The First Place Cubs, Banking Wins, Taillon Delivers, Morel, Murray, and Other Cubs Bullets

Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away (May 12). If you’re looking for an easy win, we have a partnership with Gourmet Gift Baskets that should do the trick. Hope that helps.

  • Don’t look now, but … THE CHICAGO CUBS ARE IN FIRST PLACE.
  • And the fact that it happened on a night when the Cubs were being no-hit into the eighth inning *and* the Brewers got all mad about their game-tying run being sent back to third base (before the eventual loss) makes it even sweeter. I really hate the Brewers, and I like it when they and their fans are unhappy.
  • Meanwhile, the Cubs are just so lucky to be banking all these early-season wins. It’s way too early to talk about playoff odds in a predictive sense, but I do want to share the nominal increase (via FanGraphs) to illustrate how impactful their early-season performance has been: 41.3% playoff odds preseason to 63.3% today. Given the schedule they have faced and the players they’re missing, that is just such a boon to the overall outlook of the season. We’ll have more on how they’re getting it done later today (spoilers: they’ve been good with runners in scoring position). But for now, just be happy.
  • And how about Jameson Taillon last night? That certainly wasn’t his most dominant LOOKING performance, with just one strikeout and three whiffs, but the guy went 7.1 IP of one-run baseball on 79 pitches with only one walk. That’s fantastic. Better yet, his fastball velocity was up a tick, his spin rates were solid, and he was inducing a lot of weak contact and groundballs. All great signs for a guy who began the season on the IL. So now, through three starts this season, Taillon has allowed just 3 earned runs over 18.0 IP.
  • With Justin Steele coming back soon, Shota Imanaga rolling, and Javier Assad continuing to do this thing, the Cubs rotation is in a much better place than you’d probably guess knowing just the facts about who’s been out and for how long.
  • As for the offense, well, the truth is they’re still struggling, scoring just seven runs combined over their last three games. And while that’s not surprising with Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki both out (more on their status later), it doesn’t make it anymore sustainable. Michael Busch, Christopher Morel, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ need to start carrying more weight, because the Cubs won’t be counting on Pete Crow-Armstrong and it seems like they can’t count on Matt Mervis.
  • At least Mike Tauchman is still rolling. He had another double last night and is up to a 169 wRC+ on the season.
  • Meanwhile, Christopher Morel may finally be seeing the light at the end of that long and dark tunnel. The overall production over his last 50 PAs (12 games) still isn’t good (82 wRC+), but he is walking 16% of the time over that stretch with just a 24% strikeout rate. Maybe that’s development happening in front of our eyes. And he does have five hits (two for extra bases) over his last five games, including last night’s heroics:
  • “I’m always ready for the fastball,” Morel said after the game. “Regardless of what the count is, regardless of what the situation is, I’m always ready for the fastball.” Although Morel’s results against fastballs this year (.220 AVG, .300 SLG) haven’t looked as good as they did last season (.281 AVG, .542 SLG), the expected statistics show that he’s been pretty unlucky: .267 xBA, .404 xSLG. He still has work to do, but the results are lagging the underlying performance. So that’s a good sign.
  • Bill Murray was at the Cubs game last night (wearing an Obvious Shirt, no less):
  • And he was even spotted riding a train with the civilians after the game. MAN OF THE PEOPLE.
  • Still to come today: How the Cubs are winning, Neris as the closer, Cubs injury updates, Farm Report, MLBits, and more!
  • Also … THE CUBS PROMOTED CADE HORTON TO TRIPLE-A!
  • 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

    more cubs news

    Lukewarm Stove: Who Are the Sellers? Yankees Trying to Extend Soto, Eflin, Alonso, Martinez, More

    MLB RUMORS — Even though we've already had one relatively big trade this season (Luis Arraez to the Padres) and even though the Cubs have made a couple of their own (acquiring Tyson Miller, dealing Richard Lovelady), I don't think...

    MLBits: MLB Investigating David Fletcher, Giants Lose Jung-Hoo Lee for the Season, More

    MLB Notes — Major League Baseball is reportedly investigating former Angels infielder—and current Braves' minor league player—David Fletcher regarding allegations that he placed illegal sports bets with the same bookie that former teammate Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara placed bets...

    The Cubs Have Signed YET ANOTHER Minor League Arm

    Once again, because the Cubs have signed so many in-season pitcher deals, I have to start with the same intro: The Chicago Cubs are seriously going off on the minor league pitching signings here after the start of the season....

    Cubs Farm Report | May 20, 2024: Tough Day for the Cubs Affiliates

    Cubs Farm Report — It was a rough afternoon for the Cubs affiliates, who were swept in four games and scored a combined 10 runs. However, Ethan Roberts made his first appearance with Iowa since 2022 and tossed a scoreless...

    Ever See a “2 RBI Walk” …?

    I've seen versions of this play first hand ... back in my little league days. But even then, it was saved for our fastest player, and it usually involved him immediately stealing second base after a walk, when everyone's guard...

    Cubs Set a Target Date for Dansby Swanson’s Return, Daniel Palencia Also On His Way

    First, a quick update I kept out of the headline: Nico Hoerner is not in the Cubs lineup today, as he continues to deal with left hamstring tightness. The Cubs have now blown past the maximum IL backdate optimization, which...

    Drew Smyly Reportedly Set for a Rehab Outing at South Bend

    [ankin_law] Chicago Cubs lefty Drew Smyly has been out on the Injured List with a right hip impingement since April 23, but he's getting much closer to finally returning. After throwing multiple bullpens and facing live hitters, it looks like...

    Site News! Welcome to Our New Official Legal Sponsor, Ankin Law!

    My friends. It’s time for a big announcement. Something very important to us here at Bleacher Nation, and something we’ve never really been able to do before. We have had a lot of great partners over the years, but we’ve...

    18 Years Ago Today, Michael Barrett Kindly Disagreed with A.J. Pierzynski

    With the Cubs having lost three of four against the Pirates this weekend, and with the offense listing along and injuries continuing to mount, I would understand if you're not in the mood for "hey, today's an anniversary"-type post. BUT!...

    Tough Stretch for the Offense, Down Series, Brown’s Role, Trade Target, and Other Cubs Bullets

    Without a game today, I wonder if we'll find out exactly what's going on with the reported Luis Vazquez call-up, or if we're going to have to wait until tomorrow. I can talk myself into explanations that don't involve a...

    Latest News

    Justin Jefferson Didn’t Show Up to Vikings OTAs Today

    Death. Taxes. And an NFL star with contract uncertainty not showing up for OTAs. Those are life's three guarantees. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson did not show up for the start of organized team activities, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter....

    Lukewarm Stove: Who Are the Sellers? Yankees Trying to Extend Soto, Eflin, Alonso, Martinez, More

    MLB RUMORS — Even though we've already had one relatively big trade this season (Luis Arraez to the Padres) and even though the Cubs have made a couple of their own (acquiring Tyson Miller, dealing Richard Lovelady), I don't think...

    The Chicago Bulls’ Assistant Coaching Changes Better Be Just the Beginning …

    The Chicago Bulls know that asking Adrian Wojnarowski to tweet out a couple of assistant coaching hires isn't enough, right? Perhaps I've already reached that point in the offseason where I overthinking things, but this organization also doesn't deserve the...

    Ever See a “2 RBI Walk” …?

    I've seen versions of this play first hand ... back in my little league days. But even then, it was saved for our fastest player, and it usually involved him immediately stealing second base after a walk, when everyone's guard...

    NFL Rookie QB Futures: Passing Yards Leaders, OROY Odds for Williams, Daniels, Maye, McCarthy, More

    While we're in football's offseason, there are still plenty of fun future betting options out there! With such a large contingent of first-round quarterbacks taken in this year's NFL draft, there are several NFL Rookie QB Futures out there to...

    MLB Hit and HR Props: Best Bets for Yankees, Dodgers, and More Tonight

    As the MLB season heats up, tonight's games offer a plethora of betting opportunities for baseball enthusiasts. From HR props to hits props, the matchups featuring teams like the Yankees and Dodgers are particularly enticing. In this article, we'll dive...

    MLBits: MLB Investigating David Fletcher, Giants Lose Jung-Hoo Lee for the Season, More

    MLB Notes — Major League Baseball is reportedly investigating former Angels infielder—and current Braves' minor league player—David Fletcher regarding allegations that he placed illegal sports bets with the same bookie that former teammate Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara placed bets...

    How to Watch Nationals Games: Full 2024 Schedule, Live Stream and More

    If you’re a Washington Nationals fan and looking to watch their games on TV, most of them can be found on MASN but there are many other options as well. Let’s break down the cable and streaming options for watching...

    DraftKings $1500 Promo Code, Canucks-Oilers Odds, and More for Tonight

    It's an exciting night in sports as we have a game 7 between the Oilers and Canucks, MLB action, and more sports for bettors to get in on the action. You can score a DraftKings promo code as a new...

    Cubs Farm Report | May 20, 2024: Tough Day for the Cubs Affiliates

    Cubs Farm Report — It was a rough afternoon for the Cubs affiliates, who were swept in four games and scored a combined 10 runs. However, Ethan Roberts made his first appearance with Iowa since 2022 and tossed a scoreless...

    more cubs news