When Jason Heyward crashed into the wall in San Francisco, the mid-section of his body contorting like a cartoon accordion, baseball fans everywhere held their breath. It didn’t look good for the Cubs’ slick-fielding right fielder, but after a long wait the next afternoon the results finally came in—no breaks, no tears, no strains, nothing […]
Category: Articles
Young Cubs: Jimenez Powering Up
The big-league Cubs have largely struggled since I last wrote, but things are still looking very good down on the farm. A few big name prospects have made some big strides in recent weeks, while some have simply continued to play well. Let’s take a spin around the minors and catch up. Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) […]
Game 45 Recap: Cubs 9 Cardinals 8
In a divisional rivalry that has been rife with intrigue, particularly since last fall, the last game of this week’s series was bound not to go out with a whimper. This afternoon’s dogfight between the Cubs and Cardinals looked a lot more like what we might expect between these two teams later in the season. Not […]
Is Ben Zobrist Superman?
No. (He doesn’t wear glasses.) But, I must say, Ben Zobrist is a pretty awesome dude. Going into the Winter Meetings this past December, I wanted nothing more than for the rumors of Zobrist’s possible signing with the Cubs to become a reality—even more so than I wanted the Jason Heyward rumors to come true (which for […]
The Great Regression: The Offense
So, last night’s results aside, the Cubs offense has finally struggled. I say finally because we all knew the blistering pace they were on was going to come to an end at some point—no team can keep up that kind of production over 162 games, and this team is no different. Their recent struggles are a […]
Game 44 Recap: Cubs 12 Cardinals 3
This was a fun one, huh? Perhaps the Cubs’ week-long fever has finally broken. Then again, perhaps it hasn’t. The world is a cruel and often deeply unpleasant place. Let’s proceed, just in case things are on the upswing. Top Play (WPA): The Cubs struck early in this one, getting to Michael Wacha in the first […]
Anthony Rizzo Is Going Through a Thing
Let’s start this by saying the important thing: this doesn’t matter. I know that’s not the best way to Draw The Reader Into The Story, but it is the truth. Whatever struggles Anthony Rizzo is going through—he’s hitting .040/.167/.040 since May 15th—he’ll eventually come out of. He’s too much of a professional hitter, and been […]
Game 43 Recap: Cardinals 4 Cubs 3
The Cubs were held to three or fewer runs for the seventh time in eight games, matching the number of such games they had in their first 35 contests. Against the best offense in baseball, three runs is hardly ever enough. Top Play (WPA): The Cardinals nosed out to an early lead on Monday night, but […]
Albert Almora, Jr.: Captain of the Next Wave
Every so often, the good Lord reaches down and touches a ballplayer with the innate ability to react in an instant to the crack of the bat. It happens so quickly, the average person misses it as they glance at their phone or sip their beverage. A drop-step and whirl before beelining to a descending baseball […]
Series Preview: Cubs at Cardinals, May 23-25
This is a moment, an opportunity for the Cubs to both create a little more breathing room between themselves and their most formidable divisional rival, and to get themselves out of the funk they’ve been in for almost a fortnight. If they miss that opportunity, it’d hardly be calamitous. The Cardinals can’t catch the Cubs […]