Cubs vs Reds — The winning streak may be over, but the Chicago Cubs got the job done. By winning eight of their last ten games, they’ve guaranteed a record no worse than .500 when the bell rings on the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline tomorrow at 5pm CT. And that has seemingly guaranteed that the front office won’t tear this thing down to the studs.
But with one box checked (avoid the sell-off), a new, more important task lies ahead of them: Playing the first-place Cincinnati Reds for four straight games at Wrigley Field. That’s a potential DIVISION-SWINGING series here as the deadline approaches and passes. Talk about some serious pressure. Whichever direction the front office goes in the next 24 hours could be almost immediately made to look genius or terrible (though we promise to be more forgiving if they buy).
A couple of pitching notes from the Cubs perspective:
Marcus Stroman is scheduled to pitch tonight. And while he’s likely to stick around through the deadline no matter what, I think there were still some light rumors out there that he could be dealt even if the Cubs held onto, for one example, Cody Bellinger. I don’t think that sort of attempted needle-threading is going to happen, but if Stroman does end up pitching tonight, his staying is more or less a lock. An acquiring team wouldn’t want him to go out one more time and risk injury (and the Cubs wouldn’t want to risk another poor performance). So “last call” on Stroman might be like 4pm this afternoon. And again, I think he’s staying.
Tuesday is Steele Day. Just putting that on your radar.
Drew Smyly is listed as the probable starter for Wednesday’s game, despite being used out of the bullpen in long-relief his last two times out. Maybe this means he’s shifting back into the rotation full time after a little protection?
And Jameson Taillon continued to turn his season around and now has a 1.78 ERA over his last four starts (25.1 IP).
Cubs vs Reds – Pitching Probables:
Game 1: Monday, July 31 at 7:05 CT at Wrigley Field
Broadcast Info: MARQ, 670 The Score
Cubs: Marcus Stroman, RHP
Reds: Aaron Abbott, LHP
Game 2: Tuesday, August 1 at 7:05 CT at Wrigley Field
Broadcast Info: MARQ, 670 The Score
Cubs: Justin Steele, LHP
Cardinals: Ben Lively, RHP
Game 3: Wednesday, August 2 at 7:05 CT at Wrigley Field
Broadcast Info: MARQ, 670 The Score
Cubs: Drew Smyly, LHP
Reds: Brandon Williamson, LHP
Game 4: Thursday, August 3 at 7:05 CT at Busch Stadium
Broadcast Info: MARQ, 670 The Score
Cubs: Jameson Taillon, RHP
Reds: Luke Weaver, RHP
Cubs vs Reds – Key Injuries:
Chicago Cubs:
Ethan Roberts, RP
Brad Boxberger, RP
Nick Burdi, RP
Codi Heuer, RP
Brandon Hughes, RP
Cincinnati Reds:
Curt Casali, C
Jonathan India, 2B
Hunter Greene, SP
Caey Legumina, RP
Vladimir Gutierrez, SP
Justin Dunn, SP
Tejay Antone, RP
Nick Lodolo, SP
Connor Overton, SP
Reiver Sanmartin, RP
NEWSLETTER
