Bellinger Optimistic Post-Injury, Busch’s Defense, Almonte Stock Rising, Tauchman Slugging, and Other Cubs Bullets

Ed. Note: Since this article was published, a CT scan revealed a rib fracture for Cody Bellinger, who is now on the Injured List. You can find all the details of that news in our most recent article right here. Original post follows.

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I recently stumbled onto this live cover of Linger by The Cranberries and I can’t stop listening to it. Give it a go. I bet you like it.

  • In case you missed it last night, Cody Bellinger exited last night’s win early after colliding with the outfield wall on an attempted catch in the fourth inning. The impact wasn’t too significant (and thankfully, the x-rays were negative), but he left the game nonetheless.
  • Bellinger addressed the injury and his decision to leave the game after the win: “It was nothing serious. It’s dull, it’s a very dull pain. Even now, which is a good sign. At first I didn’t feel anything….I think as the game went on, I was just getting more uncomfortable. And with the game where it was, one more at-bat potentially, few more innings on defense, so just kinda took the safe route to see what it was. X-rays were negative, so I’m feeling good right now dull.”
  • Bellinger was then asked if any particular motion was uncomfortable, and he said rotation is fine (that’s good), but deep breaths are uncomfortable. That said, Bellinger added that he was happy where he was at post-adrenaline wearing off and he’ll just see how he feels this morning. Personally, even though the Cubs are already playing without Seiya Suzuki, I hope Bellinger gets the night off. The Cubs have an extra left-handed bat o hand with Matt Mervis up, plus Ian Happ is back, Mike Tauchman is playing well, Alexander Canario is here, etc. Just take the night off no matter what.
  • By the way, Bellinger has an eight-game hitting streak brewing at the moment, during which he has 10 hits, including a triple, three homers and an even number of walks (4) and strikeouts (4). And the best part, is that he’s hitting the ball hard (46.2 hard%) and finding barrels (15.4%). He is locked in and you really hope this doesn’t throw him.
  • Michael Busch has had a couple of tough games in a row offensively (0-8, 4s), but he’s still contributing with his defense:
  • https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1782929784076480725

  • In fact, I kind of can’t believe how good his defense has looked so far this season. I didn’t think he’d be bad – by any means – but he’s relatively new to the position and actively killing it. I think I’ve seen every play he’s made so far this year, and I’d say there’s been almost no bad plays, a BUNCH of good picks on balls in the dirt, and a handful of those diving stops where he’s summoning his history as a second and third baseman. Just really great stuff all the way around.
  • Meanwhile, Christopher Morel’s defense at third base continues to improve. And I don’t mean the highlight reel plays he’s making every now and then. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about those right now. No, I mean the absolute darts he’s throwing across the diamond on routine plays. It’s really a noticeable improvement and an enormous development for the future of the Cubs. Between Morel (24), Miguel Amaya (25), Michael Busch (26), Nico Hoerner (26), and Dansby Swanson (30), the Cubs may have their infield set for the foreseeable future.
  • We’re going to get into Ben Brown and the bullpen/his role later today. But how about a little love for Yency Almonte? His last eight appearances have been really, really good: 8.0 IP, 1H, 0ER, 3BB, 12Ks. He’s been creeping up the depth chart lately, coming into increasingly pivotal moments and succeeding, like last night with two on in the eighth. He’s not overpowering, but he’s pretty steady. That’s valuable in its own way. I don’t really think he’s a true “late-inning” arm, but the Cubs are supposed to have that covered between Adbert Alzolay, Hector Neris, Mark Leiter Jr., and eventually when he returns Julian Merryweather. Well, and Brown, but again, we’ll get into that later. Ditto Jordan Wicks. Standalone post coming. He’s also a stud.
  • Mike Tauchman’s updated slash line after a couple homers last night? .283/.397/.491 (151 wRC+). He’s the 39th best hitter in baseball (min. 60 PAs). LOL. Also, a bunch of my friends went to high school with him, so I got a picture from their yearbook:
  • The Cubs hit 13(!) home runs throughout the organization yesterday, including four players with multi-homer games.
  • The Chicago Bears are 24 hours away from drafting the best quarterback prospect they’ve ever had No. 1 overall. They also pick 9th and are announcing a new stadium project tonight. It’s a big week for the Bears.
  • written by

    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

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