The Taylor Family Sickness is apparently a city-wide sickness (well, at least school-wide), because the kiddos’ school is closed today. I’ll do my best to write well in between screaming fits, diaper changes, and booger wipes. Fortunately, The Mother is coming to help me, God bless her. Maybe you won’t notice a thing. We’ll see.
Although everyone remains aboard the Arodys Vizcaino hype train, manager Rick Renteria is making sure to put things in the proper perspective. Having missed the last two years, the 23-year-old Vizcaino still needs to accomplish a lot of things before he’s ready for Major League action. RR tells CSN that Vizcaino has to do things like pitching on back-to-back days, getting warmed up and sitting back down, and getting back up again, etc. That’s the kind of thing he’d have to do be doing without any reservations in order to be in the big league pen, which is among the many reasons I still don’t think Vizcaino breaks camp with the Cubs. In the minors, his innings and appearances can still be managed. Can you imagine the tumult if Vizcaino is clearly the best setup option after a few strong April outings in Chicago, and then is used back-to-back days … and his elbow pops again? You can’t control that kind of thing, but you can certainly try to put a valuable piece like Vizcaino in the best possible position to succeed long-term. Throwing him out there after missing two years and using him like a true setup man could be disastrous. Tentatively, it sounds like RR is setting folks up for the eventual decision to option Vizcaino to the minors to start the year.
Cubs backup catcher George Kottaras says he can see the improvement in Welington Castillo as a backstop in the years he’s observed him as an opponent, and now as a teammate. Pitching coach Chris Bosio says that Castillo has improved as much year to year as any catcher he’s seen in his 32 years of baseball.
The Marlins were unhappy that the Red Sox didn’t send a big league-caliber lineup over for a Spring game last week and made a little fuss about it, saying they would be contacting the league office. How did Red Sox owner John Henry respond? By tweeting, “They should apologize for their regular season lineup.” Wicked burn, bro.
Your prospect porn of the day:
I didn't realize Javier Baez swung so hard. I didn't realize anyone swung so hard.
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.
I'll just presume he was sending this one out for mom. And I'll also presume that the knee is indeed feeling good. Home run number nine on the season for Christopher Morel: https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1789713524052087082
CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs have played thirteen series so far this season, and this is already their eighth rubber match. Let's see if Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs can bring this one in. Chicago Cubs Lineup: Nico Hoerner, SS...
No surprises here, as the decision to start Kyle Hendricks this afternoon against the Pirates was made yesterday, but the news has officially hit the wire, and here it is. Kyle Hendricks Activated Kyle Hendricks is returning from his short...
Happy Mother's Day to the mothers among you, and to the mothers in my life! I'll be doing some extra family stuff today, so I'm gonna cruise through these Bullets ... Up front, because this was certainly the thing most...
The Sunday TBD has been D'd, and it's going to be Kyle Hendricks coming back an outing early. Instead of making another rehab start at Iowa, Hendricks is going to be activated from the IL to rejoin the rotation tomorrow:...
The Cubs came within 90 feet of keeping that ridiculous game going. No dice. Stupid game. Early on, it just kinda seemed like the Cubs might lose a perfectly normal - bad, but normal - game. Justin Steele did not...
CUBS LINEUP — After a little tease yesterday, Seiya Suzuki is actually, officially in the Cubs lineup today. And he'll be greeted with a tough matchup against the top pitching prospect in Major League Baseball. Welcome back! Chicago Cubs Lineup:...
Today the Chicago Cubs placed reliever Yency Almonte on the Injured List with a right shoulder strain. Jose Cuas has been recalled from Iowa to take his place in the bullpen. Almonte, together with Mark Leiter Jr., had been performing...
How did I not know that the Aurora Borealis was going to be visible last night?!?!? I woke up this morning to all these awesome pictures from friends and other people in the area, and I'm MISERABLE ABOUT IT. With...
In 2015, Kyle Schwarber hit a monster home run onto the top of the right field scoreboard at Wrigley Field, where it stayed for the remainder of the postseason. Watching the game live, I remember thinking "Dang, he got all...
Nikola Jokic must make two 3-pointers to beat his prop when the Denver Nuggets face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at 8:00 PM ET, in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs.Nikola Jokic's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs....
At 8:00 PM ET on Sunday, in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, it'll be the Denver Nuggets versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Michael Porter Jr. needing three trifectas to beat his 3-pointer prop.Michael Porter Jr.'s...
Anthony Edwards' Minnesota Timberwolves meet the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 8:00 PM ET in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he needs to make three from downtown.Anthony Edwards' Three-Pointer...
On Sunday at 8:00 PM ET, the Denver Nuggets face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and Jamal Murray's 3-pointer over/under for this matchup requires two trifectas.Jamal Murray's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs....
Karl-Anthony Towns' Minnesota Timberwolves play the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 8:00 PM ET in Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point prop, he must make two from downtown.Karl-Anthony Towns' Three-Pointer Prop...
Player prop betting options for Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokic and others are available in the Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets matchup at Target Center on Sunday (starting at 8:00 PM ET).How to Watch Timberwolves vs. NuggetsDate: Sunday, May 12, 2024Time: 8:00 PM...
I'll just presume he was sending this one out for mom. And I'll also presume that the knee is indeed feeling good. Home run number nine on the season for Christopher Morel: https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1789713524052087082
I was rounding up this morning's set of Bears Bullets when I saw this note from the Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer on rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze sitting out Saturday's practice with hamstring tightness and I knew I had to...
No surprises here, as the decision to start Kyle Hendricks this afternoon against the Pirates was made yesterday, but the news has officially hit the wire, and here it is. Kyle Hendricks Activated Kyle Hendricks is returning from his short...
Two of the league's top power hitters meet Sunday when the Atlanta Braves (24-12) and New York Mets (18-20) take the field at 7:10 PM ET, live on ESPN. Marcell Ozuna has 12 home runs for the Braves (-112 favorites...