Cubs' morale is high in the midst of a strong August – will they be able to sustain it?

PITTSBURGH — Thanks to an August surge, the Cubs (68-66) are on pace to finish the season with 82 wins.

The beauty of baseball is that it isn’t that predictable. The Cubs could ride their recent momentum and favorable schedule to a significantly better record. Or they could stumble at the finish line.

So far, though, their route there took some surprising turns, in aggregate, this is about the season they were projected to have. The Cubs have their own projection models, but going into the season...