Another day, another stop in the bleachers. If you’re going to this afternoon’s game against the Reds, I should be there in the right field bleachers somewhere. I’ve got a Cubs-colored tie dye shirt, and I think I’m gonna wear that. It’s a country-themed day in the bleachers, but I don’t really have anything country-ish. So, yeah. Tie dye.
It was another short, rough outing for Tsuyoshi Wada, as the Cubs continue to struggle to find a taker for the fifth starter spot in their rotation. Each of Joe Maddon and Miguel Montero expressed confidence in Wada after the game, but said he needed to have more confidence in his own stuff (CSN, Cubs.com). The implication is that Wada is trying to be a little too fine early in the count, falling behind, and then getting hit hard when he has to come back more into the zone in hitters’ counts. For now, Maddon wasn’t hinting at making a change in the rotation, though.
I’m not sure how much longer the Cubs will go with Wada in the 5th starter spot given (1) the presence of Travis Wood and Edwin Jackson in the bullpen, (2) the presence of Jacob Turner working his way back to health at AA Tennessee, and (3) the looming trade season. While you don’t want to see a revolving door at that 5 spot, I’m very nearly to the point where I’d almost hope that Turner is ready within a couple starts so that the Cubs can give him a look for a few starts before the Trade Deadline gets too close. That is not to say that you’d presume Turner is better than what the Cubs could pick up on the trade market; instead, it’s just a matter of getting the Cubs a complete picture of what they have before they make any serious decisions. In the interim, you wonder at what point the Cubs revisit their Spring Training idea – or at least that was the rumor – of having Wood (or Wada) and Jackson serve as a tandem pitching pair for a single game, starting one or the other based on the opposing team. The bullpen’s already bloated as it is, so there’s not much harm there.
(Quietly, each of Eric Jokisch and Dallas Beeler have missed a window to come up and grab a rotation spot, as they have battled health and ineffectiveness issues. Donn Roach’s results at AAA have been incredible (2.07 ERA over 12 starts), but he allows so many balls into play that I’m not sure how sustainable even modest success is going to be at the big league level. Tons of groundballs, though.)
Joe Maddon was quick to yank Wada in the 4th inning last night, and had Jason Motte warming in the bullpen even as Hector Rondon first stepped on the mound for a three-run save in the 9th. That’s extremely unusual – it’s often seen as putting unnecessary stress on the closer – but, in this situation, I liked it a lot. If Rondon got into any trouble at all (which he has this year), Motte would be ready to come in at a moment’s notice, rather than having to rush and hurry to get up and warm.
Former Cubs lefty Phil Coke is coming up to the Blue Jays, which means the Cubs will save a little money – about $350,000 or so. Not enough to do anything major, but, hey, it’s not nothing.
Although it looks like they are desperately trying to get away from me in this shot from last night’s broadcast, I was totally having a nice conversation with Bret La Epic and his lovely girlfriend Eva:
The folks in front of us were cool, too, but it was hard to see around the graphic stuck to their faces for most of the game. I’m just glad I was at a minimum level of embarrassing for the shot. The internet is forever.
1 – Josh Donaldson (2007) 20.1 WAR
2 – Mark Prior (2001) 16.5 WAR
3 – Andrew Cashner (2008) 5.2 WAR
4 – Ryan Flaherty (2008) 2.2 WAR
5 – Kris Bryant (2013) 1.7 WAR
As for the hints:
Kris Bryant and Mark Prior are both fairly iconic Cubs. Kris Bryant and Andrew Cashner have had a direct impact on the Cubs’ current roster. Remember, Cashner went the other way in the Rizzo trade. Josh Donaldson and Ryan Flaherty never actually played a game for the Cubs. Donaldson was traded, and Flaherty was taken in the Rule 5 draft.
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.
In the top of the seventh inning of today's 8-3 win over the Miami Marlins, Alexander Canario trotted out to left field in place of Ian Happ. At first, we thought (or maybe just hoped) that Craig Counsell was giving...
And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...
With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...
*The Cubs were rained out yesterday, but today? Today, we've got a Friday 1:20 start at Wrigley Field, and that means all is right in the world. Before you take a look at the Cubs lineup against Miami, check out...
Happy Friday! Well, for everyone except for the pilots who were supposed to be manning the Colorado Rockies flight last week but instead allowed a member of the Rockies coaching staff to hop in the pilot's seat for a fun...
Justin Steele, arguably the single most irreplaceable player on the Chicago Cubs 2024 roster, went down with a hamstring injury just 4.2 innings into his Opening Day start against the Rangers on March 28. In his place, the Cubs sixth...
If you do this job long enough, it's really wild to see the range of topics that can somehow become attached to sports. That is to say, I did not envision myself at some point writing about flight safety, cockpit...
The Iowa Cubs were rained out, but the rest of the farm was in action, and so was Kevin Alcántara, who picked up four hits and now has seven in his last three games as he breaks out of an...
Well, the rain stole one from us yesterday, which is a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, the bullpen gets an extra day of rest (on top of the day Hayden Wesneski bought them). But on the flip...
The Chicago Cubs are against theft. Of bases: https://twitter.com/codifybaseball/status/1781046629103231339 The Chicago Cubs this year have stolen just three bases, the fewest in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has stolen two bases, Nick Madrigal has stolen one. That's it. I don't...
Today's NBA playoff schedule has four quality competitions on the docket. Among those contests is the Phoenix Suns playing the Minnesota Timberwolves.One of the most fun ways to wager on the NBA is via NBA player prop bets. There are...
On Saturday at 4:05 PM ET, Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11) play Michael Conforto and the San Francisco Giants (9-11) at Oracle Park.The article below will provide you with everything you need to know to watch Arizona take...
The Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9), who will give the start to Gavin Stone, host the New York Mets (10-8) with Jose Butto on the hill, Saturday at 4:05 PM ET.If you're planning on watching this game, keep reading for TV...
On Saturday, Brendan Donovan and the St. Louis Cardinals (9-11) face William Contreras and the Milwaukee Brewers (12-6), with first pitch scheduled for 2:15 PM ET at Busch Stadium.The article below will provide you with everything you need to know...
On Saturday, Javier Assad will take the mound for the Chicago Cubs (12-7) against Jesus Luzardo and the Miami Marlins (4-16), with first pitch scheduled for 2:20 PM ET at Wrigley Field.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on...
Bailey Ober will take the ball for the Minnesota Twins (6-12) when they host starting pitcher Reese Olson and the Detroit Tigers (11-9) on Saturday, with first pitch at 2:10 PM ET.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on...
On Saturday, Juan Soto and the New York Yankees (14-6) face Isaac Paredes and the Tampa Bay Rays (11-10), with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM ET at Yankee Stadium.If you're planning on watching this game, keep reading for TV...
Graham Ashcraft will take the mound for the Cincinnati Reds (10-9) when they host starter Patrick Sandoval and the Los Angeles Angels (9-11) on Saturday, with first pitch at 6:40 PM ET.The article below will provide you with everything you...
Logan Allen takes the mound for the Cleveland Guardians (14-6) when they host starter Alex Wood and the Oakland Athletics (8-12) at 6:10 PM ET on Saturday.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV options...
In a series opener on Saturday, Luis Castillo will take the mound for the Seattle Mariners (9-10) versus Dakota Hudson and the Colorado Rockies (4-15), with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 PM ET at Coors Field.Keep reading to see how...
NEWSLETTER
Another day, another stop in the bleachers. If you’re going to this afternoon’s game against the Reds, I should be there in the right field bleachers somewhere. I’ve got a Cubs-colored tie dye shirt, and I think I’m gonna wear that. It’s a country-themed day in the bleachers, but I don’t really have anything country-ish. So, yeah. Tie dye.
