https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/167/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/two-nights-two-chances-tell-the-tale-of-two-young-seasons-for-the-cubs-r69/In the top of the fifth inning Monday night, the Cubs had MacKenzie Gore right where they wanted him. They'd pushed across two runs with some great two-out hitting in the top of the first, and forced him into a second long inning in the top of the third. They had a 2-1 lead entering that fifth f...69Wed, 03 May 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/north-side-baseball-is-back-now-at-northsidecubscom-r70/Some time over the weekend, some settings changed on our domain name and the site went down. You probably know that part. But what you probably didn't know is that we've been trying - almost entirely unsuccessfully - to contact the domain registrar for a couple of months to get proper access to...70Wed, 03 May 2023 12:06:51 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/caleb-kilian-was-an-unserious-starting-pitcher-and-nick-neidert-would-be-too-r68/Look, once you reach MLB, there are many ways to be successful. No single statistic (other than runs allowed, and even that only over a very large sample) marks a player as either a credible big-leaguer or not. However, when trying to figure out which pitchers in the minor leagues have a serious...68Wed, 03 May 2023 03:06:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/a-temporary-lack-of-bullpen-and-lineup-depth-is-stealing-wins-from-the-cubs-r67/It’s true that the Cubs only scored two runs Friday night, and grounded into three double plays. In the first inning alone, both Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ hit long fly balls that died harmlessly in the glove of Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm. Some nights just aren’t your night. It’s easy...67Sat, 29 Apr 2023 12:13:44 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/consensus-mlb-draft-board-v1-r64/Last year, I published the first ever ‘Consensus Draft Board’, exclusively at Twins Daily. I also wrote, after the fact, about some commitments to making it better for 2023, and I think I’m delivering on those. So what is a Consensus Board? What’s new for 2023? What? I love drafts in spor...64Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:15:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/marcus-stroman-went-looking-for-ground-balls-and-struck-a-gold-mine-of-whiffs-r66/In an interview at the beginning of spring training, Marcus Stroman dropped a line that became an instant favorite for Cubs fans who wanted to revel in the shiny novelty of their new middle infield. In discussing how good it would feel to pitch in front of Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner, Stroma...66Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:50:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/three-concerns-about-the-chicago-cubs-in-2023-r65/  It has been a better-than-expected start to the season for the Cubs, who now have a 29.7% chance to make the playoffs, via FanGraphs. The club had an 11.2% chance to make the postseason when the season kicked off. Numerous variables have contributed to this promising start – great st...65Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:54:21 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/draft-preview-shortstops-personalcheeseballs-r63/Many third and second baseman go through high school and/or college as shortstops. It’s not uncommon for a pro centerfielder to have spent many innings playing shortstop as he developed.  The term “personal cheeseball” (better represented by #personalcheeseball) orginated over twenty years...63Wed, 26 Apr 2023 18:49:49 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-his-pitch-grips-and-movement-make-drew-smyly-so-deceptive-r62/Friday's flirtation with a perfect game earned Drew Smyly an amount of press far exceeding what he's used to. We got a good breakdown of the unusual shape of Smyly's curve from MLB.com Cubs beat writer Jordan Bastian, for instance. We can go a bit farther, by adding this: no pitcher in baseball...62Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:26:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/justin-steeles-fastball-is-slowly-sinking-and-thats-okay-r61/Justin Steele will take the mound at Wrigley Field Tuesday night, opposite San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell. It’s a fascinating matchup of starters, because the two share a pitch almost perfectly in common–only, not really. Snell’s slider has almost identical movement to Steele’s...61Tue, 25 Apr 2023 12:27:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/does-david-ross-need-to-change-the-way-he-uses-keegan-thompson-r59/The Cubs entered this season with as little clarity about roles in the bullpen as they have had at any time in recent memory. There was no obvious closer, though it was fairly clear that Michael Fulmer would get the first chance to secure that job. There were multiple guys whose utility lied in...59Mon, 24 Apr 2023 12:24:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/why-the-cubs-must-solve-their-first-base-and-catcher-problems-and-how-they-can-r58/That said, there are reasons to question its sustainability. It seems unlikely that Patrick Wisdom will continue to hit like Paul Goldschmidt did last year on the way to an MVP award (though if he does, more power to him!). While the hot streaks may cool for several players, there’s cause for op...58Sun, 23 Apr 2023 12:50:01 +0000