Mets (McLean) vs Cubs (Imanaga): 9/25/25, 6:40pm

[Brandon Glick]

Because the Padres are off today, the Cubs can't clinch the No. 1 Wild Card spot with a win (though a win would drop the magic number to one).

The bright side? That means the Cubs can clinch that spot when they play the Cardinals this weekend.

[Soul]

Small sample size but this dude doesn't give up many runs 🙁

[ILMindState]

He's their version of Cade Horton

[WhyCantWeWin]

Would be cool to get to 90 wins 

[Andy]

Sounds like bad news is coming regarding Cade Horton

 

[gflore34]

6 minutes ago, Andy said:

Sounds like bad news is coming regarding Cade Horton

 

But, of course, who would have expected anything less?  When it comes to injuries the Cubs have had terrible luck this season, it's almost always the worst case scenario.

[BKHoo]

I thought it was just for precaution? I sense a trend. 

[Soul]

Yeah, just felt like they shut him down way too early in the game for it to be a precaution.  Always hoping for the best outcome, but I can't say it's surprising.

[Brian707]

Damn that sucks for the short term but for the best in the long term 

[javy knows my name]

Great news for the negative ninnies

[Bertz]

If this ends up happening, curious what they do with the rotation.  Right now Boyd and Shota are lined up to pitch the first two wildcard games, so easy peasy there.  Taillon’s currently scheduled to pitch Sunday, presumably lining him up for game 1 of the LDS.

Do you try and shuffle things around last minute to get Taillon lined up for game 3?  Do you plan on that being a bullpen game, given that starters have basically no leash in an elimination game anyway?

[gflore34]

14 minutes ago, javy knows my name said:

Great news for the negative ninnies

Who knows, maybe whomever takes his spot gets hot and becomes a Cubs and baseball post season hero.  Baseball is littered with such examples why can't it be a Cub for horsefeathers once?

[muntjack]

Get Jaxon Wiggins on a plane. 

[gflore34]

2 minutes ago, muntjack said:

Get Jaxon Wiggins on a plane. 

That's just the kind of ballsy move most any other franchise would make.  Not the Cubs, besides, I think Wiggins is on some kind of an innings limit, total pitch count, restrictions, etc.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Wiggins has barely pitched in recent weeks and hasn’t yet shown an ability to not walk the world at AAA, he’s not a serious option

[gflore34]

3 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Wiggins has barely pitched in recent weeks and hasn’t yet shown an ability to not walk the world at AAA, he’s not a serious option

And this.

[gflore34]

Provided the Cubs make to a third game, why not Wicks?

[UMFan83]

1 hour ago, BKHoo said:

I thought it was just for precaution? I sense a trend. 

Well if they are spending the time and energy of getting an MRI, I don't think it's ever completely precautionary.  They suspected something could be wrong so they decided to do more testing.  

[UMFan83]

Just now, gflore34 said:

Provided the Cubs make to a third game, why not Wicks?

Am I missing something with Wicks?  I know he's been solid at Triple A but has pitched in 1 MLB game in the last month and has a 7.94 ERA with the Cubs this year.  He might have figured some stuff out and I've always believed he could end up a quality rotation arm but he doesn't have enough of a track record this season at the major league level to go ahead of Shota, Boyd, Taillon, Assad and Rea in terms of starting a playoff game, much less an elimination game.  

[ILMindState]

Our ace goes down in April for the whole year. We develop one and he gets hurt with like 2 games left. W T FFFFF

[gflore34]

21 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Am I missing something with Wicks?  I know he's been solid at Triple A but has pitched in 1 MLB game in the last month and has a 7.94 ERA with the Cubs this year.  He might have figured some stuff out and I've always believed he could end up a quality rotation arm but he doesn't have enough of a track record this season at the major league level to go ahead of Shota, Boyd, Taillon, Assad and Rea in terms of starting a playoff game, much less an elimination game.  

I don't want to see Assad or Rea anywhere near an elimination game or even, the playoff roster for that matter.  Might was well go with a bullpen game you've got no chance with Assad or Rea.

[Bertz]

24 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Am I missing something with Wicks?  I know he's been solid at Triple A but has pitched in 1 MLB game in the last month and has a 7.94 ERA with the Cubs this year.  He might have figured some stuff out and I've always believed he could end up a quality rotation arm but he doesn't have enough of a track record this season at the major league level to go ahead of Shota, Boyd, Taillon, Assad and Rea in terms of starting a playoff game, much less an elimination game.  

I'm probably Wicks' second biggest fan after Jason at this point, and there's still no way I'd have him on the playoff roster.

He looked awesome Monday, but too little too late for building up trust for this year's playoffs.

[Jason Ross]

3 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I'm probably Wicks' second biggest fan after Jason at this point, and there's still no way I'd have him on the playoff roster.

He looked awesome Monday, but too little too late for building up trust for this year's playoffs.

Right. I think Wicks is going to become a solid #4 somewhere once he's healthy and given some rope. But he's not on the playoff radar right now. 

Probably going to be a Civale or Hodge type thing where you either go with another innings eater and go BP days or you just roll the dice and say "Hodge has really good stuff maybe we gamble and we get 5 good innings" 

[Jason Ross]

49 minutes ago, muntjack said:

Get Jaxon Wiggins on a plane. 

Nope. No thank you. 

Really love Jaxon Wiggins, but there is no world in which the Cubs are doing themselves a service letting him pitch in a playoff game right now. If the Cubs are at the point where they are throwing someone who has under 10 IP in Iowa, and they haven't been super clean innings at that, the Cubs are in incredible trouble.

[UMFan83]

14 minutes ago, gflore34 said:

I don't want to see Assad or Rea anywhere near an elimination game or even, the playoff roster for that matter.  Might was well go with a bullpen game you've got no chance with Assad or Rea.

I don't know if I agree with that.  None of them are great options, but they wouldn't start in the WC round anyways assuming with no Horton the rotation is some combo of Boyd, Shota and Taillon.  But in the later rounds, I can see the argument of going with the pitcher with better stuff and giving him a short leash.

I dunno though, I still really like Assad.  It doesn't really make any sense but it seems like he's still keeping up that ridiculous strand rate and seems to generally put together solid outings more often than not.  Again, I'd rather not have to choose between any of them for Game 4 of an NLDS/NLCS but I'd go for a high floor guy and hope the offense puts up runs on the other team's number 4 starter.

Edited September 25, 2025 by UMFan83