https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/page/56/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-ghosts-are-gone-a-closer-look-at-the-cubs-bullpen-resurgence-r1773/  For my brother-in-law's wedding in historic New Bern, NC (where Pepsi was invented), we stayed in a bed-and-breakfast. The house was old, and there were creepy photos on the wall in which you would swear the eyes were following you. During the night, we heard a loud shout and what sounded...1773Tue, 13 May 2025 22:08:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/why-pete-crow-armstrongs-stint-in-the-leadoff-spot-should-end-as-soon-as-possible-r1772/  The nature of baseball is such that discerning anything after three games is virtually impossible. Pete Crow-Armstrong might be giving us an exception.  Over the winter, I floated the idea of the Chicago Cubs center fielder in the leadoff spot. I was hardly the only one. The justific...1772Tue, 13 May 2025 16:03:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-suffering-from-bad-case-of-sunday-scaries-r1769/The Chicago Cubs have officially finished up one of the most brutal 41-game schedule stretches in recent memory, and despite closing it on a four-game losing streak, Chicago came out with a record of 23-18, atop the standings in the National League Central division. Just last week, we looke...1769Tue, 13 May 2025 15:34:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/source-cubs-to-promote-moises-ballesteros-tuesday-ian-happ-will-land-on-injured-list-r1771/It wasn't easy for Moises Ballesteros to force his way into the 2025 Chicago Cubs' plans. He's not yet ready to contribute meaningfully as a catcher, and even if he were, the Cubs are very happy with their combination of Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya. Meanwhile, the left-handed Ballesteros is a...1771Tue, 13 May 2025 04:55:28 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/statcast-is-doing-a-lousy-job-of-seeing-daniel-palencia-this-season-luckily-so-are-batters-r1770/Last year, Daniel Palencia had a sinker. This year, he doesn't, but Statcast still thinks he does. In the past, Palencia has tinkered with a curveball, as well as his slider. He's stopped, but Statcast still thinks he's doing it. There are multiple pitch-classification systems out there, and whi...1770Mon, 12 May 2025 22:10:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/michael-busch-is-a-very-unusual-hitter-and-hes-becoming-an-unusually-great-one-r1645/In his first 150 plate appearances of the season, Michael Busch is batting .262/.360/.500, with seven home runs and encouraging underlying numbers to support the topline ones. He's benefited from seeing fewer left-handed pitchers, with 87.3% of his plate appearances coming against righties—up fr...1645Mon, 12 May 2025 18:11:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cubs-week-in-review-cade-horton-makes-a-strong-impression-amid-a-rough-week-r1767/Through their recent adversity, the Chicago Cubs haven't crashed back down to Earth. However, they do seem to be flying at a lower altitude. For a squad that spent the first six weeks of the season earning the trust of even its most skeptical observers, the 2-5 record the North Siders have produ...1767Mon, 12 May 2025 11:41:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/its-not-ideal-but-matthew-boyd-is-cubs-de-facto-ace-r1765/There's nothing funny about injuries at any level of sport. In baseball, we tend to avoid speaking of it, as though it's an unwritten rule of the game, much like keeping tight-lipped while some of the games' more impressive feats play out. Well, it would seem that strategy is ill-conceived in 20...1765Sun, 11 May 2025 11:50:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-narrative-importance-of-cade-hortons-arrival-r1763/Under Jed Hoyer, the Chicago Cubs have been a mixed bag in matters of the draft.  There have been some successes on both sides of the ball, mostly in the form of guys we think will be impactful in short order (Matt Shaw, Jordan Wicks, Luke Little, James Triantos, Brandon Birdsell). There ha...1763Sat, 10 May 2025 11:56:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-little-bit-of-good-and-overwhelming-bad-of-justin-turner-r1761/In the wake of the Chicago Cubs' failed pursuit of Alex Bregman, the signing of Justin Turner to a one-year deal was largely viewed as a positive. Despite some declining elements of his game, a veteran hitter committed to the craft looked to be a quality addition to a group in need of some suppl...1761Fri, 09 May 2025 14:13:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/cade-horton-the-most-complete-cubs-pitching-prospect-in-15-years-set-for-big-league-debut-r1764/It's unfair and inaccurate to suggest that the Cubs have been totally incapable of developing starting pitchers over the last decade and a half. They can point proudly to the big wins of Kyle Hendricks and Justin Steele, and to smaller ones like Javier Assad. They're also good at the reclamation...1764Fri, 09 May 2025 11:58:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/the-ferocious-ballet-of-pete-crow-armstrong-throwing-out-baserunners-r1762/The big problem with baseball—the thing that convinces so many people (wrongly) that the game is less physically dramatic or demanding than other major team sports—is that, to the casual observer, it looks too non-confrontational. The loss of the collision between baserunner and catcher on plays...1762Thu, 08 May 2025 22:05:02 +0000