https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/193/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/how-much-should-we-let-ourselves-care-about-the-london-series-r145/Over the next two days, the Chicago Cubs take an international stage, and they become (however imperfectly) one of two foci in the ever-shifting elliptical baseball universe. The London Series against the St. Louis Cardinals is just two games, in a season of 162. Yet, it's undeniably special and...145Sat, 24 Jun 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/2nd-annual-dual-mock-draft-r143/The latest mock featured here is a dual mock draft done by Jamie Cameron and me. We alternated back and forth for the Top 39 selections in the upcoming draft.  Our inaugural attempt was met with minimal success. We didn't strike out, though; you can check it out for yourself here. Additional...143Fri, 23 Jun 2023 15:21:50 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/is-ian-happ-being-too-patient-at-the-plate-r142/The Chicago Cubs have had a good start to the week. A tidy three-game sweep–their second one against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 10 days–and boarding a plane to London? We should all be so lucky. There was, however, one element that I noticed throughout the series in the Steel City. Ian Happ didn’...142Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/will-tweaking-the-rotation-help-the-cubs-after-the-london-series-r141/The Cubs finished a series sweep in Pittsburgh Wednesday, and have a chance to permanently KO the Cardinals during their two-game series in London this weekend. With a reshuffling of his starting rotation, David Ross showed how seriously he takes that opportunity, but he's also setting the stage...141Thu, 22 Jun 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/better-chicago-cubs-defensive-alignments-through-good-luck-and-bad-r140/Just when you think you have the 2023 Cubs figured out, they change something, or something changes on its own and compels them to make a major adjustment. That's not always as ominous as it sounds, though. In fact, the team might have fallen half-accidentally into the best version of itself in...140Wed, 21 Jun 2023 12:29:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/4-prospects-the-cubs-might-focus-on-with-the-81-pick-r138/This week, we’ll spend some time looking at prospects the Cubs might take with the 81st overall pick. As usual with these pieces, the goal is not to make predictions, rather, to give an overview of the type of talent that might be available to teams with this pick. I’ve used these prospects’ cur...138Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:10:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/youve-never-seen-anything-quite-like-marcus-stromans-2023-sinker-r139/The Cubs' co-ace goes again tonight. As the team heats up and closes what was once a daunting gap in the NL Central, Marcus Stroman's stellar season is becoming a bigger story. It's all (well, ok, it's partly) thanks to a sinker heavier than any other in baseball. According to Baseball Savan...139Tue, 20 Jun 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/unlocking-julian-merryweather-is-a-huge-milestone-for-the-cubs-r137/One of the worst things about being late to a party is that, if you try to jump in with some jokes right away, they'll fall flat. You didn't quite read the room well enough. You're a little out of sync. The Cubs were late to the party when it comes to triple-digit relief pitching monsters. They'...137Mon, 19 Jun 2023 17:10:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/there-were-2003-vibes-at-wrigley-field-this-weekend-r136/Every season is its own entity. We shouldn't spend all our time comparing the present to the past, or situating each moment in the context of other ones. Yet, the lifeblood of the game is its history, and we understand baseball better when we let ourselves appreciate the connections between one...136Mon, 19 Jun 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/is-nico-hoerner-back-in-the-groove-r135/It's getting hot in Wrigleyville. The Cubs are still below .500, but they've reeled off a more substantial cluster of wins than it seemed they might all season. Of all the good things suddenly happening there, though, the best news is that Nico Hoerner is raking again. Quietly, one of the bi...135Sun, 18 Jun 2023 12:20:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/were-starting-over-r134/Among Boog Sciambi's miniature trademark calls, my favorite comes when a game is tied up, especially in the middle innings. "We're starting over," he says. It's versatile, too. He just changes his tone and inflection, based on whether the Cubs just erased a deficit or blew a lead. Two and a half...134Sat, 17 Jun 2023 12:23:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/draft-preview-five-pitchers-to-watch-r133/This will be the final installment in the #PersonalCheeseball series as we look at five pitchers who should expect to be off the board in the Top 10 rounds. Could any of these five pitchers exceed expectations and lead a rotation in the future? The term “personal cheeseball” (better represen...133Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:23:39 +0000