Joe Maddon and the Chicago Cubs are still one of the best teams in baseball, but they have been struggling in a big way over their last two series. They were swept at Wrigley Field by their division rival St. Louis Cardinals and proceeded to lose three out of four to the Miami Marlins. It certainly makes fans nervous, especially after the collapses that the Cubs have had in past years.

Looking ahead at the coming weeks, the Cubs will face the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets on the road in the next two series they play. Cincinnati shouldn’t be too much trouble, and it will give the Cubs a perfect chance to break out of their losing slump.

There are a few holes that the Cubs will need to address at the MLB trade deadline, which could be a very entertaining time to keep an eye on Chicago.

It will be interesting to see how the Cubs respond from their series loss against the Marlins. There is no question that the Marlins series shook them up a bit.

All of that being said, what five reasons can be given to the Chicago Cubs and their fan base to show that they shouldn’t panic despite the losing skid that they have been on?

[AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

Chicago Still Has One of the Best Offenses in Recent MLB History

Even though the offense hasn’t been clicking on all cylinders the last week, Chicago still has one of the top offenses in recent MLB history. They may not be playing at 100 percent right now, but they will get things going again. Chicago will hit their way out of the slump in the near future.

The MLB Trade Deadline Will Bring in More Talent

Theo Epstein knows that he needs to make a big move or two ahead of the MLB trade deadline. It has become obvious that the Cubs need help in the bullpen, and they may look at another starting pitcher. Chicago has plenty of assets to make a big move, and it definitely sounds like they are looking to make one.

Joe Maddon Will Work His Magic

There were times last season where the young Cubs could have fallen apart, but Joe Maddon didn’t allow that to happen. Maddon is one of the best in the business at diagnosing a problem and fixing it. He will do that once again and will get the Cubs back on track.

[AP Photo/Billy Hurst]

They Are Still the Best Team in the National League

Obviously the San Francisco Giants are pushing the Cubs at this point in time, but the Cubs still sit atop the National League standings. Even with the struggles that they have had, they have stayed ahead of the rest of the field. That won’t be the case if they continue struggling long-term, but it shows just how good the Cubs are capable of being.

Losses Will Make the Cubs Angry and Focused

Chicago has been loose all season long and have been having a lot of fun. They are dangerous when they are loose, but they will even more dangerous now that they are angry and focused on getting back to their winning ways. If they lock in and focus on playing to their full potential, no team in baseball can stop them.

Expect to see the Cubs break out of their losing streak over the next few weeks and get back to being the best team in baseball. These losses have drawn attention to a couple of holes that Epstein needs to fix, and he will make sure to do that.

Do you think the Chicago Cubs will break out of their losing slump in the next week or two? Should fans panic about the weaknesses that were shown against the Cardinals and Marlins? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[AP Photo/Paul Beaty]