Things turned out pretty well for the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday as the Wild Card leaders in the National League did their part to pad their lead over the San Diego Padres.
The Iowa Cubs outran the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 4-3. It was Iowa’s sixth-straight win. Jameson Taillon made a rehab start this afternoon and the results on the field could have been better, but overall it was a successful return from the Cubs point of view.
The Chicago Cubs are in full-on prep mode right now, working to fortify the roster and maintain the health of key players ahead of their first playoff run since 2020.
In the long marathon that is a full season of Major League Baseball, players come and go, and the Chicago Cubs are no exception. As the offense has struggled a bit the last couple of months, the Cubs got creative with one of their latest moves.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has hit a rough patch since the All-Star break, particularly during a tough month of August in which he slashed just .160/.216/.230 over 100 at-bats.
Baseball continues to be a popular topic when it comes to movies and television. The little league or youth league aspect of the game usually plays well with audiences.
The Chicago Cubs are hoping three straight days out of the lineup will bring some life back to the bat of Pete Crow-Armstrong. Crow-Armstrong is expected to be back in center field when the Cubs (80-60) open a three-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals (56-83) on Friday afternoon.
The Chicago Cubs are searching for answers in their pitching staff. After having to navigate the majority of the season without Justin Steele, they are also down Jameson Taillon and deadline addition Michael Soroka in their rotation, putting tons of pressure on Colin Rea and Matthew Boyd to perform behind Shota Imanaga and Cade Horton.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports Thursday that Yomiuri Giants third baseman Kazuma Okamoto and Seibu Lions righty Tatsuya Imai are also hoping to be posted by their clubs and make the jump to MLB.
Chicago Cubs rookie Cade Horton has been pitching on an entirely different level during the second half of the season. After entering the All-Star break with a 4.45 ERA, he’s posted a dominant 0.77 ERA over his last 46 innings, bringing his season ERA down to an impressive 2.78.
The Chicago Cubs were not able to grab the sweep over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night, losing the series finale by a score of 5-1 after the bats just could not get going following a singular run in the second inning.
How does it go? It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. From a run prevention standpoint, it works. I’m guessing that even during the good part, you were largely unsatisfied with the offensive performance.
The Chicago Cubs bolstered their bench this week by signing Carlos Santana. Santana was released last week by the Cleveland Guardians, and the Cubs jumped at the opportunity to add a veteran slugger with postseason experience.
The Cubs will replace one outfield prospect with another on Monday, as ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that Kevin Alcantara will be called up from Triple-A Iowa and Owen Caissie is being sent back to Triple-A.
With the Cubs holding the top wild-card spot in the National League, the development of Cade Horton has been a big key for Chicago's success this season.