The Chicago Cubs got some good news on Friday as right fielder Seiya Suzuki has been activated off the injured list. However, it’s bittersweet as the team also placed gold glover Dansby Swanson on the 10-day injured list because of a sprain in the shortstop’s right knee. Swanson was given a day off on Wednesday in Chicago’s series finale against the San Diego Padres and the hope was that having two days off in a row would help with the pain. Unfortunately, Swanson’s knee isn’t feeling much better and now he’s going to be sidelined for a bit. At this point there is no timetable for Swanson’s r ..read more

I know it, you know, even if you’re living under a rock you know it because you’ve heard Cubs fans howl in pain every time Craig Counsell goes to the bullpen to protect a lead. The 2024 Cubs are good, but they have one huge weakness, the bullpen stinks and there’s not exactly anyone you can trust to take over as the closer. Entering Friday, the Cubs bullpen ranks 22nd among all 30 MLB teams with a 4.64 ERA. They have eight blown saves, which is tied for 2nd most in baseball. Adbert Alzolay started the season as the closer and he’s now being used in low-leverage spots. Meanwhile, Hector Neris ..read more

Dylan Cease struck out 12 batters in seven innings and then two San Diego Padres relievers combined to finish off a 3-0 shutout win over the Chicago Cubs in Wednesday’s series finale at Wrigley Field. Cease completely dominated on the mound in what turned out to be the most feeble performance by a Cubs lineup since Statcast became a thing a decade ago. The Cubs were held to one hit in the 3-0 loss and had a total of four runners on base, as Cease walked a pair and hit a batter. The lone hit by the Cubs came in the third inning, when veteran catcher Yan Gomes dribbled a slow roller to second b ..read more

HOLY SHIT! Michael Busch on the first pitch of the ninth inning blasted a walk off bomb, giving the Cubs a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. This was right after the offense once again let down rookie star Shōta Imanaga, who pitched seven shutout innings before allowing a two-run homer in the eighth. After scratching a run across in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Christopher Morel sac-fly, Busch snapped out of his homerless streak with a game-winning dinger in the ninth. ON THE FIRST PITCH MICHAEL BUSCH CRUSHES A HOME RUN & GIVES THE CUBS THEIR FIRST WALK OFF OF THE SEASON! pic.t ..read more

Oh how we’ve missed Cody Bellinger. The left-handed hitter was activated from the IL on Tuesday and in his first game back with the Cubs Bellinger homered to give his team a 1-0 lead over the San Diego Padres. The offense has been sluggish for the past few weeks, so hopefully Bellinger can give them a boost while the team awaits the return of Seiya Suzuki later this week as well. Bellinger now has a nine-game hitting streak following his solo home run against the Padres. WELCOME BACK CODY BELLINGER pic.twitter.com/CTKfYbAA3A — Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) May 8, 2024 Bellinger was placed on the ..read more

Forget about July, the rumor mill is in full go in the first week of May and the trade whispers between the Cubs and Marlins are only getting louder. The Marlins are already waiving the white flag and they started their fire sale last week, trading their All-Star infielder Luis Arráez to the San Diego Padres. Now, According to David Kaplan, the Cubs and Marlins could be working on something down the line. As always, you can take these type of rumors with a grain of salt and although Kaplan has a mixed track record with Cubs rumors, this scenario certainly is reasonable to believe. During his ..read more

The Chicago Cubs had a successful weekend at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. In their first division games of the season, they took two out of three games from the Milwaukee Brewers. Both clubs now sit tied at the top of the National League Central division. The Cubs have now won four of the five series played at Wrigley, the fifth being a four-game split with the Miami Marlins. It’s safe to say the Cubs’ starting rotation carried the team this weekend. On Friday, Hayden Wesneski pitched 6.1 innings in a spot-start, striking out eight and not allowing a run. Then, Jameson Taillon pitc ..read more

The Chicago Cubs have struggled to generate offense lately. This can be traced back to losing Seiya Suzuki, who led the team in several offensive categories. Then, the Cubs lost Cody Bellinger to a couple of fractured ribs. Since then, the Cubs have had sparks, but the overall success of the offense has declined. Mike Tauchman has been part of the Cubs roster since the beginning and has done more than anyone could ask for to fill in. A cast of young prospects has been called on to help the Cubs in Chicago and sent down to make room for others. Alexander Canario and Pete-Crow Armstrong were ca ..read more

At the end of last August, the Chicago Cubs called up one of their top pitching prospects, Jordan Wicks, to make his major league debut against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. It was an exciting moment for him and the Cubs, representing the beginning of what was to come. The Cubs have a lot of top-tier talent in their farm system. Wicks was one of the first to come up and show what he had. Wicks took the mound on a beautiful Saturday evening at PNC Park, wearing the familiar road grey uniform. He was tasked with taking on a sub-par Pirates team that was well out of contention. The Cubs, remember ..read more

I mean, what else is there to say anymore. Adbert Alzolay has been awful so far in 2024 and he’s not showing any signs of getting better. He flat out sucks right now and the unfortunate thing is that his time with the team could be coming to an end. I know that’s extreme because he was literally one of the best relievers in baseball for a huge chunk of the 2023 season, but I don’t know how the Cubs can justify keeping him in the bullpen longterm with his current struggles. You might say that the simple solution is to send Alzolay to the minors, but it’s not that easy. The right-handed relieve ..read more