If the Chicago Cubs make the postseason, adding another quality starter who can slot into a playoff series would make them a serious World Series threat.

Cubs Reportedly Discussing Trade With Royals to Bolster Rotation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Cubs are no longer sitting comfortably atop the National League Central. After Chicago held the lead since April 4, an 11-game winning streak by the Milwaukee Brewers has placed the two teams in a tie for first place.

With the July 31 Trade Deadline coming up, this week marked an important one for the Royals. If they wanted to pave their way out of being sellers at the Deadline, the team needed to take care of business against the Cubs to begin the week.

The Chicago Cubs fell to .500 since the All-Star Break with an 8-4 loss against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Normally, losing two of three against an AL Central team in July wouldn't be a big deal to the Cubs. In this case, it might be.

Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit solo shots for the Cubs, who entered tied with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central and the best record in the majors.

The Chicago Cubs (60-41) will host the Kansas City Royals (49-53), in the final game of a three-game series, Wednesday at 2:20 p.m. ET. The favored Cubs (-147 moneyline odds to win) play at home against the Royals (+123). The scheduled starters are Colin Rea (8-3) for the Chicago Cubs, and Seth Lugo (6-5) for the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals won the series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and knocked Chicago out of first place in the NL Central.

Matthew Boyd pitched seven crisp innings for his 11th win, and the Chicago Cubs spoiled Rich Hill’s return to the majors with a 6-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Matt Shaw each had two hits as Chicago ended a two-game slide.