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With a team playing as poorly as the Chicago Cubs are right now, shining a light on one individual player's poor performance is akin to blaming a single cloud for a particularly heavy rain. As the club's losses have piled up, so have its frustrations, resulting in a team eager to deliver winning baseball, but laboring mightily to manifest the reality they and countless others desire. On better days, Moisés Ballesteros is a powerful and menacing bat. His impressive stature and skill set at the plate have the potential not only to catalyze his team's offense, but also the overall success of the club. The North Siders currently own a .245 batting average. That's not astonishingly low, but given where the squad was at the end of April and during their pair of 10-game winning streaks, it's more than enough to give one pause. Ballesteros, with his Prince Fielder-like frame, was a major factor in those halcyon days. The 22-year-old set the league ablaze in April with a .338/.392/.620 line. He even ranked in the top three in baseball in total hits through the first full month of the season. The surprising, wild ride made him an early candidate for NL Rookie of the Year. From that point, as it has with so many of his colleagues sporting Cubbie blue, regression set in. Given Ballesteros's rookie status, there is a smaller sample size from which to draw compared to other top-of-the-order batters, such as Ian Happ. Occupying the designated hitter role, Ballesteros comes to the plate with a swing-first mindset. Thus, his approach is reliant on first-pitch swings, which he offers 50.4% of the time. Additionally, he's chasing balls out of the zone at a 37.6% clip. Ballesteros does his damage by putting the ball in play and getting it to either touch grass or fly out of the park. He has close to zero value as a baserunner in late-game situations, due to his lack of speed. He's currently holding a .253 BABIP, leading opposing pitchers to come after him, but not necessarily with the nastiest stuff. Ballesteros feasts on changeups and has seen far fewer of them as his struggles persist. Recently dethroned by the Milwaukee Brewers as the top team in the loaded NL Central, the North Siders' collective bats are quieter than an audience watching a performance of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Several trackable aspects are certainly leading to their shortcomings, though even to the casual observer, the team is pressing—pushing too hard to deliver "the hit" that snaps them out of this funk. Neither Ballesteros nor anyone else can deliver that breakthrough moment, at least not yet. The night is darkest before the dawn, so perhaps the best is yet to come. Facing incessant criticism regarding the lineup card, Craig Counsell must be the one to insert Ballesteros back into the everyday fold. Ballesteros is increasingly omitted from his club's batting order, a move that is not likely to increase his confidence or performance at the dish. When the team was thriving, he spurred on plenty of its success. A "back to basics" reset of this lineup warrants some thought—although, where would this team be without what it's gotten from Michael Conforto so far? The best version of the Chicago Cubs can't be realized without a bopping Ballesteros. Knocked off their perch, the North Siders are now tasked with getting back in the fight. If they want to reclaim the top spot in the division, and maybe even stay there, they have to be the ones to throw the next punches. For the best outcomes, it's time for Ballesteros to step back into the ring and land a few decisive haymakers. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images The North Siders' three biggest pillars of success in 2026 — clutch situational hitting, baserunning, and sparkling defense — all but dried up in the most frustrating week of the season. We had alluded to the fact that it doesn't get easier, but with the Cubs' warts put on full display, their ability to right the ship will determine whether or not the squad's larger aspirations are attainable. A day off this past Monday allowed the Cubbies to settle into the accommodations at Truist Park as they set to do battle for three games with the dreaded Atlanta Braves. The two clubs briefly traded places, boasting the best record in baseball. By the end of their three-game tilt, Atlanta presented as the real cream of the crop. The consistently average Colin Rea took the ball for the North Siders opposite Grant Holmes in the opener. A seesaw defensive struggle turned in the fourth inning as the home team put up a four-run tally on the Cubs, including a two-run blast off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski. Holmes and the Atlanta pitching staff silenced Chicago's bats, with a solo shot from the ascending Alex Bregman providing the only hit of the contest for the Cubs in a 5-2 loss. Squandering an absolute gem from the southpaw Shota Imanaga, a dormant offense hamstrung the Cubbies once again in the middle game of this matchup. The de facto ace of this club was as sharp as we've come to expect this season, striking out six batters and surrendering just five hits. His impressive effort set his team up nicely heading into a tied eighth inning, where, in relief of Imanaga, the beleaguered Phil Maton sank the visiting team's hopes for a series-tying victory. The little things in this game make the biggest difference, and this rang painfully true in the Cubbies' 4-1 defeat. The margins between these two clubs are slim yet pronounced. When clicking, the Cubs have one of the most fearsome offenses in all of the majors. Squaring off against a Cy Young-caliber hurler in Chris Sale, the North Siders rose to the level of their competition. Ben Brown matched Sale stride for stride in the early going. Brown threw four remarkably efficient innings, allowing only a run and striking out seven Braves. His mastery on the mound gave Ian Happ and an opportunistic offense a chance to secure their 28th win of the season in the series' finale. With that consolation prize in hand, the Cubs arrived in the neighborhood of Bridgeport for the renewal of the Crosstown Classic. While still not among baseball's elite, Will Venable's White Sox are heading in the right direction faster than an express train leaving the Sox/35th station. This truth notwithstanding, the North Siders slugged their way to a late, convincing victory in the opener. The cathartic offensive output came from batters throughout this lineup, especially Carson Kelly, who bashed his way to a 3-for-5, four-RBI day. The rally turned a nip-and-tuck, tie game into a cakewalk for the visiting team, earning them a 10-5 triumph. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has earned his fair share of criticism for lacking control, mental stamina, and giving up too many home runs. Those criticisms roared louder than ever on the veteran's worst start of the season. Jamo was pelted, surrendering eight earned runs and five long balls, raising his ERA to an alarming 4.97. He is a glaring liability in this rotation, putting the onus for improvement not just on the pitching staff, but the front office as well. Pete Crow-Armstrong provided a silver lining in the ninth, blasting a two-run bomb, his fifth long fly of the year in the losing effort. "Summer Time Chi" was in full swing this past weekend on the South Side. For a fleeting, tantalizing time, it looked like the North Siders would board the team bus with bragging rights in tow. But it was the fans from the part of town that gave us Grammy award-winning rapper Common, who ran back to their fantasy, a win over their hated rivals in extra innings. Knotted at four, Phil Maton coughed up a three-run blast to the Sox Tristan Peters. The homer completed the rally for the South Siders, who erased a 4-1 deficit. The thunderous bomb from Peters had all but sealed the fate of Craig Counsell's squad, until the scorching-hot Michael Conforto crushed a dramatic, game-tying home run off of SerAnthony Dominguez. The Cubs took the lead in the tenth yet failed to tack on insurance, making way for Edgar Quero's cinematic two-run walk-off blast, silencing the raucous Cubs fans in attendance. The loss marked the North Siders' third straight series loss. No reprieve will come to this struggling Cubs squad as it heads back to Wrigley for a six-game homestand. Up next, the Cubbies host Christian Yelich and the defending NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. This upcoming weekend sees the Houston Astros paying a visit to the North Side of Chicago. No ardent supporter of this Chicago Cubs team should situate themselves too close to the panic button, but this week, with a chance to either cushion or relinquish their division lead, stands to shed light on where this club is right now. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images With a +43 run differential, Chicago's North Side baseball team is no stranger to getting and scoring its baserunners. Featuring a .347 team OBP, Craig Counsell's club is one of the best at stepping up to the dish and reaching base. Of course, as the skipper and all ardent supporters of this franchise will tell you, though, it's not about getting on base; it's about what you do once you get there. The squad's willingness and readiness to run on their opponents currently has them standing atop the toughest division in the game. If they continue their success at this level, they might stay there. As one peruses the matchup programs sold by vendors outside the Friendly Confines, they'll find that their Chicago Cubs aren't the best at running; they're just always ready to step up. The Cubs have 31 swipes to their name, with 11 (three times caught stealing) of those coming from Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is one of the fastest players in professional baseball. Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner joins Crow-Armstrong in the top 25 with eight swipes and zero times caught stealing. After that, the numbers dwindle, but depending on the lineup on a given night, two-thirds of it has a player with either a stolen base or at least an attempt. The squad's young slugger, Moises Ballesteros, is the outlier in Chicago's aggressive baserunning strategy. With his build, "Mo Baller" could likely reach base faster on an escalator than with his own wheels. He's batting second in the lineup behind Hoerner, one of the most prolific lead-off batters in MLB. So the conceit then is that Ballesteros will not have to run, but simply drive in or advance the runner already on base. There are several benefits to having a stable of ball players capable of nabbing a base, but it once again speaks to the construction of this lineup, which suggests those tasked with leading this team understand the value of run-scoring opportunities. To the dismay of all of us Cubs fans, the glaring control in this grand experiment is the squad's performances from the last week or so. In their four consecutive losses, the North Siders tallied just three runs. In the week prior to their series finale victory over the Braves, Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch were the only two everyday players sporting a batting average above the Mendoza line. The idea, however, as Counsell pointed out previously, "it will turn". Turning the page quickly is a quality the North Siders have harnessed in spades. Should they hope to enjoy the type of sustained success that their duo of 10-game winning streaks suggested, they're going to have to stay in the running. With just enough speed and determination, this club will find its stride. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The specter of pitching injuries has haunted the Cubs all season, but for much of it, they've kept winning, anyway. They haven't lost at Wrigley Field since April 11, and with the Reds coming to town for four games last week, it was important that the team prove that was a product of their poise and talent, rather than just the good luck of facing some cold opponents. As it turned out, the Reds were as cold as they come, but the Cubs did an admirable job of taking advantage. Surrendering three runs and setting down eight Reds batters, Edward Cabrera's quality start Monday felt pedestrian—even insufficient on a day wherein offense came at a premium. After a Pete Crow-Armstrong triple and a game-tying sacrifice fly by Nico Hoerner, though, Michael Conforto delivered the first moment that felt like a signature of a good team getting great: an opposite-field walkoff homer. The moment was reminiscent of the best moments from last October, sending shockwaves that could be felt from Rogers Park all the way to Northwest Indiana. The Cubs took the opener by a score of 5-4. The next night required the same mettle. Trailing the Reds 2-1 in the eighth inning, Michael Busch smashed a one-out bomb to deep right field to knot things up. The dramatic home run reset the contest after another business-like outing from starter Jameson Taillon, who was picked up by dazzling relief appearances from Javier Assad, Jacob Webb, and Daniel Palencia. The latter's outing came in extra innings, wherein Palencia was masterful in keeping Cincinnati locked at two. Their tenth-inning escape made way for another cinematic moment for Busch, who delivered the game-winning knock with a single up the middle, allowing zombie runner Dansby Swanson to race home in a 3-2 triumph. While walk-off wins are not the ideal way to win a ball game, they sure are exciting. And with a chance to secure an impressive series victory, the North Siders delivered their third-straight "last-chance" victory. For the second-straight evening, the game made it to extra innings. After a blowup by reliever Corbin Martin greatly diminished his squad's chances of earning a 14th consecutive victory at home, Crow-Armstrong—a player made for the big stage—crushed a game-tying two-run homer. Anyone who needed further proof of Crow-Armstrong's return to form got it with that swing. Another scoreless 10th frame from the Cubs' bullpen got the home team up to bat in the bottom half of the frame. An implosion from Reds reliever Brock Burke brought Michael Busch to the dish with the bases loaded after issuing an intentional walk to Seiya Suzuki. With two outs, the lefty took a 3-1 pitch up and in, drawing the walk-off walk and an improbable 7-6 victory. The reinvigorated Shota Imanaga toed the rubber for Chicago in the series' finale. Searching for their second consecutive sweep, the Cubs found and displayed their best qualities. Imanaga set the tone with six strong innings, setting down 10 batters. Holding onto a 1-0 lead, Craig Counsell's squad unloaded in the fourth inning with a seven-run onslaught. Michael Conforto continued his impressive stretch with a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate, driving in two runs. The up-and-down Gavin Hollowell briefly made the home team adjust their seats in what was otherwise a laugher. Palencia replaced the 28-year-old righty, earning his second save of the 2026 campaign. Winning at a pace as torrid as the Cubs have created an expectation for success. Discovering such a variety of ways to win instills confidence in the clubhouse's ability to rise to any occasion. Injuries being what they are for this squad, Ben Brown was summoned for his first start of the season Friday night in Texas, hoping to run his club's win streak to 10. With Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, serving as the backdrop, Brown answered the call, as he didn't allow a hit over four innings. His colleagues picked up where he left off as a combination of Ryan Rolison, Javier Assad, and Ethan Roberts allowed just two hits and one run in a 7-1 victory for Chicago. That's pretty much where the fun stopped, unfortunately. The Cubs were shut out in back-to-back games to close out the series. The Rangers tacked on here and there, and it never felt like the team was in either game. Cabrera and Taillon had workmanlike performances, again, but neither was good enough to lament much on their behalf, even with zero run support. Great pitching performances might be harder to come by for a while, too, since this week, the team lost Matthew Boyd to a torn meniscus in his knee. Boyd could miss anywhere from a handful of weeks to three months, but either way, the path ahead will be much tougher than the one behind them. That only makes the banked (almost stolen) wins they've compiled over the last few weeks more important, though. If this team does win the NL Central for the first time since 2017, it will be thanks in large part to the kinds of wins with which they started this week—even if it's equally obvious that they could lose the division race based on losses like the two to close it out. View full article

Image courtesy of © Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images All across professional baseball, there are good, competitive teams. As expected, the NL Central is littered with them. But there is a distinct line separating the good teams and the great ones. Craig Counsell's club has looked great for a plethora of reasons, though more than 30 games into this 2026 campaign, it's too early to tell for sure which side of the line they'll be on come September and October. The Cubs are a team that can beat you in every possible way, and that was on full display this past week—but they continue to be threatened by attrition. Even after rattling off 10 impressive victories in a row, including a comeback win over the Dodgers, pundits didn't acknowledge the Cubs as one of the premier squads in the league. That sentiment did not change in the club's first of three games versus the San Diego Padres. In a now steady pitching rotation, veteran lefty Matthew Boyd is still finding his way through an uneven start to the season. Lasting just four innings, Boyd labored through the heart of the Friars' lineup, coughing up five earned runs. A dramatic grand slam from young slugger Moisés Ballesteros briefly got the Cubs back into the lead in the third inning, but a San Diego answer in the home half of that inning put them back out in front for good. Game 2 of that series saw Edward Cabrera toeing the rubber, looking for his third win with his new club. He found it. Hurling 5 2/3 innings, Cabrera came just a hair short of a quality start, though the offense did more than enough to back up their starting pitcher. Pete Crow-Armstrong's continued recovery from a slow start at the plate manifested in a clutch 3-run bomb in the seventh inning to seal the bounce-back win for Chicago's North Side team. Chicago, with its deep musical roots, is a place where rhythm matters. Smashing his second home run in as many games, Pete Crow-Armstrong found his. The exciting center fielder crushed a two-run homer, at the time putting his squad up 3-0. Meanwhile, Jameson Taillon displayed why he is one of the more resilient pitchers in baseball, logging seven innings of three-hit baseball. The gutsy performance helped the team secure not only the series win, but a .500 road trip as the club boarded the plane back to Illinois. The homecoming homestanders let their guard down in the first of their three-game tilt with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field. After grabbing a 6-1 lead in the fourth inning, the North Siders appeared to be cruising, until the Diamondbacks and Geraldo Perdomo struck back with a four-run sixth inning. Thereafter, though, they quieted things down. Reliever Phil Maton followed up a very poor previous outing by blanking the Snakes. Jacob Webb turned in his best performance as a Cub, earning the save with two impressive shutout innings. On a brisk, sun-drenched Saturday, Shota Imanaga took the ball for the North Siders. In a greatly altered starting pitching rotation, Imanaga has dazzled in a way that even the squad's top executives could not have predicted. The lefty was in command from the start, keeping his pitch count low through seven strong innings. In total, the North Siders conceded a stingy four hits to Arizona, a dangerous Arizona lineup. Despite a career day from Ian Happ, they only pushed across two runs, but that was more than enough. Ben Brown closed it out with two sparkling innings of relief. A win in the Sunday finale saw Nico Hoerner and his squad climb to 10 games above .500 for the first time this season. After an injury scare in the first contest of the series, Hoerner helped his squad get things going early with his now trademark table-setting. A bases-clearing triple from Michael Busch made this meeting look like a laugher on a day where the North Siders got key contributions from virtually all of their usual suspects. Hoby Milner looked sharp out of the bullpen, but a sluggish start to the 9th inning for Corbin Martin caused a brief scare on an otherwise quiet day. Martin recovered nicely, helping the home team secure the victory�their 11th straight at the Friendly Confines. The win put Chicago two games up in the division, and was their third sweep in the last five series. Up next, the Cubs stay right at home, kicking off a four-game set with the young, dynamic Cincinnati Reds. Led by the electric Elly De La Cruz, the Reds offer a new test. Chicago ought to count itself lucky that it gets this beefy contest at home, with the rotation lined up nicely for the North Siders. This is their first opportunity to both build a significant lead in the division, and send a message to the other major contenders around the league. View full article

Image courtesy of © William Liang-Imagn Images Fair or not, the 2026 version of the Chicago Cubs came preloaded with comparisons to the revered 2016 World Series championship club, as the 10th anniversary of their historic accomplishment arrived. The frustrations of the opening weeks of this season made any real comparison between the two versions of the team feel a bit blasphemous. If that felt like an overreaction, though, you were right, as the club has started to look more like the division-winning, postseason-destined outfit they hoped to be. This past week, in myriad ways, they rewarded those who were holding out hope. The Chicago Cubs kicked off the week at 1060 W. Addison, welcoming the Phillies to town for a four-game set. Just a week before that, Craig Counsell's squad took two out of three from this same powerful, yet underachieving, Philadelphia ball club. Crafty depth starter Colin Rea toed the rubber for the North Siders, squaring off with Aaron Nola. Rea's steady hand has helped right the ship for a battered pitching staff that continues to navigate its way through numerous injuries. The Cubs' right-handed starter dazzled through 6 2/3 innings of one-run baseball. The home team used a four-run second inning, highlighted by a three-run bomb from Dansby Swanson, to give them all they needed in a 5-1 victory. Over the course of their 10-game win streak, the Cubs clocked a team ERA of 2.65, and that was in no small part due to the determined, resurgent Shota Imanaga. He was sensational in Game 2 of the Phillies series, surrendering just three hits over seven sparkling innings. Meanwhile, the offense stayed in rhythm, getting key contributions from Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, and Michael Busch, the latter of whom is ramping up his efficiency at the plate after surviving a harrowing start to the season. His club locked down a 7-4 win and nothing worse than a split in the series. Fresh off the injured list, Matthew Boyd got the nod in Game 3, with their sights set on a third straight series win. While not his sharpest stuff, Boyd got his sea legs back under him, delivering 4 2/3 innings and striking out five. The bullpen slammed the door on this typically imposing lineup. Ben Brown's poise and confidence continued to grow with a solid, scoreless 2 1/3-inning appearance. Chicago maintained its offensive consistency, scoring in four of the first five innings. A three-hit day from third baseman Alex Bregman cemented his arrival as one of the lineup's most trusted sources of production. Securing their second consecutive series sweep, the Cubs got away with a wild extra-innings victory on getaway day. Edward Cabrera, the squad's exciting, hard-throwing new starting pitcher, grinded through seven innings, earning his 500th career strikeout despite a rather pedestrian six-hit performance. While the offense was certainly instrumental in delivering a ninth straight win for the ball club, it was an awe-inspiring outing from the bullpen late in the game that really set the stage for the club's dramatic win. Dansby Swanson tallied his first walk-off hit in a Cubs uniform. With the bases loaded and only one out, Swanson drilled one to right-center. Not only did the "8-7 in 10" triumph evoke even more fond 2016 memories, but it delighted fans who got to witness Clark the Cub brandishing a broom atop the iconic centerfield scoreboard. With the squad landing in Los Angeles, the chatter of a potential Cubs-Dodgers NLCS later this year grew to deafening levels. The Dodgers, despite currently sitting behind the North Siders' next opponent, the San Diego Padres, are the league's gold standard. If success against Dave Roberts's ball club is the litmus test for finding out where your club stands, then the Cubs passed with flying colors in the opener of this three-game set. Under the lights in a highly-anticipated, nationally-televised contest, they showed their talent, but also their resiliency. Using all 27 outs to their advantage, late-game heroics from Bregman and the blisteringly hot Swanson delivered the 6-4 comeback victory. Stretching the win streak to 10 proved that this team can play with the best in baseball. The Dodgers' 12-4 drubbing of the Cubs the next day proved that all good things truly must come to an end. Yet, after the locked-in Suzuki pumped a solo shot over the fence in left-center, it felt for a moment like Chicago might be immune to that saying. The home side's prolific offense, led by the generational Shohei Ohtani, was bound to get going at some point, and unfortunately, it was at the expense of extending the Cubs' streak. Explosive production from Los Angeles in the fourth and sixth innings put them in the driver's seat, and they cruised to victory on an uncharacteristically poor night for Rea and Javier Assad. Opposite a team like the Dodgers, it's tough to say that the North Siders squandered their chance at a series win, but in stranding 12 base runners on Sunday afternoon, it certainly felt like it. In his second start of the week, Imanaga lacked the luster of his previous outing, issuing three walks over 5 1/3 innings. The North Siders' 0-for-8 performance at the plate with RISP sealed the club's fate, as LA's bats stayed hot. One silver lining to take away from the contest was that the squad's battered bullpen made it back to the visitors' locker room unscathed, as it prepares to make its way down the highway to San Diego. For this Chicago Cubs ball club, the prevailing sentiment for the road ahead should be cautious optimism. While injuries have ravaged Craig Counsell's bullpen, reinforcements are on the way: Phil Maton and Daniel Palencia could get back from the IL soon. Next week, the North Siders are slated for a three-game tilt with the Padres, before returning home for their series with Corbin Carroll's Arizona Diamondbacks. The ultimate goal is still far off on the horizon, but the path to get there is starting to look smoother. View full article

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images A filthy, lockdown starting pitcher changes the fortunes and the perception of a Major League Baseball team. He can make a fringe club competitive and a contender close to unstoppable. Look no further than the likes of the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, or even Garrett Crochet for proof of this concept. The Chicago Cubs' lethal new starter, Edward Cabrera, with his poised control and nasty arsenal, is the next in this line of game-changing starting pitchers. Lucky for us, he plays on the North Side of Chicago. Winding the clock back to March 30 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cabrera toed the rubber for the first time in the squad's iconic blue pinstripes. Right out of the gate, he looked the part of everything this franchise wanted when they signed him in the offseason. With a virtually unhittable changeup that touches the mid-90s, Cabrera burst onto the Wrigleyville scene, going six innings, allowing one hit, striking out five, and issuing just one free pass. In his second start, the first of a traditional doubleheader at Progressive Field opposite the Cleveland Guardians, Cabrera went another 5 2/3 innings. Though he didn't exactly pound the strike zone in this outing, he once again allowed only one hit in a 1-0 victory for this ball club. Nothing comes easy for the opposition when he's scheduled to start, and the team's adversaries are already keenly aware of that. In the early going, the Chicago Cubs were a ball club that appeared trapped in a perpetual search for offensive production. While at the time present, they seem to have orchestrated a bit of a rhythm, the lineup's shortcomings often left the starter with little to no margin for error, called upon from the outset to be a hero. Approaching his fifth start with the Chicago Cubs, Edward Cabrera's steady performances have not only kept his club moving in the right direction, but also helped buy some time for this offense to come around. Frontline pitchers like Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd hold down the front end of this rotation. Cabrera may not have attained that status yet, but what he has done is serve as the stabilizer for this rotation and this team. He's a pitcher that each opponent must plan for, knowing that the 28-year-old hurler has what it takes to greatly limit their scoring opportunities. Call it fortuitous, or call it opportunistic, but after kicking the tires on Cabrera a year ago, the Cubs finally swallowed their medicine and paid the hefty price of his services. As the season nears the completion of its first full month, the former Marlin has been more than worth it. The buzz around him at first centered around his ability to make batters swing and miss. With seventeen punchouts tallied thus far, he's done just that. Cabrera mows down batters because he often frustrates them. When the opposing lineup does, in fact, make contact, it hasn't yielded the best results. According to Baseball Savant, Cubs' opponents are whiffing with incredible frequency when facing the right-hander, swinging through more than 27% of their hacks. You might not know it yet, but Edward Cabrera is the next big thing at Wrigley Field. He might not have arrived in town with the type of "brand-name" recognition other have, but what he possesses is the same: talent, confidence, and untapped potential. He's armed Tommy Hottovy and his staff with an exciting young competitor who embodies everything it means to be a Chicago Cub. View full article