A Compounding Loss, Contreras the Villain, Suzuki’s Slump, Hoerner’s Hammy, and Other Cubs Bullets

The Chicago Blackhawks won the draft lottery last night, which means they’ll pick first overall in the NHL Draft, and which means they’ll get uber prospect Connor Bedard. Quite a run for Chicago sports lucking their way into transformative top overall picks, eh? Hopefully the Cubs WON’T be in this year’s draft lottery, but if they are, then I guess I hope they win it. Pretty annoyed MLB didn’t rig it for the Cubs last year, to be honest …

  • Much in the same way that Sunday’s marathon loss to the Marlins was just “one loss is one loss and they all count the same,” last night’s loss to the Cardinals was just “one loss is one loss and they all count the same.” But it sure didn’t – and still doesn’t – FEEL that way. The Marlins loss feels like a terrible, terrible missed opportunity. And the Cardinals loss feels like a terrible, terrible harbinger.
  • To that latter point, my publicly-stated and privately-held fear is that the Cardinals would come to Wrigley Field and get themselves right on the backs of the Cubs. Through one game, their pitching was brilliant (because the Cubs once again could not do diddle with runners in scoring position), and Willson Contreras had a fantastic night. I bet they feel pretty darn good about it, ESPECIALLY at Wrigley Field against the Cubs, and ESPECIALLY after what happened over the weekend. This is the kind of thing that can turn a team around when they have the talent and just need to start playing better. I’m probably being overly dramatic because it’s the Cardinals and because the Cubs have kinda been bad for several weeks now. But I nevertheless feel it in my bones. The next two games are critical.
  • As for last night’s loss, it sucks that the Cubs squandered another great start from Marcus Stroman. He has been fantastic this year, and yet the Cubs have done very little with his starts.
  • I don’t have a ton more to say about the Willson Contreras part of the game. He embraced the villain role – very well – and had a good game at the plate. You knew that’s how he would be, and it’s part of what we loved about him when he was a Cub.
  • “There were a couple of people booing me, and I just love that. When you get booed, that means you’re doing something right,” Contreras said of his hand motions daring fans to bring more boos in his direction, per Cardinals.com. “The boos were kind of an extra boost I got there. At the same time, as I was doing [the hand gestures] I saw that my teammates really responded to it, so I decided to keep doing it.”
  • Some of Willson’s pre-game commentary, and the pre-game tribute:
  • https://twitter.com/CubsZone/status/1655719828043231232

  • Seiya Suzuki is now hitting just .259/.330/.353/89 wRC+, including .245/.302/.286/60 wRC+ with runners on base. We’re talking about only 94 plate appearances for a guy who didn’t get a Spring Training, so I can have a little more patience and sympathy, but he isn’t helping the Cubs right now. I don’t know that you *DO* anything about it at the moment, but you hope he shakes things loose sooner rather than later. His bat remains extremely important to the Cubs.
  • Let me say loudly that, although I can understand the explanation for not starting Christopher Morel last night – he’d played a full week, including a double-header this weekend, and then had just traveled to Chicago – but it makes zero sense to me why he never made it into that game, especially after Nico Hoerner got hurt. If Morel was totally unavailable, then why the heck call him up yesterday in the first place? Why would you CHOOSE to play short-handed, instead of just waiting a day to officially call him up?
  • The timing may prove very fortunate in any case, with Hoerner having to leave last night’s game with hamstring tightness and scheduled to get imaging done today. Losing Hoerner for any length of time right now would be a serious blow.
  • If Hoerner goes on the IL today, I wonder if the Cubs would use that to bring back someone who was recently optioned (i.e., Nelson Velazquez or Jeremiah Estrada, who couldn’t otherwise come back yet for several days), or if they’ll just swap him out with Yan Gomes, who could be activated today. If it’s Gomes, then Miguel Amaya would stay up a bit longer as the third catcher.
  • Portable speakers, towels, home and kitchen gadgets, gift assortments and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad
  • One nice thing:
  • https://twitter.com/CubsZone/status/1655716712132534278

  • Mark Grace’s cycle was 30 years ago today:
  • written by

    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.

    more cubs news

    LIVE: Craig Counsell Speaks at the Winter Meetings (UPDATES)

    Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell is meeting with the media today at the Winter Meetings, and it's being streamed live on Marquee. I'll be watching and updating this post below with the notable items. We haven't heard too much from...

    You’re Not Going to Love This New Report About Zach LaVine’s Trade Market

    While trade season has yet to blossom, spuds are surely growing in Chicago.  The Bulls began a roster overhaul in the offseason, which included parting ways with win-now pieces like DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso. All early indications have been...

    The Cubs Are Reportedly “Making Progress” on a Deal with Catcher Carson Kelly (UPDATE)

    The Chicago Cubs may be shortly landing their catcher to pair with Miguel Amaya next season. Jon Heyman reports that they are working toward a deal with Carson Kelly, the timing of which would make sense following the recent Danny...

    The Cubs Have Reportedly Spoken to Another Free-Agent Closer (Which is a Good Sign)

    Jesse Rogers' latest post on X continues an emerging (and encouraging) trend in the world of offseason Cubs rumors: Jed Hoyer is committed to improving his team's run prevention this winter, specifically with more help for the bullpen. Rogers even...

    Phillies Signing Reliever Jordan Romano

    The Toronto Blue Jays weren't willing to risk $7.75-ish million on tendering closer Jordan Romano a contract after he underwent elbow surgery earlier this year, but the Philadelphia Phillies are willing to do exactly that. Romano, 31, is signing with...

    The Cubs Are Stuck in the Past of Player Spending and It’s an Absolute Shame

    [BN_drinks] Can you imagine if the Chicago Cubs traded a haul of players and top prospects for one year of a superstar player — a player who ultimately took the Cubs to the World Series — and then that player signed...

    Jed Hoyer Confirms Cubs Still Looking at Starting Pitchers

    The prevailing wisdom has been that, even after the Chicago Cubs added Matthew Boyd on a two-year deal, they would still be looking a starting pitchers. Heck, the Garrett Crochet rumors are a strong indication on that front. (Ditto the...

    Chicago Cubs Announce Full 2025 Coaching Staff

    Today, the Chicago Cubs made their full 2025 coaching staff announcement, officially unveiling Craig Counsell's crew. Because of the timing of his hiring last fall, it's the first group Counsell had a hand in assembling from the close of the...

    Chicago Cubs Context on the Size of the Juan Soto Contract

    While I am mostly just having fun here with the context, if you want to take away some small point in addition to the fun, let it be this: the Chicago Cubs have not really signed many huge contracts. But...

    The Cubs Would Maybe Be Willing to Trade Seiya Suzuki, But I Really Wouldn’t Worry About It Actually Happening

    Although there is plenty about this rumor season that could annoy you, I don't think there has been a report that more thoroughly irked me than the New York Post's declaration that the Cubs are "determined" to trade Cody Bellinger...

    Latest News

    Blue Jackets vs. Flyers: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    Tuesday's NHL lineup includes an expected tight outing between the Columbus Blue Jackets (12-12-3, -112 on the moneyline to win) and the Philadelphia Flyers (12-12-4, -108 moneyline odds) at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN+.ESPN+ is the place to tune in...

    Devils vs. Maple Leafs: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    Tuesday's NHL action includes the New Jersey Devils (18-10-2) hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs (16-9-2) at Prudential Center. The Maple Leafs are underdogs (+110 on the moneyline) against the Devils (-130) ahead of the contest, which begins at 7:00 PM...

    Jets vs. Bruins: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    The Winnipeg Jets (20-9) have -148 moneyline odds to win when they host the Boston Bruins (15-11-3), who have +124 odds, on Tuesday, December 10 at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN+.The Jets game against the Bruins can be seen on...

    Canucks vs. Blues: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    The Vancouver Canucks (14-8-4) have -185 moneyline odds to win when they host a matchup with the St. Louis Blues (13-13-2), who have +154 moneyline odds, on Tuesday at 10:00 PM ET on ESPN+.Turn on ESPN+ to take in the...

    Kings vs. Islanders: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    Tuesday's NHL matchup between the Los Angeles Kings (16-8-3) and the New York Islanders (11-11-7) at UBS Arena sees the Kings favored on the road (-122 moneyline odds to win) against the Islanders (+102). The game begins at 7:30 PM...

    Hurricanes vs. Sharks: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    The Carolina Hurricanes (17-9-1) are heavily favored at home (-455 moneyline odds to win) against the San Jose Sharks (10-15-5, +350 moneyline odds). Tuesday's contest begins at 7:00 PM ET from PNC Arena on ESPN+.Watch the action on ESPN+ as...

    Avalanche vs. Penguins: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    Tuesday's NHL action includes the Colorado Avalanche (16-13) visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins (12-13-4) at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins are big underdogs (+142 on the moneyline) against the Avalanche (-170) ahead of the outing, which begins at 7:00 PM ET...

    Panthers vs. Kraken: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    Tuesday's NHL schedule features a matchup between the heavily favored Florida Panthers (17-9-2) and the Seattle Kraken (14-14-1) at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The Panthers are -175 on the moneyline to win on the road against the Kraken...

    Wild vs. Utah Hockey Club: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    The Minnesota Wild (18-5-4) are the favorite when they visit the Utah Hockey Club (12-11-4) on Tuesday, December 10. The Wild are -125 on the moneyline to win against the Utah Hockey Club (+105) in the game, which starts at...

    Predators vs. Flames: How to Watch, Odds, Picks & Predictions

    Tuesday's NHL matchup between the Nashville Predators (7-15-6) and the Calgary Flames (13-10-5) at Bridgestone Arena sees the Predators as home favorites (-155 moneyline odds to win) against the Flames (+130). The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN+.The...

    more cubs news