Finally Back to Baseball and Other Bullets

July 15, 2016, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

The Taylor Family is taking in some hot museum action today, which means you get some abbreviated Bullets. Sorrynotsorry.

You can’t be upset today, though, because baseball is back! The Cubs face the Rangers early this afternoon, so get ready to get back on the rollercoaster.

The two reclamation arms most likely to join the Cubs in the coming weeks both moved up to AAA Iowa, as Brian Matusz needed just one successful outing at AA, and Joe Nathan got through a couple healthy weeks at AA. Nathan made his Iowa debut last night, pitching a perfect inning, striking out two, and generally looking good. He spoke with Tommy Birch about his rehab and working his way back to the Majors, and he sounds like he is very close to ready. Matusz has been stretched out, though, as we’ve discussed, that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t soon join the Cubs’ bullpen.
Speaking of the bullpen, it’s no secret that one of the biggest issues it has faced this year has been the surprising downturn in Justin Grimm’s effectiveness. He says he feels like he’s turning a corner, though (Tribune), with five straight scoreless appearances. He struck out the side in very Grimm-like fashion in his last outing, so here’s hoping.
At FanGraphs, Jeff Sullivan digs into the big Red Sox/Padres trade, noting why it made sense for each side, and why the Padres may have learned the lesson of not dealing last year.
You can read about the active shooter drill performed at Wrigley Field yesterday.
Buster Olney looks at the second half schedules, noting that the Cubs’ and Cardinals’ are fairly average, while the Pirates’ is a bit easier.
A couple wow-those-prices-are-high tweets for you to enjoy:

Asked #Rays official if team is receiving any offers for Archer that are worth considering. "They have some comedic value," he said.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 15, 2016

Teheran will be in demand, but it's hard to imagine teams will be willing to meet the Braves' lofty ask in the middle of a season.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 15, 2016