From a personal consumption standpoint, I prefer greatly that the two happen at different times so I can enjoy each fully. But I’ll admit, it’ll be pretty nuts to try to follow everything all at once.
Yesterday’s win against the Rockies brought the Cubs back to .500 (31-31), a mark around which they’ve been treading for a good long while now. The Cubs remain very fortunate that no team in the NL Central has really turned on the jets, with only the Brewers (33-31) ahead of the Cubs. In the NL East, the Cubs would trail the Nationals by 7.0 games. In the West, the Cubs would be 8.5 games out of first place, behind the very Rockies who just beat them in 3 of 4. The Cubs would be way out in the AL East and West as well, and would even trail the Twins in the AL Central by 2.5 games. God bless the NL Central.
Even as the offense continues to struggle mightily – yesterday’s homer barrage notwithstanding – Joe Maddon is not inclined to make any dramatic moves (CSN): “[Offense is] the part we have to focus on. And when your guys are struggling like that, the point is you gotta stay with ’em. It takes a lot of conversation. It takes a lot to help bring them back confidence-wise. They’re missing their confidence right now more than anything. But anger is not a solution. Seat of the pants decisions are not a solution, either.”
(Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
Kyle Schwarber, who got a curtain call after his pinch hit homer yesterday, says he appreciates how much support he’s gotten from his teammates, coaches, and fans despite his struggles (Tribune).
Anthony Castrovince writes up the oral history of the 2002 MLB Draft, which was uniquely “Moneyball,” with tons of future All-Star talent being taken outside the top five (Jon Lester wound up going 57th overall, and the Indians forever regretted not taking him just before that, which they almost did – they assumed he’d last until 63).
I chalk this more up to odd small sample size than anything substantive, but it’s crazy:
There is also a significant sale (25% off) going on at Fanatics and the MLB Shop on Nike and Under Armour gear. I could barely even choose six things to show off, because there is so much I want:
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation. You can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation, on Bluesky at @Brett-Taylor, 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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