https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/147/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/defense-slumps-and-the-cubs-has-gone-into-a-bad-one-at-a-worse-time-r367/The old baseball truism that defense and speed don't slump is wrong. It's just wrong. Players go on defensive hot and cold streaks, the same way they do at bat or on the mound. The chances are just so much more sparse, and most measurements of each individual play in the field so much more crude...367Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:55:47 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-cubs-still-have-a-30-percent-chance-to-make-the-playoffs-r365/The Chicago Cubs still have, according to FanGraphs, a 29.6-percent chance to claim a place in the Wild Card Series. That's just me being pessimistic, too. Baseball Prospectus has them at 42.2 percent, because they're a bit more bearish on the Marlins than is FanGraphs. As weary as the Cubs look...365Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:15:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/seiya-suzuki-muff-and-all-is-still-the-cubs-second-half-mvp-r361/Yes, this is in response to that drop yesterday. No matter what people say, and regardless of how the rest of this season progresses, the Cubs wouldn’t be here, fighting with the Marlins, Reds and others for a Wild Card spot, if it weren’t for the heroic contributions of their right fielder. ...361Thu, 28 Sep 2023 12:03:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/braves-6-cubs-5-10-innings-acuna-steals-70th-base-and-steals-the-cubs-hope-in-extras-r364/Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Jameson Taillon - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (82 pitches, 62 Strikes, 68%) Home Runs: Mike Tauchman (8), Ian Happ (20) Bottom 3 WPA: Daniel Palencia (-.793), Mark Leiter Jr. (-.494), Julian Merryweather (-.189) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Cubs tr...364Thu, 28 Sep 2023 02:22:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/jeimer-candelarios-return-needs-to-go-smoothly-r362/Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Cubs have a third base problem. Patrick Wisdom, the nominal starter at the hot corner, has been relegated to match-up duty for months. Nick Madrigal is currently on the IL with a hamstring issue and may not return until the postseason (if the Cubs even ge...362Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:17:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/for-now-i-just-want-to-talk-about-pinch-hitting-for-pete-crow-armstrong-r360/The magnificently spunky 2023 Chicago Cubs will get one last, scintillating, unwelcome opportunity to prove how special they are when it comes to bouncing back. With five games left in their season, they're on the canvas again, having taken a gut punch that leaves them searingly vulnerable and w...360Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:38:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/braves-7-cubs-6-as-bad-as-cubs-losses-get-r359/Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Justin Steele - 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (90 pitches, 56 Strikes, 62%) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Drew Smyly (-.522), Javier Assad (-.122), Ian Happ (-.117) Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs): The Cubs entered Tuesday night's matchup against the N...359Wed, 27 Sep 2023 02:33:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/why-the-cubs-are-turning-to-jameson-taillon-this-week-in-atlanta-r357/As everyone expected, Justin Steele will start Tuesday night in Atlanta, to open the Cubs' series against the top team in the National League. Once we saw him make a moderately surprising return to the starting rotation Saturday, it also seemed clear that we would get a Marcus Stroman start on T...357Tue, 26 Sep 2023 14:07:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/where-nico-hoerner-can-still-get-better-r356/Nico Hoerner has, undeniably, had a fantastic year for the Chicago Cubs. His .285/.349/.388 batting line is slightly better than league-average, and when you combine that with his elite defense and baserunning, you have a player who is worth 4.7 WAR, according to FanGraphs, which ranks 19th in b...356Tue, 26 Sep 2023 11:23:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/ian-happ-is-playing-defense-like-the-ball-is-alive-and-hates-him-r355/Remarkably, I do think the numbers (Defensive Runs Saved, from Sports Info Solutions, says Ian Happ is 3 runs better than an average left fielder; Defensive Runs Prevented, from Baseball Prospectus, has him 6.5 runs to the good) are telling us the truth. Somehow, someway, Ian Happ is getting mor...355Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:15:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/patrick-wisdom-and-the-final-trial-of-the-2023-chicago-cubs-r354/There have been as many moments when the game seemed to tell Patrick Wisdom he wasn't wanted as there have been when the 2023 Cubs seemed dead and ready for burial. Wisdom wasn't drafted out of high school, though some part of that was because he was committed strongly to Saint Mary's. He was a...354Mon, 25 Sep 2023 12:38:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/where-justin-steeles-cy-young-chances-stand-entering-the-final-week-r353/Confession time: I was never that high on Justin Steele. A mid-rotation arm? Sure. But a frontline starter capable of hanging with some of the top hurlers around the league? It wasn’t something I was buying, entering 2023. It won’t be the last time I’m wrong, but Steele has spent the bulk of thi...353Sat, 23 Sep 2023 12:33:02 +0000