Tough Road for a Split, Maddon Takes Aim at the Strike Zone, and Other Bullets

Day by day and all that. I will say that it is a side benefit of going through personal struggles that, when the Cubs are floundering at the same time, I mostly don’t feel a compounding effect – I just shake my head and get back to the business of feeling as well as possible. And then whenever it is that the Cubs go on a hot streak, which they will, it’ll be a nice little bonus smile.

  • With another loss last night, the best the Cubs can hope for on this road trip through Denver and L.A. is a 3-4 record, which actually wouldn’t be too bad … but it means they have to win tonight and tomorrow night. That means – among other things – tonight Yu Darvish will have to not be overcome by the moment pitching in his return to face the Dodgers, and tomorrow night the Cubs will have overcome the guy who has probably been the best pitcher in all of baseball this year (Hyun-Jin Ryu). Good luck.
  • I have thoughts on the strike zone from last night, offered by an umpire whose name we’ve already heard far too often this season (not a good sign), but I think I’ll let the visuals and Joe Maddon do the speaking for me:
  • Big same, Willson:
  • (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

  • An incredible catch late in the game last night to save Mike Montgomery’s otherwise very shaky inning of work:
  • Almora departed, but was ultimately OK after the game.
  • More on the non-injury front, as all of Steve Cishek, Cole Hamels, and Jon Lester are fine after various hit-by-ball situations over the past few days (Sun-Times).
  • Surprise. Adbert Alzolay did it again:
  • https://twitter.com/IowaCubsGameDay/status/1139748812292067328

  • Get in on the 50/50 online:
  • Lots of tool deals at Amazon today.
  • Feeling very good about the state of the Bears offense:
  • Draft and free agency notes for the Bulls:
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

    more cubs news

    Hector Neris Has Literally Been the Luckiest Pitcher in Baseball So Far This Season

    I don't think this should come as a surprise to anyone who's watched even one of Hector Neris' 15.0 IP this season, but he has been, by at last one measure, the luckiest pitcher in MLB this season. Why do...

    FanGraphs Just Dropped a Top-47 Cubs Prospects List

    Put your reading glasses and prospect hat on, as FanGraphs just released its 2024 Chicago Cubs top prospects list, which comes in at 47 names. Unlike other lists with a set number of names per org, FanGraphs ranks all prospects...

    Brennen Davis Rejoined Cubs’ Top-30 and Celebrated with Another Dinger (UPDATE: Just Did It AGAIN!)

    UPDATE: After this post was published, Brennen Davis hit ANOTHER home run, that's four in his last five games. https://twitter.com/OutOfTheVines/status/1790766851707883795 This one was an opposite field blast that left his bat at 104.4 MPH and traveled 382 feet. Original post...

    Salvage the Finale, Nico’s Hammy, Mastrobuoni and Vazquez, Hilarious Harry Story, and Other Cubs Bullets

    Now that I'm back to doing the Cubs writer thing full-go, a serious problem has returned: the volume of tabs open at any given time on my laptop. It is currently 57 tabs. That's kind of ridiculous, isn't it? I...

    Jorge Soler with the Worst Possible Luck in His First BP Session Trying to Return from the IL

    It seems the Cubs bad injury luck this season extends to former Cubs, like Jorge Soler, as well. Jorge Soler Pops Himself in the Head Back on May 8, the Giants placed Jorge Soler on the Injured List due to...

    Pablo Aliendo Goes Way Deep, Alexander Canario Goes Way Grand

    Pablo Aliendo gave the Tennessee Smokies an early lead on Tuesday night. Matching up with the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Aliendo sent a ball deep into left field during the 2nd inning. The homer gave the Smokies an early 1-0...

    Angels Manager Ron Washington Threw Luis Guillorme Under the Bus, Then Drove the Bus, Then Backed Over Him Again

    Ron Washington must absolutely hate his new infielder, Luis Guillorme, who was acquired just five days ago. There is no other explanation for what he said after last night's game. I mean, I'm kinda tongue-in-cheek, but this is pretty extreme....

    Ronel Blanco, Who Threw the Season’s First No-Hitter, Now Gets the Season’s First Sticky Stuff Ejection

    The first sticky stuff ejection of the year has arrived. Houston Astros righty Ronel Blanco, he of the surprising no-hitter earlier this year, got the boot last night. From the look of things, Blanco and his manager were trying to...

    Enhanced Box Score: Braves 7, Cubs 0 – May 14, 2024

    Not every game is a referendum on a team. Actually, come to think of it, a single game is NEVER a referendum on a team. Anyway, point is, a whole lot of teams are going to get stomped by these...

    Nico Hoerner Was Scratched Just Before Tonight’s Game Started

    You know that expression, when it rains, it pours? This is like that, except instead of raining, it is pouring deluxe turds. Just an absolute monsoon of shit. Another Cubs injury issue to another key Cubs player: https://twitter.com/maddie_m_lee/status/1790522697002455532 So, Nico...

    Latest News

    2024 PGA Championship: Ranking the Top 25 Players at Valhalla

    Ranking the Top 25 Players at Valhalla Golf Club -The PGA Championship, the second major of the 2024 calendar, will take place at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16-19. This will be the 106th edition of the...

    2024 MLB Mock Draft: Guardians Take New Name First Overall

    Let's get to another 2024 MLB Mock Draft! As the college baseball season unfolds with each passing game, a select group of players are significantly improving their draft stock. Numerous mock drafts and meticulously crafted analyses of potential selections by...

    NFL Schedule Release Day! And Other Bears Bullets

    Happy NFL schedule release day to those who observe. We already know the time, date, place, and opponent for *ONE* of the Chicago Bears' 17 games: https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1790709262013886544 It'll be an 8:30 a.m. CT start in Chicago for Bears fans watching...

    FanGraphs Just Dropped a Top-47 Cubs Prospects List

    Put your reading glasses and prospect hat on, as FanGraphs just released its 2024 Chicago Cubs top prospects list, which comes in at 47 names. Unlike other lists with a set number of names per org, FanGraphs ranks all prospects...

    Preakness Stakes Favorite Muth Scratched From Saturday’s Race

    The favorite in this weekend's Preakness Stakes, Muth, has been scratched from the race due to a spiking fever. Muth, trained by Bob Baffert, was aiming to be the legendary trainer's eighth winner of the Preakness Stakes. Baffert says that...

    Hector Neris Has Literally Been the Luckiest Pitcher in Baseball So Far This Season

    I don't think this should come as a surprise to anyone who's watched even one of Hector Neris' 15.0 IP this season, but he has been, by at last one measure, the luckiest pitcher in MLB this season. Why do...

    Patrick Williams’ Free Agency, Isaiah Collier in Chicago? NBA vs. NFL, and Other Bulls Bullets

    Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan will dominate the offseason headlines for the Chicago Bulls. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley will presumably work every phone line in hopes that the market consensus has changed on their two-time All-Star. As for DeRozan,...

    Jorge Soler with the Worst Possible Luck in His First BP Session Trying to Return from the IL

    It seems the Cubs bad injury luck this season extends to former Cubs, like Jorge Soler, as well. Jorge Soler Pops Himself in the Head Back on May 8, the Giants placed Jorge Soler on the Injured List due to...

    Brennen Davis Rejoined Cubs’ Top-30 and Celebrated with Another Dinger (UPDATE: Just Did It AGAIN!)

    UPDATE: After this post was published, Brennen Davis hit ANOTHER home run, that's four in his last five games. https://twitter.com/OutOfTheVines/status/1790766851707883795 This one was an opposite field blast that left his bat at 104.4 MPH and traveled 382 feet. Original post...

    Angels Manager Ron Washington Threw Luis Guillorme Under the Bus, Then Drove the Bus, Then Backed Over Him Again

    Ron Washington must absolutely hate his new infielder, Luis Guillorme, who was acquired just five days ago. There is no other explanation for what he said after last night's game. I mean, I'm kinda tongue-in-cheek, but this is pretty extreme....

    more cubs news