Holiday Weekend Catch-Up: Losses Pile Up, Cubs Trade Value, Gray and Samardzija Rumors, More

In terms of on-field results, this long holiday weekend was a freaking disaster. The Cubs lost all four games they played, and frustrated the heck out of us in the process.

So, if you checked out and missed that, good on you. Now you get the privilege of catching up on the headlines without the pain of having gone through it.

Friday, May 26

  • The Cubs headed into the weekend coming off a great homestand, and Jason Heyward is hitting the ball harder than anyone.
  • And they’d finally moved into first place in the NL Central! (That did not last.)
  • Eloy Jimenez hit a grand slam and an RBI single in the same inning.
  • One writer speculates about a Jeff Samardzija trade reunion for the Cubs, and I did some wondering.
  • Wonder what anonymous execs think about the relative trade value of Cubs youngsters?
  • A variety of draft notes, including the latest mock draft picks for the Cubs.
  • The Cubs kicked off their weekend set against the Dodgers with a total dud.
  • Saturday, May 27

  • The Cubs are all over the minor league groundball leaderboards.
  • Jake Arrieta continues to confound, looking great at times, and then giving up a big homer.
  • Kyle Schwarber is now officially a platoon player, at least for the time being.
  • A report connected the Cubs to A’s starter Sonny Gray, who could be a trade target.
  • At least the defense is making some sparkling plays.
  • The Dodgers shut the Cubs out for the second straight day.
  • Sunday, May 28

  • Checking in on the minor leagues, Luke notes that all the farm teams are in good shape.
  • The reality of this year’s divisional race for the Cubs and the fans: it’s just gonna be different.
  • Scott Boras worked hard to make sure folks know this is just a blip for Jake Arrieta.
  • The Cubs broke through against Clayton Kershaw in a way almost no team does … but gave up 9 runs and lost again.
  • Monday, May 29

  • We’re all freaking out anyway, and Joe Maddon says that’s just fine. Freak out.
  • Luke looked at some of the realistic first round candidates for the Cubs in the upcoming draft.
  • Meanwhile, last year’s top draft pick, third rounder Thomas Hatch, struck out 13 in his latest start.
  • After a hot start, Ian Happ is deep in the throes of a terrible strikeout stretch – pitchers have adjusted in a big, obvious way.
  • The Cubs called back up Justin Grimm, and sent Felix Pena to Iowa.
  • It occurred to me that no one had pointed out how good Brian Duensing has been, so I pointed it out.
  • The Cubs lost the single most frustrating game of the year so far, and the EBS says it all.
  • At least the Cubs didn’t have a serious injury or a massive brawl – that was the story for baseball’s two biggest stars, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.
  • 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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