Weekend Catch-Up: Bryant Hurting But Hot, Beating the Diamondbacks, Otani, More

The Cubs pulled off the series win in Arizona, which gave them a 3-3 road trip out west. Would you rather have seen 4-2? Of course. But when you head out west to play a crummy team and a good team, going 3-3 is not a bad outcome, however you get it.

If you missed any of the headlines …

Friday, August 11

  • The Cubs and Cardinals will play a special “spotlight” game next year.
  • Theo Epstein talked about what the Cubs deserve, the additions they’ve made, and much more.
  • Luke dropped the top eight in his midseason Cubs prospect list, which proved to be an incredibly difficult group to rank.
  • Potentially huge news for the Cubs (among other teams in the IFA penalty box): Shohei Otani may not come to the States this offseason after all.
  • Luke wonders where aces really come from.
  • How the Cubs move forward after a big injury and other bullets.
  • The strike zone seems to be shrinking at the bottom, which could cause problems for three Cubs pitchers.
  • The bad news dropped on Friday, with Willson Contreras out at least 4 to 6 weeks.
  • The Cubs beat the Diamondbacks to kick off their weekend set.
  • Kyle Schwarber and Alex Avila went back-to-back to support the effort.
  • Saturday, August 12

  • Cubs outfield prospect D.J. Wilson is putting together a good year, and made a crazy catch.
  • Kris Bryant describes his pinky injury as “brutal,” but he’s still doin’ work.
  • Fun to see: Javy Baez scoring from first base on a single (despite a stop sign at third base).
  • The Brewers definitely aren’t giving up, as they just traded for Neil Walker.
  • The Cubs dropped the middle game in the series against the Diamondbacks, as the bats couldn’t get going.
  • Sunday, August 13

  • Playoffs aren’t looking great for many Cubs minor league affiliates.
  • The Cubs weren’t happy about the final call from Saturday’s game as they tried to rally, the infield defense is suffering, and other bullets.
  • Of note to future free agent prognosticators and playoff schedule surmisers, Bryce Harper suffered a horrible-looking knee injury that may have not been that bad.
  • The Cubs took down the D-Backs in the finale, giving them their first series win in a while.
  • In the game, Kris Bryant continued an absolute tear that saw him retired just twice in the entire series.
  • 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.

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