https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/107/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-epitome-of-effectively-wild-javier-assad-has-proved-his-skill-set-legit-r1097/We live in much too strikeout- and walk-obsessed a world for Javier Assad to be a star. He's only fanned 19.6% of the batters he's faced this year, and he's walked 9.9% of them. Those numbers are both markedly worse than the league average. In strikeout rate minus walk rate (an increasingly popu...1097Sun, 08 Sep 2024 13:06:18 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/looking-back-at-the-cody-bellinger-contract-did-the-cubs-sign-the-right-free-agent-r1096/With the Chicago Cubs now six games out of the final playoff position heading into Sunday’s action, FanGraphs lists their odds of making the playoffs at under one percent. I don’t think anyone can argue with that, either. Not only would they have to pass both the Mets and the Braves, but both te...1096Sun, 08 Sep 2024 12:59:51 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-need-to-beat-the-yankees-today-but-can-they-r1095/It’s Saturday, it’s September, and the Cubs aren’t quiiiiite out of it yet. Javier Assad will be pitching today, with clutch hero Christian Bethancourt doing the catching, as the Cubs try to claw their way even with the Yanks in this series. Rizzo will be back in the lineup (hopefully, you caugh...1095Sat, 07 Sep 2024 14:18:11 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/can-pete-crow-armstrong-lead-the-cubs-to-the-promised-land-october-r1094/It’s fun to watch Pete Crow-Armstrong play baseball. Over the past month, his torrid performance has played a key role in lifting the Cubs from what seemed to be another Sell-By season into a legitimate rat race with the Mets and Braves for the final Wild Card slot. Slim as the Cubs' chances may...1094Fri, 06 Sep 2024 14:14:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/anthony-rizzo-wrigley-field-return-michael-busch-rookie-season-fielding-stats/If you're the type to buy in heavily on second-half trends for one season when predicting the next, you might be somewhat down on Michael Busch right now. In his first full big-league season, Busch has had a tough run since the All-Star break, batting .206/.296/.348 in 152 plate appearances. Spl...1093Fri, 06 Sep 2024 11:20:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/justin-steele-injury-update-corbin-burnes-tommy-john-surgery-cubs-2025-needs/In the past three years, Justin Steele has missed time with back, hamstring (twice), and elbow (twice) injuries. He also faded mightily in the failed playoff run of 2023, with a 4.91 ERA in September. It's time to worry about Steele's long-term viability, as he enters his 30s next summer. Some i...1092Thu, 05 Sep 2024 23:07:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-hitter-of-the-month-august-2024-r1090/August was a fun month for the 2024 Chicago Cubs, rolling to an 18-9 record and re-inserting themselves into the Wild Card hunt. How did they do that? Offense.  In August, the Cubs were fourth in baseball with a 120 WRC+ as a team, slashing an impressive .260/.333/.459. In addition, th...1090Thu, 05 Sep 2024 17:09:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/history-shota-imanaga-nate-pearson-porter-hodge-miguel-amaya-no-hit-pirates-r1091/It's bittersweet to see a pitcher pulled from a no-hitter. In a perfect world, where Tommy John surgery never had to be invented and where hurlers paid no price for the turn of the lineup card, we might never see it happen. Here in the real world, though, it's part of the game--and not a bad one...1091Thu, 05 Sep 2024 02:10:09 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/which-is-more-costly-for-the-2024-cubs-leadoff-singles-or-leadoff-walks-r1089/Every baseball fan has, at some point, groaned over the dreaded leadoff walk, or winced a little when a pitcher gives one up in only four pitches. Is that a valid reaction, or are we all just deluded by the old baseball proverb? What about leadoff singles? I’ve never heard equivalent disdain tow...1089Wed, 04 Sep 2024 23:06:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-des-moines-special-a-pitch-pairing-the-cubs-are-teaching-more-than-any-other-org-in-baseball-r1088/There might not be any organization in MLB who likes a cut-ride fastball more than the Cubs. That's so true that, even if you're a Cubs fan who isn't ordinarily inclined to a lot of granular nerdiness about the game, that turn of phrase--"cut-ride fastball"--is probably at least familiar. In sho...1088Wed, 04 Sep 2024 11:40:48 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-dansby-swanson-has-turned-his-season-around-and-why-it-might-not-last-r1087/The amount of ink spilled over Dansby Swanson, his performance (on both sides of the ball), and his contract throughout this 2024 season is enough to… do something that you could do with a large volume of ink. In a summer where many of us in this space spent the time lamenting just about every f...1087Tue, 03 Sep 2024 23:11:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/justin-steele-injury-jorge-lopez-bullpen-playoff-chances/It was, arguably, the cruelest hour in three years or more for the Cubs. Ahead 3-0 on Jared Jones and the Pirates after seven scintillating frames from Jameson Taillon on Labor Day, most of the team watched helplessly as Jorge López--a terrific story, a symbol of the team's resurgence, and a lin...1086Tue, 03 Sep 2024 19:25:34 +0000