Baserunning Blunders, Assad’s Command, Playing at Coors Field, Anniversary, and Other Cubs Bullets

Eat healthy for lunch or eat leftover pizza … decisions, decisions …

  • Gonna use the manager’s brief words as a framing device to talk about last night’s disappointing loss. David Ross to the Tribune: “We could have done a lot of things better. Our signature is getting good starting pitching and we didn’t get that from Assad tonight. He kind of lost command a little bit there. Could have done some things better defensively … made too many outs on the bases.”

  • Let’s talk about the outs on the bases, because in a two-run game, giving away THREE outs on the bases easily could’ve been the difference. My biggest problem with them is that ALL THREE were situations where I was shouting at my TV not to do it. All had the look of being a bad decision, and all were bad decisions given the situation.

  • Cody Bellinger’s single in the first inning simply looked like a clear single off the bat, and he was out easily at second base. I was shocked he even tried. It would’ve been first and third with two outs, so his out on the bases needlessly erased a runner in scoring position for a scorching hot Dansby Swanson, who, by the way, tripled to start the second.

  • In the second, after three straight hits to put Chris Flexen on his heels, Pete Crow-Armstrong ground into a force out to score another run. So he’s at first with one out, in an inning where things are starting to go sideways for the opposing pitcher (after he dealt with traffic in the first). Aggressiveness is good, but you also can’t give away an out when the pressure is on the other side. A pitch in the dirt bounces right to the catcher, who throws PCA out by a mile trying to take second base. I’m sure he was in dirt-and-go mode – I’m not sure I’d want to totally coach that aggressiveness out of him – but, again, in the situation, I didn’t love it, and in the big leagues, catchers can nail you if they glove a bouncer. (Also, someone teach that young man a swim move, because that was two games in a row where a Javy slide could’ve got him the base.)

  • And then the one that REALLY had me yelling as it happened. Nick Madrigal leads off the 5th, with the Rockies having just taken a two-run lead, and he sends one to the corner in right. He’s clearly thinking triple all the way, but it seemed like he locked himself into that decision instead of really reading the play in front of him. It’s a deep corner out there, sure, but Madrigal was still 10 feet shy of second base when Blackmon was fielding the ball! I suppose the argument is that Madrigal was close enough for a replay (and it sure looked to me like you could see the base start to buckle as the tag was applied), so it’s worth the chance. But the counter there, in addition to the terrible situational awareness (don’t make the first out at third base), is that the relay throw was actually not all that great. So the play was close, but it wasn’t one where it took perfect execution to get him.

  • As for Javier Assad’s outing, I don’t know what to say beyond what I said in the EBS. It was alarmingly bad, with more or less no indication that his pitches were going close to where they were intended. He got some whiffs and some strikeouts, but that looked to be more a product of the quality of batters he was facing (bad) than anything else. His strike rate was barely 50%, which is just really uncharacteristic. If he hadn’t had serious command issues in his last outing against the Diamondbacks, and if that hadn’t come right after he made the deepest start of his career, I would have a lot easier time handwaving this off as just it being tough to pitch at elevation. It’s not like losses in command are uncommon at Coors. But because of the previous start, it left me a little more concerned. Hopefully home-cooking at Wrigley against the Pirates next time out, with an extra day of rest, will see him bounce back.

  • A win today and this all feels mostly fine from my perspective, though. Going to Coors, you never expect a sweep. It doesn’t matter how bad the Rockies are, it’s a really hard place to go play. There’s a reason their record is infinitely better at home every single year, no matter how good they are overall – this year they are 9 under .500 at home … and 31(!) under .500 on the road. So you win today, and that’s 2 of 3 at Coors, and that’s a perfectly solid outcome, particularly when you consider that the Cubs easily could’ve lost that first game. So, you know, be good, Jameson Taillon. And bats, please beat up on a bad Ty Blach. Don’t get thrown out on the bases.

  • It’s very unusual to see the Cubs so low on one of these lists:

  • One of the most surreal games to which we’ve been treated, not only because of who threw the no-hitter and how he accomplished it (almost exclusively balls in play!), but also because it was the pandemic season and nobody was there:

  • The Cubs just love them some truly unique and odd no-hitters. Recall that Carlos Zambrano once no-hit the Astros in Milwaukee after a hurricane moved the game out of Houston.

  • After weeks/months of reports and rumors, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has finally been extended by the team:

  • The whole situation – not unlike the Stephen Strasburg one – is bizarre. With the Nationals kinda-sorta for sale for the last couple years, I’m sure it’s awkward trying to figure out the best approach with the front office when a new owner might want his or her own people, but at the same time, ditching the long-time steward at this moment didn’t make a lot of sense either. With the Nationals engaged, at a baseball level, in a multi-year rebuild, I don’t know that I love their chances of getting rapidly back on top in the NL East with all the uncertainty hanging over the organization at the top.

  • Over at BCB, Al Yellon notes that Spring Training ticket prices are out for season ticket holders, and it sounds like most sections will see a 5+% increase in prices. That doesn’t necessarily tell you much about what the regular season ticket price situation will be (there are still tickets available on most days, so it’s not like they’ve reached saturation this year, even as they are competitive). But, suffice to say, it’ll be a little more expensive to see the Cubs in Arizona next year.

  • And you thought geometry would never apply in your adult life:

  • Trea Turner is more than hot; I have had to read this multiple times to process just how crazy it is:

  • Before this 13-game stretch, Turner was hitting just .255/.305/.409/91 wRC+. It was August 28. You don’t turn your season around completely in just two weeks in September. Yet he is now hitting .272/.323/.475/112 wRC+. Dude. 21 points of wRC+ in two weeks at the end of the year in a full season. That’s absurd.

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Chicago Cubs
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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.

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The New ZiPS Top-100 Prospect List LOVES Owen Caissie

Yesterday, FanGraphs released their 2025 Top-100 Prospect Rankings, and that list ... did not love the Chicago Cubs. Although the organization did score four prospects among the top 100, including a particularly high ranking for Matt Shaw (#13 overall), each...

Hopes Remain High for Cade Horton, Even As Patience is Required

Because of the injuries to Javier Assad and Brandon Birdsell, because of the Dylan Cease rumors, because of the lack of an impact starting pitcher signing/trade after Matthew Boyd, and because of the natural ramp-up to the season, I have...

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Rybakina vs. Kenin Prediction at the WTA Dubai, UAE – Thursday, February 20

In the WTA Dubai, UAE quarterfinals on Thursday, Elena Rybakina meets Sofia Kenin.Rybakina is favored over Kenin, with -474 odds compared to the underdog's +350.WTA Dubai, UAE InfoTournament: The WTA Dubai, UAERound: QuarterfinalsDate: Thursday, February 20Venue: Dubai Duty Free Tennis...

WTA Dubai, UAE Schedule Thursday, February 20: Matchups & TV/Live Stream Info

The menu at the WTA Dubai, UAE on February 20 includes three matches, among them Mirra Andreeva (ranked No. 14) versus Iga Swiatek (No. 2). For live coverage of matches, and highlights, check out Center Court and Center Court Live...

Qatar ExxonMobil Open Schedule Thursday, February 20: Matchups & TV/Live Stream Info

The schedule at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on February 20 includes two matches, including Andrey Rublev (ranked No. 10) against Alex de Minaur (No. 8). For live coverage of matches, and highlights, check out Center Court and Center Court Live...

The Latest on Getting the MLB All-Star Game Back to Wrigley Field: Still Working On It

The next possible MLB All-Star Game that could be hosted at Wrigley Field comes in the summer of 2027, which is obviously still a ways away, but we know that the determination of venue is going to come much sooner...

Mexico Open Golf Picks, Odds: Bet Stephan Jaeger, Alex Smalley, and Nicolai Hojgaard

After seven events out west to start the 2025 season, the PGA Tour makes a one-week stop south of the border for the Mexico Open before heading to Florida. The Mexico Open returns for its fourth consecutive year at Greg...

Report: Chiefs Not Expected To Place Franchise Tag On Trey Smith

The biggest hurdle in the Bears' potential pursuit of top free-agent guard Trey Smith has been reportedly cleared. This morning, Chiefs reporter Nate Taylor wrote for The Athletic that Kansas City is not expected to place the franchise tag or...

Cruz Azul vs. Club Santos Laguna Prediction, Picks, Live Odds – February 19

The upcoming fixture list in Liga MX Clausura includes eighth-place Cruz Azul at 18th-place Club Santos Laguna -- coming off a loss and a draw, respectively -- on Wednesday, February 19 at 10:05 PM ET. Our game prediction can be...

CF America vs. Club Leon Prediction, Picks, Live Odds – February 19

The top two teams in Liga MX Clausura, CF America and Club Leon, will clash on Wednesday. Find our prediction for this matchup below.CF America vs. Club Leon Prediction & OddsCF America Moneyline: -167Club Leon Moneyline: +428Draw Moneyline: +305Predicted Score:...

2025 Mexico Open Sleeper Picks: Target Chan Kim and Matthias Schmid as Best Long Shots

The Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta is upon us, and while the big names will draw plenty of attention, savvy bettors know that long shots can offer incredible value. This year, two players stand out as potential sleeper picks: Chan...

The Cubs Will Get a Five-Man Taxi Squad for Japan

Something I suspected would be the case, but is nice to see confirmed by Jordan Bastian: in addition to a 26-man roster, the Cubs will be able to bring five additional players to Japan as something of a taxi squad....

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