June has arrived. With it comes the Draft, the real start of the trade rumor season, and the lead-up to the international signing period (which opens July 2). And, of course, lots of baseball. The Cubs are making things interesting lately, winning five in a row, and looking impressive in doing so. Some of the winning is simple positive regression – as we’ve discussed at length, the Cubs are probably a good deal better than their record reflects – and doesn’t necessarily mean that the Cubs have turned a corner. The real question – one that I hope we get to talk about for several more days – is how many games must the Cubs win in June for us to start thinking that the sell-off plan isn’t the right move this year. Well, and how many losses from the likes of the Cardinals, Reds, and Pirates, who are currently dominating baseball.
Matt Garza threw 82% fastballs yesterday, per Cubs.com, which is impressive given the excellent results.??”He kept it simple, fastballs to both sides of the plate, up and down, mixed in his breaking stuff and kept the balls off the barrel,” D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said, per Cubs.com, which comports with Garza relying heavily on the fastball (i.e., the keep it simple part). I assume that was game plan thing, which Garza executed quite well, it appears. Through three starts, Garza’s numbers look great: 3.38 ERA, 1.125 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9. The only piece that you’d like to see improve a bit is the 3.9 BB/9. Note: Garza walked no one yesterday.
Bruce Miles on Dale Sveum, Pythagoras, and run differential. Doesn’t that tease make you want to read it? You should. Sveum offers his thoughts on the Cubs’ record so far, and how he knows that the Cubs are better than their record reflects.
Bob Brenly, who is back at Wrigley announcing for the Diamondbacks this weekend, sounds a little wistful when he talks with ESPN about his time in Chicago. He does admit that it was tough to call the games the last couple of years when the team was performing so badly.
Another sabermetric analysis of Jeff Samardzija’s emergence – this from Beyond the Boxscore – concludes that it’s legit, and can last. He may very well be a true ace.
ESPN’s Jim Caple on the need to renovate Wrigley Field. The timing of his piece is odd, but, hey, yeah: renovate Wrigley Field.
A great profile on outfield prospect Albert Almora from CSN. I’m usually not one for the practical impact of ethereal concepts like “drive” and “chemistry,” but you really do get the sense that Almora will always outperform his ability (which is considerable to begin with) because of his enthusiasm/drive/energy/intelligence/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
Kane County pitching prospect Pierce Johnson and third base prospect Jeimer Candelario land on Baseball America’s latest Hot Sheet – the former for being hot, the latter not-so-much.
At yesterday’s game, a young fan got a little too excited about his new baseball, and dad had to save the day (from MLB’s Tumblr):
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation. You can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation, on Bluesky at @Brett-Taylor, 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.
I don't think we should expect the Cubs to go absolutely nuts from here, but I do think it is fair to say that, since they have now added Kyle Tucker for 2025 (and possibly only 2025), it would be...
The Chicago Cubs of the more recent era rarely dip into the Rule 5 Draft. The system has been fairly deep for a long time now, and the Cubs have been just as good finding flyers in minor league free...
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With a 40-man roster spot freshly opened by the Kyle Tucker trade, the Chicago Cubs were free to complete the deal that was rumored to be "close" four days ago: catcher Carson Kelly is on his way to join Miguel...
The best part of any meal is the main course. And in this offseason, that's undoubtedly Kyle Tucker ... the best player the Chicago Cubs have had in almost a decade. HOWEVER, everyone loves a little dessert. And that may...
I just can't get enough joyful Kyle Tucker bits right now following the big trade. So I started collecting up some of the ones I saw and parked them here. Enjoy: https://twitter.com/CubsZone/status/1867662864695406723 https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1867663592360738829 https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1867664917031268364 https://twitter.com/TheBlogfines/status/1867671110718042222 https://twitter.com/TheBlogfines/status/1867698868722577554 https://twitter.com/ckamka/status/1867665184166420697 https://twitter.com/amartinez_11/status/1867659479569117307 https://twitter.com/amartinez_11/status/1867663627328925932 https://twitter.com/BleacherNation/status/1867690000583918071...
The Chicago Cubs have made it officially official: Kyle Tucker is here. The team just sent the announcement, with Tucker coming to the Cubs in exchange for Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith. https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1867694757612597363 Now we just wait to...
The behind-the-scenes conversation around Cody Bellinger has reached such a fever pitch that I am modestly surprised it hasn't already happened, especially now that Kyle Tucker is a Cub. The overlapping positions and financial crunch and the general direction of...
I hope that for all of you, as it is for me, today is 99% about the excitement of the Cubs adding a true superstar bat in Kyle Tucker. This was one of those rare opportunities to add one of...
The Chicago Cubs don't have a superstar? Remember that constant criticism? Well, can't use that line anymore. They just traded for one. After days of intense rumors, it finally happened: the Chicago Cubs acquired outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston...
The UNC Greensboro Spartans (5-4) square off against the North Florida Ospreys (6-4) on December 14, 2024.On Saturday, in its last game, UNC Greensboro defeated N.C. A&T 67-55. With 25 points, Kenyon Giles was its high scorer. North Florida lost...
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The Prairie View A&M Panthers (1-8) will visit the Loyola Marymount Lions (4-4) after losing eight road games in a row.In its previous game, Loyola Marymount defeated Nevada on Saturday, 68-64. Its leading scorer was Alex Merkviladze with 19 points....
The Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (6-3) will host the Loyola (MD) Greyhounds (4-4) after winning four home games in a row.Mount St. Mary's won its most recent game versus Fairfield, 101-94, on Sunday. Jedy Cordilia was its leading scorer with...
The Washington State Cougars (8-2) play the Missouri State Bears (5-4) on December 14, 2024. The matchup airs on ESPN+.Washington State won its most recent game versus Boise State, 74-69, on Saturday. LeJuan Watts was its high scorer with 20...
The Saint Bonaventure Bonnies (9-1) hope to build on a four-game road winning streak when they visit the Providence Friars (7-4) on December 14, 2024.Providence won its most recent game versus DePaul, 70-63 in OT, on Tuesday. Bensley Joseph was...
The Wagner Seahawks (5-4) take on the NJIT Highlanders (2-10) at NJIT Wellness and Events Center on December 14, 2024.NJIT lost its previous game to Delaware State, 71-59, on Wednesday. Tim Moore Jr. starred with 20 points, and also had...
The Texas A&M-CC Islanders (6-4) will visit the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (5-3) after losing three road games in a row.Hawaii dropped its most recent game to Long Beach State, 76-68, on Saturday. Marcus Greene led the way with 17 points,...
The Syracuse Orange (5-4) will look to build on a five-game home winning streak when they host the Georgetown Hoyas (7-2) on December 14, 2024 at JMA Wireless Dome.In its most recent game, Syracuse defeated Albany (NY) on Tuesday, 102-85....
The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (2-7) will look to stop a three-game losing streak when they hit the road to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) on December 14, 2024 at WVU Coliseum.On Tuesday, in its most recent game, West Virginia...
NEWSLETTER
June has arrived. With it comes the Draft, the real start of the trade rumor season, and the lead-up to the international signing period (which opens July 2). And, of course, lots of baseball. The Cubs are making things interesting lately, winning five in a row, and looking impressive in doing so. Some of the winning is simple positive regression – as we’ve discussed at length, the Cubs are probably a good deal better than their record reflects – and doesn’t necessarily mean that the Cubs have turned a corner. The real question – one that I hope we get to talk about for several more days – is how many games must the Cubs win in June for us to start thinking that the sell-off plan isn’t the right move this year. Well, and how many losses from the likes of the Cardinals, Reds, and Pirates, who are currently dominating baseball.
