https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/198/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/what-is-it-with-the-cubs-and-five-pitch-relievers-r87/I've never seen a bullpen like this. Baseball might never have seen a bullpen like this. In the twilight of the age of the two-pitch relief specialist, the Cubs are ushering in a new era of relievers who throw everything. Watching the Cubs pitching staff in 2023 would give a novice fan all t...87Sat, 13 May 2023 12:48:38 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/draft-preview-outfield-personalcheeseballs-r86/We’re moving to the outfield in this week’s #PersonalCheeseballs installment. We’ve looked most recently and players who project to play the left side of the infield. The outfield group can certainly be an eclectic group. There will be your burners at centerfield. The group that is athletic...86Fri, 12 May 2023 14:34:12 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/should-the-cubs-go-to-a-six-man-rotation-when-kyle-hendricks-returns-r85/The clearest bright spot for the 2023 Chicago Cubs, so far, is the starting rotation. That unit has been impressive both in its depth and its excellence, and the former is about to get even better. Now: what will they do about it? Rehabbing right-hander Kyle Hendricks is due to make another...85Fri, 12 May 2023 12:26:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cody-bellingers-bounceback-fueling-cubs-r83/The Cubs didn't commit to Cody Bellinger long-term this offseason, but they did allocate a major chunk of their budget for 2023 to the erstwhile Dodgers center fielder. He's paying off that risk gorgeously. Back in March 2021, I wrote a nonsense piece in which I attempted to quantify aesthet...83Thu, 11 May 2023 12:21:09 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/the-long-road-to-a-new-jameson-taillon-r81/Tuesday night was Jameson Taillon's biggest and best chance, to date, to assert himself as the mid-rotation workhorse the Cubs paid for when they gave him $68 million in free agency this winter. He's a pitcher in transition, and he's been slowed by an injury. Still, there's hope aplenty. Bec...81Wed, 10 May 2023 12:24:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/david-ross-is-not-the-manager-the-cubs-need-to-turn-the-corner-r80/Until this season, one could make an argument that David Ross hadn't been given enough talent or a sufficiently clear mandate to evaluate him as the Cubs' manager. That argument was flimsy, but it could be made. It's no longer valid, and Ross's managerial heat should be red-hot. The latest (...80Wed, 10 May 2023 02:47:38 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/a-hard-reckoning-for-the-cubs-offense-r79/The Cardinals came to Wrigley Field dead. They were 11-24, ensnared in controversy and grief. If the Cubs don't take care of business over the final two games of this series, though, the dead might rise again. Chicago's offense needs to turn that same trick. It took so long for the Cubs to p...79Tue, 09 May 2023 12:22:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/how-should-cubs-fans-receive-willson-contreras-tonight-r78/"How do you tell somebody that you care about deeply, 'I told you so.'?", asked Michael Scott, rhetorically. "Gently, with a rose? In a funny way, like it's a hilarious joke? Or do you just let it go, because saying it would just make things worse? Probably the funny way." Cubs fans are in a sim...78Mon, 08 May 2023 15:45:37 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/is-there-a-slugger-somewhere-inside-seiya-suzuki-r77/Even during his rough start to the season, a few moments have demonstrated just how good a hitter Seiya Suzuki is. On this Cubs roster, however, Suzuki needs to be a source of significant power. Can he become a true slugger? On its face, that's an almost silly question. Seiya Suzuki is 28 ye...77Mon, 08 May 2023 11:28:41 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/25-thoughts-on-the-25th-anniversary-of-kerry-woods-20-k-game-part-iii-r76/We're now, technically, one day past the 25th anniversary of Kerry Wood's dazzling domination of the Houston Astros, on May 6, 1998. For such an important anniversary of such a noteworthy game, though, we felt a full weekend of festivities was appropriate. I've already written nearly 4,000 w...76Sun, 07 May 2023 12:22:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/25-thoughts-on-the-25th-anniversary-of-kerry-woods-20-k-game-part-ii-r75/Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout gem turns 25 years old Saturday, and it's a perfect moment to savor and ponder the wonder of that performance. Here's part two of a three-part series totaling 25 thoughts about that game.   As I wrote in part one, I went to YouTube and rewatched the entire game...75Sat, 06 May 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/25-thoughts-on-the-25th-anniversary-of-kerry-woods-20-k-game-part-i-r74/This Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most extraordinary performances in Cubs history. To celebrate, I re-watched the full masterpiece Kerry Wood spun against the Astros on May 6, 1998. Here are 25 thoughts that sparked as I did so. The idea here is to marinate in the nostal...74Fri, 05 May 2023 12:27:03 +0000