The World Series starts tonight, but for Cubs fans, it's merely an impediment between this chilly Midwest morning and the official start of hot stove season. Most of us would love a sweep, though few outside of Los Angeles will root for the Dodgers as a prohibitive favorite. I can't help but dream of the time that Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were linked to the Cubs in trade rumors. Oh, what might have been!
The 2025 Fielding Bible Awards gave even more credit to the Cubs. Sports Info Solutions (SIS), the company that developed Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), honors the best defenders each year. It is the 20th season of the awards, although some recent changes have been made. Patrick Bailey of the San Francisco Giants won the third annual Defensive Player of the Year Award, while the Cubs were named the Defensive Team of the Year.
The back-and-forth between Brewers and Cubs fans has quickly become tiresome - and it's even more prosaic when White Sox fans get involved - but it shouldn't absolve Jed Hoyer. Analytics and voodoo magic aside, Chicago's North Side Baseballers have finished behind Milwaukee in the NL Central in every season since the 2018 tiebreaker game. That has to change. Hoyer may have to re-blueprint his roster as well. The potential loss of Kyle Tucker means finding left-handed power to replace him,
While we've seen plenty of pitchers continue to put up good numbers well into their 30s, Imanaga's 91 mph fastball doesn't project to age as well as others. Then there's the fact that his .219 BABIP against suggests his numbers should have been far worse than they actually were. That's a big gamble, even for a team that should be far more willing and able to absorb a rough contract here or there.
Looks like Jed Hoyer isn't the only one who's going to have something cooking this offseason. Had things gone according to plan, the Cubs would actually be preparing to play in LA with Cade Horton on the mound for Game 1 of the NLCS. As it is, they're back at Wrigley to put a bow on things before heading to wherever they call home in the winter.
Hey Cub fans, are you making the trek up to Cream City to watch the Cubs and Brewers play in the event of the century, a winner-take-all affair in the retractable dome just off of I-94 that many like to playfully call Wrigley North? Let me tell you, the Windy City's red-headed stepchild is pulling out all the stops to keep you from invading their turf.
Since time has no meaning, my brain didn't twig to the fact that Boyd was starting on short rest until about an hour before game time, despite spending a bunch of time crunching the numbers to write the preview and I didn't even notice. Boyd had absolutely nothing in the tank in this one, and a completely uncharacteristic / Devil Magic induced error by Nico Hoerner turned it from bad to worse.
Woodford joined the Snakes on a major league contract in the beginning of July. He'd been pitching in Triple-A with the Cubs when he triggered an out clause in that minor league deal. He took the ball 22 times and logged 36 1/3 innings of 6.44 ERA ball. It was his third consecutive season allowing more than six earned runs per nine innings. Woodford nevertheless found himself in a handful of high-leverage situations in an Arizona bullpen that was hit hard by injuries.
THE 47,394 FANS gathered at Coors Field were on their feet. They were excited. They were loud. And the team most of them were there to see was closing in on a tight victory. The only problem? It was the visiting Chicago Cubs that were leading in that ninth inning and moments later would secure a 4-3 win over the Rockies,
Chicago Cubs infielder Matt Shaw missed his team's 1-0 loss Sunday in Cincinnati. The win completed a sweep for the Reds, presently a distant eight games behind Chicago for second place in the NL Central and clinging to the back of the wild-card contenders. The Cubs already clinched a playoff spot last week, but are just a game and a half up on the rising San Diego Padres in the battle for the top wild card.
The Atlanta Braves made a series of roster moves Tuesday, beginning with the activation of the recently acquired Ha-Seong Kim. The announcement was followed by Jurickson Profar's move to the paternity list, the promotion of Hayden Harris, and the demotions of Hunter Stratton and Wander Suero. In his Braves debut, Kim logged eight innings at shortstop and went 2-for-4 at the plate. Should he stay with the club, it appears Atlanta has solved the shortstop problem.
Before the Atlanta Braves took on the division leading Phillies, their bats had been pretty hot. That was thanks to Jurickson Profar playing out of his mind, the Michael Harris resurgence, Drake Baldwin continuing to do his thing, Matt Olson staying steady as always, and Ozzie Albies deciding to finally hit. It also always helps when you have the all-world talent of Ronald Acuña Jr. on your side.
