Weekend Catch-Up: Cubs Sweep Cards, Harper-Cubs Rumor, Rare Moments, More

The sun! It shines so brightly and beautifully! The birds! They sing so charmingly and cheerfully! The air! It smells so fresh and new!

Friday, June 2

  • Theo Epstein talked about the laws of baseball reality, and where things stood with the Cubs.
  • He also left on the table the possibility that struggling young players could be optioned to the minors.
  • Rival execs believe the Cubs may have some free agent targets already lined up.
  • Kyle Schwarber started sliding down the lineup on Friday (first to seventh, and then ninth), and Joe Maddon discussed why.
  • The Cubs went down early to the Cardinals, but chipped away (including Kris Bryant’s 12th homer) and came back to win.
  • Before the game, Dexter Fowler got his World Series ring in a nice moment.
  • Saturday, June 3

  • The Pelicans had a huge comeback, complete with Eloy Jimenez playing hero, and Matt Rose with a walk-off bomb.
  • The big rumor of the day was Peter Gammons saying he’s heard Bryce Harper wants to be a Cub.
  • Among Saturday’s Bullets: John Lackey adjusted, Pedro Strop had a huge moment, the Cubs have another imperfect leadoff situation, and more.
  • The Cubs fell in an early hole, but managed to come back in grand fashion and beat the Cardinals.
  • The win featured not only a Kyle Schwarber grand slam, but the rarest moment of all: Jon Lester picked off a runner at first base.
  • Sunday, June 4

  • In the minors, the Cubs have affiliates gunning for the playoffs this week.
  • Among Sunday’s Bullets: Addison Russell and Javy Baez are now sharing shortstop, and Joe Maddon is finding the best ways to get Kyle Schwarber pitches to hit.
  • David Ross was back at Wrigley Field as part of ESPN’s crew for the game, and he wound up playing catch with Jason Heyward from the bleachers.
  • And the Cubs capped off the sweep with another comeback win.
  • 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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