I’m pretty happy the Cubs had a 1:20 pm start time today, because I’m going to see ‘Avengers: Endgame’ tonight at 7:30 pm and I would hate to have a conflict. My friends and I got tickets to the earliest possible screening a month ago to avoid any chance of spoilers and I’m so ready for this 3-hour long conclusion to a 10+ year story arc.
By the way, I think we take for granted just how cool this broader rollout has been, because Marvel does such a good job of compartmentalizing their stories. This is a decade long arc told over 20 movies coming to an end tonight. That’s so cool and pretty rare. Now I just have to stop drinking any and all liquids so there are no unscheduled bathroom breaks. I’m already stressed about it. [Brett: Don’t be stressed! That’ll just make you have to pee more!]
Here’s some news from around the league …
THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME! Vladimir Guerrero Jr., one of the most anticipated prospects in an era of highly-anticipated prospects, is coming to the big leagues.
Not only is the 20-year-old Guerrero Jr. an insanely exciting offensive prospect – he slashed .402/.449/.671 during his first trip to Double-A … which, just LOL WHAT? – he’s also obviously the son and namesake of Hall-of-Famer Vladimir Guerrero, which is just a really awesome and heartwarming story:
My son! The country that saw you as a child will now see you turn into a big one.
Working hard everything can be done. I’m proud of you!
I can’t wait to watch him blossom into a superstar, and that’s exactly where I think he’s heading. I’ll give baseball this much: there is no shortage of young stars right now, and that’s exactly what the league needed. Go kill it, Vladito, and be the hero baseball needs.
Oh, and do it all in the American League, please. Thanks!
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
At ESPN, Jeff Passan discusses five lessons he learned from MLB’s Opening Day payrolls, which include some surprising revelations like “the best team in baseball has the lowest payroll.” (That’s the Rays with their MLB-leading won/loss record *and* run differential, in case you didn’t know). He also discusses how the Nationals are the team that actually spends the highest proportion of their revenues back on their payroll. The other teams behind them might surprise you, too. Spoilers: it is not the Cubs/Yankees/Red Sox/Dodgers/etc. Good stuff from Passan here.
I don’t know how to feel about this, but the St. Louis Cardinals just swept the Milwaukee Brewers, who are now just .500. I know that the Cardinals may be just as big of a threat in the NL Central this year and are obviously the more traditional rival, but there’s just something so sweet about watching the Brewers lose after the way last season ended. Also, get this: the Cardinals and Brewers have now met 10 (!) times already this season. They’ve split those ten games 5-5, which is perfect.
Pirates shortstop Erik Gonzalez will miss at least two months (probably more):
Erik Gonzalez will have surgery Thursday to repair and internally fixate his broken collarbone, director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said. No timeline for his return until after the surgery.
Gonzalez wasn’t much of an offensive threat so this is no big loss for the 12-10 Pirates (tied with the Cubs), but it could pave the way for shortstop prospect Cole Tucker (2014 first-round pick and #5 prospect in their system according to MLB Pipeline), who was slashing an impressive .333/.415/.579 (157 wRC+) at Triple-A Iowa before being called up, to earn a more permanent job.
You might remember Tucker from this excellent moment:
On Tuesday night, Mets reliever Jacob Rhame threw behind Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins in what eventually led to both dugouts emptying – these teams have some history and, so … yeah. Fights. But that wasn’t the end of the story, or the fun. Because in the ninth inning of last night’s game, Hoskins hit a big homer to left off Rhame – in what would ultimately be a 6-0 Phillies win – and he took his sweet time rounding the bases. Anthony DiComo does the best job explaining just how slow his trolling trot was:
Rhys Hoskins' home run trot tonight: 34.23 seconds.
Bartolo Colon's home run trot in 2016: 30.5 seconds.
But in a display of great sportsmanship, Rhame refused to bite on reporters efforts to get him to clap back, instead saying “He got me. If I make a better pitch, he doesn’t get to run the bases.” Hell yes, my friend. That’s the attitude. Don’t throw at him, strike him the F out next time.
Last night, Yasiel Puig made a pretty terrible fielding decision, which led to an inside-the-park home run. But instead of getting angry with his right fielder, the pitcher, Tanner Roark, embraced him:
After the game, Roark said: “I will never be mad at someone that tries to dive and catch a ball,” Roark said. “If the guy scores an inside-the-parker, I don’t care. I love the effort. I’ll always praise the people that go out and try to do that for me and for his team.” I’m suddenly a bigger Tanner Roark fan, I guess.
Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.
In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy.
You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami
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...
The St. Louis Cardinals (9-11), who will give the ball to Miles Mikolas, host the Milwaukee Brewers (12-6) with D.L. Hall on the hill, Saturday at 2:15 PM ET.Keep reading to find out how to watch the St. Louis-Milwaukee matchup...
The Chicago Cubs (12-7), with Javier Assad on the hill, host the Miami Marlins (4-16) who will start Jesus Luzardo, at 2:20 PM ET on Saturday.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch Chicago play Miami...
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.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading...
Nestor Cortes Jr. takes the mound for the New York Yankees (14-6) when they host starter Zach Eflin and the Tampa Bay Rays (11-10) at 1:05 PM ET on Saturday.The article below will provide you with everything you need to...
On Saturday, Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds (10-9) face Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels (9-11), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM ET at Great American Ball Park.The article below will provide you with everything...
Logan Allen takes the mound for the Cleveland Guardians (14-6) when they host starting pitcher Alex Wood and the Oakland Athletics (8-12) at 6:10 PM ET on Saturday.See how to watch the Cleveland-Oakland matchup below.When is Guardians vs. Athletics and...
The Seattle Mariners (9-10), led by Mitch Haniger, visit Ryan McMahon and the Colorado Rockies (4-15) at 8:10 PM ET on Saturday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV options for the Seattle-Colorado matchup.When is...
NEWSLETTER
