CHICAGO — Late at night, after the Chicago Cubs’ 5-4 loss to the Athletics on June 3, a group of players sat around in swivel chairs inside Wrigley Field’s home clubhouse chatting about the game and trying to decompress. The group retreated into a quiet locker room as their season continued to spin out of control after the extra-innings loss.The circle included catcher Carson Kelly, outfielder Michael Conforto and pitchers Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon, who had sat down in the interview room the night before and described the club’s prolonged slump as a “wake-up call.”The clubhouse scene was noticeable, players taking the time to hang out rather than rush to the parking lot. Taillon held a gift from a former teammate, marking a recent career milestone: I reached 10 years of MLB service and all I got was this stupid mug.Anything to lighten the mood.“We’re not having much fun,” Taillon said. “You don’t want to necessarily have fun when you’re losing, but you do need to find ways to enjoy the day and enjoy each other. I think you hear a lot of guys say, ‘When we’re struggling, it’s easy to focus inward, and you need to focus a little more outward.’“Just challenge yourself to ask Carson, ‘What are you working on? How’s your family? What are you trying to get better at today?’ Versus always being so consumed with yourself.”At that point, the Cubs were only two games over .500 after that dispiriting loss. With another week lopped off the schedule, the Cubs are now 34-34 after a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.The team that had the best record in baseball after its second 10-game winning streak (27-12) currently trails the Milwaukee Brewers by eight games in the National League Central. The rapid drop-off can be attributed to a variety of factors, from pitching injuries to the law of averages to the club’s best hitters failing to deliver with runners in scoring position.Clearly, something is off.“We’re a very detail-oriented group, and everybody handles their business,” Kelly said. “We just talk about, ‘When it’s going really good, what does it feel like? What does it look like? What are we thinking?’“It always comes back to being an aggressive team, taking risks, taking chances and taking it to the game, rather than playing defense all the time. Just let your natural ability — and being present in the moment — take over.”The Cubs went 2-4 on their most recent homestand, losing series to the Athletics and San Francisco Giants. (Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)Throughout the recent homestand, the boos could be heard. There was also a noticeable response whenever former All-Star Anthony Rizzo was shown on the video board. There was Rizzo in the front row, chugging an Old Style beer for the camera and going “Tarps Off” with a shirtless celebration after an Ian Happ home run.