Article: This Week In Cubs Baseball, 4/8-4/14: Starting to Figure Things Out

[Josh Illes]

Chicago Cubs baseball has been on a West Coast swing! If you missed any of last week's action, here's a quick recap of how the North Siders fared against the Padres and Mariners.

Image courtesy of © Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Record Last Week: 3-3
Runs Scored: 24
Runs Surrendered: 27
Standing: T-3rd in NL Central (1.5 GB)

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Transactions

• 04/10/24 - Chicago Cubs sent RHP Jameson Taillon on a rehab assignment to Iowa Cubs.
• 04/11/24 - Chicago Cubs traded C Joe Hudson to New York Mets.
• 04/12/24 - Chicago Cubs optioned RHP José Cuas to Iowa Cubs.
• 04/12/24 - Chicago Cubs recalled RHP Keegan Thompson from Iowa Cubs.
• 04/14/24 - Chicago Cubs signed RHP Julio Teheran to a minor-league contract.

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Game Recaps in 15 Words or Less

Monday, April 8th
Padres defeat Cubs 9-8

• The Cubs blew an eight-run lead for the first time in 22 years.

Tuesday, April 9th 
Cubs defeat Padres 5-1

• Christopher Morel is a Guy. Ben Brown is a Guy? 

Wednesday, April 10th
Padres defeat Cubs 10-2

• It would have been nice to have been up 2-0, because here comes Dylan Cease, and there he goes.

Friday, April 12th 
Mariners defeat Cubs 4-2

• Jordan Wicks can't keep pace with Bryce Miller, who silences the Cubs bats.

Saturday, April 13th 
Cubs defeat Mariners 4-1

• Shota Imanaga still hasn't allowed a run. Christopher Morel is a Gold Glover?

Sunday, April 14th 
Cubs defeat Mariners 3-2

• Michael Busch stays hot. Javier Assad and the bullpen twirl a gem

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Worst Moment of the Week
Cubs Blow an Eight-Run Lead
The Cubs were cruising heading into the bottom of the 6th inning on Monday night in San Diego. They were up by a score of 8-0 and, coming off two straight series wins last week, looked like they were almost unstoppable. But baseball had other ideas. Javier Assad walked the leadoff batter. Jake Cronenworth blasted a home run the very next at-bat. That cut the lead to six and very quickly cut Assad’s night short. The bullpen was not ready to pick up their starter, though, leading to an epic collapse, culminating in Fernando Tatis Jr. blasting the go-ahead two-run homer in the 8th inning to seal the deal. 

Best Moment of the Week
Christopher Morel's grand slam
Monday’s blown lead was simply brutal. It could easily have been the kind of loss that cascades into further misery, especially when you consider that Monday’s game was game one of a nine-game West Coast road trip. Tuesday needed to be better. The Cubs were playing so well up until that point that you’d hate to see a glimmer of doubt start to creep in and affect morale. After four innings, the game was a scoreless pitcher’s duel. I don’t know how other Cubs fans were feeling, but I found it hard to enjoy most of what Ben Brown did in that game until it was over, because the effects of the night before were still top of mind. Then, all of a sudden, Yan Gomes blasted a solo home run to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. I exhaled slightly, but it still didn’t feel like enough. That homer was followed by an Ian Happ walk, a Seiya Suzuki single, and a Cody Bellinger hit-by-pitch, which chased Padres starter Joe Musgrove from the game. Still, the score was just 1-0 at that point, but that’s when the big dog ate. Christopher Morel put an absolute charge into an 84-MPH Stephen Kolek sweeper, launching it into the second deck in left field for a grand slam that announced with authority that the Cubs were going to be just fine.

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Weekly Notes

• Michael Busch became the first Cubs rookie since 1901 to hit a home run in four straight games. The first baseman has solidified his spot on the Cubs roster and in the everyday lineup, after coming over from the Dodgers this past offseason. His play has nicely filled what was a glaring offensive hole for the Cubs since they traded away Anthony Rizzo at the deadline in 2021.

• Christopher Morel keeps improving defensively. The third baseman made a pair of very difficult plays at the hot corner in Saturday’s victory in Seattle. Craig Counsell’s trust in Morel is paying off early, even with the errors he’s had in other games. None of those errors ended up costing the Cubs a game. Meanwhile, the web gems he made on Saturday were directly responsible for the victory.

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3 Stars of the Week
3rd Star - Seiya Suzuki (8 hits, including 2 doubles and a home run)
2nd Star - Christopher Morel (grand slam, stellar defense)
1st Star - Michael Busch (4 HR, 6 RBI, 1.247 OPS)

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Looking Forward: A Full Boat
Monday, 4/15 - Cubs @ Diamondbacks (8:40 pm CDT) - RHP Ben Brown vs. RHP Merrill Kelly
Tuesday, 4/16 - Cubs @ Diamondbacks (8:40 pm CDT) - RHP Kyle Hendricks vs. LHP Tommy Henry
Wednesday, 4/17 - Cubs @ Diamondbacks (2:40 pm CDT) - LHP Jordan Wicks vs. RHP Brandon Pfaadt
Thursday, 4/18 - Marlins @ Cubs (6:40 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD
Friday, 4/19 - Marlins @ Cubs (1:20 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD
Saturday, 4/20 - Marlins @ Cubs (1:20 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD
Sunday, 4/21 -Marlins @ Cubs (1:20 pm CDT) - TBD vs. TBD

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