
Maddon was asked prior to Sunday afternoon’s victory if he had a wishlist for things the team could potentially acquire at the July 31 Deadline, now the sole deadline for teams looking to acquire players. He said a guy that provided a professional at-bat.

“We have to become a little bit more offensive in the right moments. I would believe we’re looking in that particular area,” Maddon before the game. “Overall, if you could add that element, one more consistent bat. A real pro at-bat.”

The void left by Ben Zobrist has been felt, but the Cubs found those professional at-bats as the offense put up eight-plus runs for the second day in a row with the help of Albert Almora Jr. and Kyle Schwarber.

Almora Jr. and Schwarber have had their share of struggles in recent weeks, and if the team brings reinforcements in from the outside, both could lose significant playing time. But they provided the Cubs with a boost as the pair teamed up to hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning. They also added a pair of walks.

“I love Schwarber’s walk. I love Almora’s walk. Yeah, they hit the home runs, but I loved the walks, ” Maddon said. “There’s always another level of everything. If we want to be elite, we have to force other teams to get us out in the strike zone.”

The Cubs have also gotten a big contribution from backup Victor Caratini. Caratini has continued to hit with more opportunities to play as the Cubs control All-Star Willson Contreras’ workload.

With two more hits on Sunday, Caratini is slashing .301/.383/.505 and carries a 132 wRC+ in 38 games this season.

“Maybe the reason both of them are playing so well is based on the amount of usage,” Maddon said. “I’ve had this discussion in the past. Everybody sees a guy playing well and all of a sudden he needs to play more often. Maybe he’s just playing the right amount.”