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Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images Draped in red, white, and Cubby blue, with the neighborhood abuzz with postseason festivities and tales of old, Wrigleyville was rocking at the outset of their playoff tilt with the San Diego Padres. And they deserved to be, with the Cubs proving that they belong as one of the remaining squads in the playoffs. Alas, an early look at the league-best Milwaukee Brewers demonstrated that even though the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they haven't yet transformed from the lovable losers to the NL Central hegemon a Chicago team really ought to be. This could be one of the last times I have current baseball to tell you about in 2025—but then again, maybe it won't be. On a gorgeous, sun-drenched afternoon at Wrigley, the Chicago Cubs got their Wild Card Series started against the San Diego Padres. The matchup served as sort of a backdoor revenge contest for the Cubs and their infamous 1984 playoff downfall to the Friars. Game 1 pitted Matthew Boyd against Nick Pivetta. The Cubs lefty, along with the rest of the pitching staff, got the club into the swing of things in style. A 4 1/3-inning performance from Boyd impressed, but the real star of the day was Johnny Bullpen; no Padres batter reached base after Boyd departed. In the bottom of the fifth inning, back-to-back jacks from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly sent the home crowd into a state of delirium. It was an eye-opening start to the playoff proceedings, as a 3-1 victory brought the North Siders just one win away from their date with Milwaukee. Unfortunately, in Game 2, they did not find it. Former Cubs prospect Dylan Cease and a magnificent Padres bullpen blanked the home nine 3-0, forcing a decisive Game 3 the following evening. The shutout loss found the Cubs frustrated in their efforts to get traffic on the bases, leaving just five on base. Shota Imanaga's penchant for giving up homers lately continued in this one, though he performed valiantly over four full innings. Being at Wrigley Field for a playoff victory is better than the second-best live experience you can think of right now, and the rock star at the center of the action is Pete Crow-Armstrong. The best version of this team can't exist without him at his best, and his 3-for-4 day at the plate in his squad's dramatic series-clinching 3-1 victory announced that he is, indeed, back. At the most important inflection point of the season, the Cubs' pitching staff locked the door on the Pads' powerful lineup. The grossly underrated Jameson Taillon led the way with poise and focus, earning his club the right to face off with the hated Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS. Familiarity breeds contempt, but the bad vibes emanating from American Family Field in the first game of the National League Division Series bordered on absurd. Proving there is no rust for the wicked, the Crew hammered starter Matthew Boyd and chased him in the first inning. Though the Cubs hurler was pitching on short rest, the offensive onslaught from the Brewers' whole lineup, outside of a being a stern message from Pat Murphy's squad, was cause for panic on the North Side of Chicago. If the visitors are to draw even in this series and even advance, they're going to have to do just about everything differently from this point on. This is no time to back down. The Cubs are a good enough team to go very far in this postseason. Moments like Nico Hoerner's stunning error in Milwaukee simply can't become what defines this campaign. This club has more playoff baseball to come. It has the right group of players, the right chemistry, and the right attitude. Now, it just has to prove it can topple another team that seems to have all that—and a bit more. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images As the neon lights at Clark and Addison shone down on the scores of Wrigley faithful gathered to cheer on their favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs relished in the glory of a series-clinching win over the San Diego Padres. The win marked the first time in franchise history the Cubbies seized a winner-take-all contest at the Friendly Confines. Chicago has now earned the right to square off with the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers, looking to prove that the best team in this good land of ours resides in Illinois. When you're high, you're high, and it's hard to find a club from these Wild Card Series at a higher altitude than these Chicago Cubs. Through their regular-season supremacy over the Crew, Craig Counsell's squad proved it can more than hang with the lineup from Southeast Wisconsin, but with everything on the line, how will this match-up of baseball juggernauts shake out? Offensive production, even for hot teams, tends to come in waves, but defense will get you to the promised land. Just ask Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson. The two elite Cubs infielders have turned the middle-infield into a black hole where opponents' October dreams get crushed like a can of Miller Lite in the alley behind Bernie's. Together, they have a combined +19 OAA, and in the late stages of their tilt with the Padres, stymied a free-swinging San Diego club. It's not much different in Milwaukee. Where an aggressive lineup of opportunistic boppers pounces on opposing pitchers almost before their walk-up music fades out, how then will the North Siders lock up the likes of Sal Frelick, Christian Yelich, and William Contreras? By staying the course. Oh, and did I mention that first-half Pete Crow-Armstrong came back? Back in August, what we thought was going to be a five-game series to decide the NL Central turned out to be a litmus test to examine how the Cubbies could maneuver the season's most crushing disappointments. In collecting 3 of 5 versus the Barrel Man's Crew, Chicago proved that its vastly underrated pitching staff, with a well-crafted strategy from Counsell and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy, has some secret sauce when it comes to frustrating the Brewers' balanced lineup. The right formula of off-speed pitches and fastballs kept Chicago in every single contest. In their thirteen regular-season tilts, Milwaukee found success when it was able to get to the Cubs' starters early, as has been the case with this Cubs team all year. If they can get through the first couple of frames with little to no damage, their likelihood of winning vastly soars. One thing that has stood out to me in these contests is that, while the Cubs dropped a few heartbreaking games to their Wisconsin rivals, it never seemed like they weren't in control at any point. And their series against the Friars proved this. Demonstrating the mark of a great manager, Counsell knew precisely when to challenge, when to get an early hook for his hurler, and when to disrupt a mounting rally from the opposition. I've said all along that if the Cubbies got the opportunity to dismiss their northern adversaries from the postseason, they'd seize it. Nothing this team has done for some time now has dissuaded me from this stance. The Brewers have good players, yes, but the Cubs have a good team. Here we go. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images The romance of playoff baseball cannot be understated, and what we witnessed unfold on Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of the Cubs' Wild Card series versus San Diego proved it emphatically. No one should be surprised by a breakout performance from Seiya Suzuki or Carson Kelly, two Cubs that anchored the middle of one of the best lineups in baseball through much of the season. But, with Chicago royalty like Jake Arrieta and Eddie Vedder on hand along with a deafening cast of thousands of Cubs faithful, it's certainly how and when it happened that has put the rest of the postseason field on notice. This team has a chance to go all the way, and if they do, it will be in no small part due to what the Cubbies' star players were able to accomplish in the bottom of the 5th inning of this opening postseason contest. To say nothing of the rest of their mutually impressive teammates, Suzuki and Kelly are not unlikely heroes; they both slugged over .400 in the 2025 regular season, and wielding that kind of power in their bats played a major factor in their respective home-run-yielding plate appearances. But there's more to it than that—it was their mental reserve. For months now, I've waxed poetic how special this team could be, and among the most paramount reasons why is because they play with joy, not fear. On a day when one of your mighty aces, Matthew Boyd, turned in an absolute gem, the Cubbies were denied by Padres' pitcher Nick Pivetta in one of the most efficient outings from a major league pitcher you're likely to see for years to come. So, in these two particular at-bats, what did they do differently? They made him work. By playing the thing patiently and spitting on balls they didn't like, Suzuki and Kelly stayed alive long enough to find the right pitch, which is necessary in order to do damage against the elite pitchers you'll find in October (or, in this case, September 30). Though the subsequent performance from the bullpen was magnificent, the back-to-back bombs by Suzuki and Kelly announced to all those invested that the Cubs are here to play. That moment stole any confidence or bravado that may have manifested in the Friars' dugout, and it showed. Suzuki and Kelly unlocked the formula for success, paving the way for the rest of the lineup to enjoy more disciplined, grind-it-out at bats that eventually produced an insurance run that put the game on ice with the bullpen motoring in the manner it was. One could get chills just thinking about it. Listen, this may sound hyperbolic, but yesterday's playoff game at Wrigley Field was the best live sporting event I've ever attended. And there could be many more before the end of the month. It doesn't matter that this was North Siders first playoff victory since 2017. This team is playing for right now; it's playing for each other. The rest of the playoff field certainly has to take notice of a game like that, but the Cubs are so good that if they truly get hot, there might not be a whole heck of a lot those other teams can do about it. All that will be left is a Cubbies team built for the playoffs, with 40,000 blue towels waving in triumph. View full article

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Whenever this season concludes for the North Siders, who knows how the book on it will read? But, no matter what, that narrative won't be written without at least one chapter of playoff baseball at Wrigley Field. We knew what was at stake this past week, and burying the letdown of being denied yet another division crown, the Cubs delivered everything left on the table at this point—with much more still to come. After suffering the most crushing blow of the season (the loss of young ace pitcher Cade Horton), Chicago—led by a reinvigorated offense and a mostly brilliant bullpen—arrive at October in control of their own story. Though it might not resonate as anything but cliche, nothing has come easy for Craig Counsell's club this season, at least since the second half got off the ground. Off the ground and into astonishingly turbulent skies, night after night, the Chcago Cubs' offense performed one of the most puzzling disappearing acts in memory based on how prolific it had been at the outset of the 2025 campaign. In so many ways, the final week of the Cubs' regular season embodied everything that has transpired in the last 162 games, in a hopeful overture for playoff prominence. In the wake of suffering a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds, the Cubs kicked off a three-game set with a desperate New York Mets squad. Flirting with a last-minute bid for the National League batting title, the sensational Nico Hoerner raked (in a losing effort to the Mets) in front of a home crowd pining for postseason baseball within the Friendly Confines. The second baseman went 3-for-5 and came around to score three times. Sadly, this fateful night was not only one in which the Cubs blew a 6-1 lead, but also could have very well been the last appearance of Cade Horton until 2026. The 24-year-old righty was forced to leave the game after just three innings with what was later revealed as a rib fracture. In uncharacteristic fashion, the bullpen did not hold up, allowing the Mets to bop their way back into the game in the late innings, taking the opening contest of this one 9-7. If the Cubs are to enjoy any kind of run in this postseason, they'll need 14-game winner Matthew Boyd to dazzle. That's exactly what he did in the middle game of this series against the team from Queens. Apparently shaking off all of his recent woes in one fell swoop, Boyd spun 5 1/3 innings of 2-hit baseball. Whether you witnessed it on Marquee Network or live from Wrigley Field, you could see Boyd's light come back on, suggesting that he is poised to deal in the postseason for his squad. Offensively, the North Siders deployed their signature brand of suffocating slug, getting homers from Michael Busch and Matt Shaw. Elsewhere, Pete Crow-Armstrong rediscovered his potent swagger, racing around the bases like a thoroughbred race horse at Saratoga Race Course. The Cubbies evened the series with a 10-3 win, and unofficially reintroduced the type of punishment their offense can inflict on opposing squads. You could call me a glutton for punishment for writing the last sentence of that last paragraph, since the North Siders dropped the series finale to a Mets team that was watching its playoff hopes quickly slip away. The sudden decline of the once-fabulous Shota Imanaga looks like a limiting factor in the Cubs' playoff chances. The sparkplug lefty has been dealing with severe issues when it comes to surrendering home runs in the early innings, and that unfortunate trend persisted in this outing. In his 5 2/3-inning performance, Imanaga gave up a staggering eight earned runs. It's clear that whatever has gone awry has the Cubs' ace frustrated, but we'll find out in very short order if he can right the ship to help his club triumph in the postseason. A late surge from the offense was not enough for the home team, as the Cubs dropped the series in an 8-5 loss. Baseball is perhaps the best sport in the world, for a plethora of reasons, one of the most intriguing of which is the juxtaposition of fortunes of clubs at the end of the season. The Cubs, playing for the right to host playoff games at Wrigley Field in front of an adoring crowd for the first time since 2018, faced their bitter rivals in St. Louis, a team with nothing to play for outside the role of spoiler. The Cubs played like a team in control of its own destiny, pummeling the Cards on the strength of a masterclass performance from each member of the squad that took the field. As had frequently been the case in 2025, Cubs sluggers haunted Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas. Swatting five homers in the game, the trio of Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, and Pete Crow-Armstrong each deposited at least their 30th home runs of the 2025 campaign. It made Crow-Armstrong only the second Cub in franchise history to record a 30/30 season, tallying 30 home runs, and over 30 (35) stolen bases. Pete Crow-Armstrong established himself this season as one of the best players in the game. At the most important time, he looks the part. The 12-1 route was the squad's 90th of the season, and ensured that the following day would afford them the opportunity to lock up home field advantage in their Wild Card Series versus the San Diego Padres. Leaving nothing to chance, the Chicago Cubs seized their golden opportunity to start their 2025 postseason run at home. Jumping out to an early lead, they got gritty performances from the pitching staff, including from Jameson Taillon. Taillon's six-inning outing provided adequate runway for the Cubs offense to do its job, scoring in each of the last four frames of this contest. The tone of the game resembled that of a playoff tilt, with each club engaged in a chess match of fierce competition. Cardinals' skipper Oli Marmol firmly affixed a black hat to his person, issuing an intentional walk to the scorching-hot Busch, who was due up just a base hit away from the cycle. The move unleashed a chorus of boos from the Wrigley faithful, but those jeers soon turned into the last laugh as Busch and his club slugged their way to home field advantage in the Wild Card Series with an impressive 7-3 victory. They say momentum doesn't exist in baseball, but if you were one of the close to 38,000 fans on hand at Wrigley for game 162. On the strength of a stunning performance by Javier Assad, the Cubbies ended the regular season with a sweep of the Cardinals, 2-0. What impressed the most about the squad's final tune up before the postseason, was the sure-handed defense from both the middle infield and the outfield. The Cubs hustled, charged, and rifled in balls when they needed to the most, stranding Cards baserunners and getting efficient work from the bullpen. The most curious outing of the day came from Jordan Wicks, who delivered three flawless innings to keep St. Louis off balance. For hopefully the first of a few times this week, the stadium echoed with the famous lyrics of "Go Cubs Go." The story, as fraught with mystery, suspense, and intrigue as it has been, is getting better than ever. The postseason stage is set for the Chicago Cubs, playing with an uncommon chemistry and belief in one another, under skies that conjure up more feelings from mid-June than early-October. Playing their most inspired baseball, Chicago poses as big a threat to make it all the way to the Fall Classic as any of its other participants. To be fair, they could saddle us with just as much heartbreak, but there is still more story to be told. View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images If you count yourself among the millions who keeps their smart device firmly affixed to their person, awaiting any and all news pertaining to your Chicago Cubs, you've no doubt been trying harder to avert your eyes lately. Yes, the Cubs are set for their first meaningful postseason appearance since 2018, and just a week ago, the sentiment and vibes around this team were high. But mounting, crucial injuries to the most important players on the team have drastically shifted the perception of this ball club. How does this once-mighty team, which prides itself on its unity and resilience, survive the latest wave of injuries to its best players? By staying together. When it comes to setbacks for all 30 MLB teams, it's not the 'how many' that matters; it's the 'who' and the 'when'. For much of the 2025 campaign, Craig Counsell (and really, the whole organization) has worked around injuries and shifts in roster construction. It's been a revolving door of call-ups and send-downs, with names like Jon Berti, Gage Workman, Vidal Bruján, Ryan Pressly, and Nate Pearson churned through but cast aside as the team sought answers to its myriad questions. With Justin Steele, Kyle Tucker and Miguel Amaya each either missing long stretches of the season or going through prolonged slumps, young players and scrap-heap scoop-ups have had to backfill. Every guy who has been tasked with stepping up has done so—some of them (like Moisés Ballesteros, Reese McGuire and, especially, Cade Horton) with great aplomb. Now, with some of the key first-half contributors slumping and Horton's health in at least some measure of doubt, none of that feels quite as true. A week ago, everyone had a wonderful, Moet-flavored taste in their mouths, as the Cubs made good on the promise of a hotly-desired playoff berth, even in the face of each trying obstacle this clubhouse has been forced to reckon with. However, the injuries and regression seem to have caught up to this team at the absolute worst time. They've got who they've got, but if who they've got doesn't include a productive version of their best players, it's going to be a short October in Wrigleyville. Even though Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, I've always been more of a treat guy, not too interested in the tricks. Happily, just two wins in the final four games will do the trick when it comes to restoring the good vibes of this forthcoming playoff appearance—not least because that would assure that the Wild Card Series is played at Wrigley Field. This is painful right now, but, as some clubs prepare to pack up their locker for the winter, it's a good pain to have. View full article

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images There's no better place on planet Earth than Chicago when the city's North Side ball club bops its way into postseason contention. That's where Craig Counsell's highly capable, talent-rich club finds itself right now. The going has been tough, with the team encountering (and eventually prevailing in) myriad battles and setbacks that would leave weaker squads in ruin. Even before the club's star right fielder Kyle Tucker succumbed to his initial injuries back in the middle of summer, adversity had forced them to find alternative paths to what they still hope will be a happy destination. Along with Tucker, Cubs standouts Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad, and the much-improved and valuable Miguel Amaya have gone down for long stretches—to say nothing of Justin Steele, whom they lost for the year when the season was still just getting going. With each blow, the club regrouped. And at each of those points, a glimmer of unexpected brilliance showed the team a way forward. Whether it was a satisfying but brief star turn from Carson Kelly or yet another on-the-fly reconstruction in the bullpen, the Cubs have done what it takes to stand up and keep going. An 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates last Wednesday at PNC Park secured a much-anticipated playoff berth. The squad basked in a locker room celebration for the ages, with each player rejoicing, sharing in the culmination of a job well done. For several of the players in that visitor's locker room, it was the first time they had engaged in such a ceremony. The nature of the major-league season creates an understanding that while every team wants and thirsts for World Series glory, simply making the playoffs is a big deal. As the Cubs have corrected the wrongs of the past few seasons, that undeniable fact has informed the manner in which the club has treated their accomplishments thus far. Everyone in the North Siders' clubhouse recognizes that participation is not the ultimate prize, but you don't have a chance if you don't make it. For much of the 2025 campaign, you've heard me promote the idea of a team with "championship DNA". Why do I keep saying that? Because the Cubs are a team who looked poised to make it this far since way back then. And what that means is that they are more than just a squad that believes in itself; it's a squad that has enough skill for that belief to matter. Enjoy this Cubs team. Though they've trudged through agonizing segments of this season, they've inflicted just about as much pain as they've absorbed. While we are yet uncertain as to if and when the club will return to full strength (and more importantly, what some of those players will look like upon return), this is a dangerous, hungry club even in their current form. The playoffs are a simple thing: "survive and advance". Sure, there is cause for concern in terms of what this team might not be capable of, but there's even more cause for hope in terms of what it could be. View full article

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Clad in Cubbie blue, I've traversed the streets of Milwaukee this summer, doing my level best to conjure up a playoff run for the Chicago Cubs in 2025. By clinching their first postseason berth since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (which didn't count, anyway), the team made that dream (and maybe even more) a distinct possibility. Sans tarp or designer ski goggles, I toasted this baseball club, one that continuously finds surprising ways to win, with a shiny bottle of champagne. How far will they go? How many more times will we get to drink champagne? And, how did the squad's performance from this past week inform the answers to any of those inquiries? As Craig Counsell's squad navigated its way to the postseason, much was made of the significantly lower quality of opponents in this final stretch. Despite that fact, the Cubs labored at times earlier this month against franchises with little else to play for, delaying what would become the inevitable. Chicago, then, traveled to Pittsburgh, squaring off versus the Pirates for the final time in 2025 in baseball's penultimate week of the regular season. They sent Jameson Taillon to the bump in game one of their three-game set, and the sturdy veteran looked like a playoff hurler in this contest. Delivering six innings of two-hit baseball, Taillon announced his candidacy as one of the more trustworthy arms to roll out in the playoffs. He looks poised, confident, and possesses just enough of that chip on his shoulder that makes him a tough customer for any opposing batter, even against tough postseason competitors. With his 29th home run of the season, Pete Crow-Armstrong helped power a 4-0 victory. Lately, many Cubs fans are clamoring for Cade Horton to be the Game 1 starter. In taking the middle game of this series in resounding fashion, that became an increasingly difficult argument to counter. We really ought to be savoring what Horton has given this squad as a starting pitcher. His club's offense backed him up with a 14-hit performance versus the Bucs on Tuesday. Though they left 13 men on base, they peppered Pirates pitching when it mattered most, scoring opportunistic runs that felt much more valuable, given the sparkling performance of Horton. The 4-1 triumph set the stage for the following day's proceedings. That put Chicago on the cusp of a clinch, and the next afternoon, they took care of business. On the strength of an eight-run outburst, including long balls from Ian Happ and Moisés Ballesteros, the Cubs galloped into the postseason by sweeping the Pirates. All season long, I've held firm in my belief that this is one of the most likable teams in baseball, brimming with good guys and even better chemistry. Whether it be the silly strategy of Shota Imanaga's alcohol consumption, or the mature recognition from players like Carson Kelly that the club is "just getting started," the effusive display which unfolded in the Cubs' locker room signaled the arrival of a team that could really make a name for itself in the Fall Classic. The hungover Cubs received a pretty lousy congratulations from their division rival Cincinnati Reds: a date with Hunter Greene. With their sights obsessively fixed on a playoff appearance of their own, the Reds deployed their lethal righty, who spun a magnificent gem of a complete-game shutout. Shrouded in the glitter of Greene's outstanding start, the Cubs' countering starter Colin Rea showed up with one of his best outings of the second half of the season, tossing seven innings in which he punched out a career-high 11 batters. The vibes around the Cubs suggest what could end up being a deeper run in the postseason than some were expecting. But the masses would feel better about the group's October chances if they host the Padres in their three-game Wild Card Series. That's what the Cubs are focusing on in their final regular season games, but the objective wasn't aided in a 7-4 loss to the Reds in the second game of a four-game set. Still evening out from their post-celebratory rush, the Cubs' typically lockdown bullpen stumbled. Cannon fodder Porter Hodge surrendered three runs in the sixth inning, giving Cincinnati the lead as the game approached its last three innings. The contest was indecisive in what it meant to the North Siders' hopes of hosting playoff baseball, but it did serve as a reminder of how difficult it is to maintain momentum in this game, even for good teams. In handing the Chicago Cubs their third straight loss in the wake of their playoff clinch, the Reds' desprrate final playoff push became pretty admirable. If Javier Assad is to fill a role on the Cubs' playoff roster, it figures to be in relief, but he started Saturday. The Cubbies' bullpen suffered an off day, giving up crucial runs through the middle and late innings. Reds starter Zack Littell took command in a five-inning performance that earned him his 10th win of the season. Cincinnati shut out the visitors 1-0 again Sunday, leaving the magic number to secure home-field advantage against the Padres heading into the final week of the campaign. The offense will have to wake back up, but they can be forgiven for a brief letdown after a long journey to a long-held goal. We've known for the better part of this calendar year that the Cubs are a good baseball team. Punching their ticket to the postseason merely validated that sentiment. Now, the real fun starts. As you adorn yourself in official playoff gear, perhaps just before scanning your ticket under the famous marquee at Clark and Addison, allow yourself to get excited. Postseason baseball is back on the North Side of Chicago. View full article

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images The so-called "I-94 Rivalry", which pits our Chicago Cubs against the Milwaukee Brewers, is one of the more underrated matchups in baseball. Even in an historic campaign for the Brewers—one no doubt given extra fuel in the wake of the legendary Bob Uecker's passing—the Cubs have more than held their own versus Pat Murphy's club. Pointing to as many examples as you'd like, including the extremely fluky and unfortunate concussion to Owen Caissie, the Cubs have stared down and risen above constant adversity, especially in the second half of 2025. But through persistent ailments, hitting slumps, and other miscellaneous calamities, the North Siders have found their identity, and found their groove, while their foes up across the state line dig through a quickly emptying bag of tricks for more magic. While almost certainly on their way to another NL Central title, the Milwaukee Brewers, as many clubs do, have gotten multiple bites from the injury bug. During the course of a marathon 162-game season, attrition is bound to set in, and injuries are inevitable. Having the depth to rest players and recharge both their stamina and their mental health serves any contender toward piecing together the right formula for postseason success. The Brewers' depth is being tested. Trevor Megill became the Crew's new shutdown closer after the offseason departure of Devin Williams. Before going down with a right flexor injury, Megill had racked up 30 saves. I don't care how much good karma or juju you've got as a squad; that's a big number to simply replace with the "next man up". While their starting pitching has been sensational, stars like Freddy Peralta and Jacob Misiorowski have started to reveal vulnerabilities in their game. For every player the Brewers have on a heater, the North Siders can counter with heat of their own. Forced to rely on a rotating stable of youngsters to come up in clutch situations, boppers like Moises Ballesteros possess a rare, eye-opening presence in the batter's box, delivering massive hits, as he did in the club's recent series against the Tampa Bay Rays. He's supplemented the superb Nico Hoerner, who appears to have late October on his mind. Hoerner and his .353 average with runners in scoring position are extraordinary, and he's not doing it by luck. He has great vision and knows how to really square up the ball. If the Cubs win their Wild Card matchup, they're going to have a ball in the NLDS, splashing champagne in either their own home locker room or the visitor's one at American Family Field. Why do I say that with such confidence, bordering on defiance? Because the North Siders are a better team. Where the Brewers have gotten "high off their own supply" since the early days of summer, the Cubs have trudged through every setback put in their way, building a tough muscle memory perfectly suited for playoff baseball. If none of this were enough for you, the Cubs took the season series 7-6 from Milwaukee. The Cubs managed to take 3 of 5 from the Brew Crew in that mid-August, super-sized meeting, and they're closer to full strength now than they were then. It's late September and we really should be back in school. Here in class, you'd be surprised to find out that it is the Chicago Cubs who are, in fact, the instructor, and the Milwaukee Brewers are the student. While that student is an awfully quick study, the even-keeled, calculated methods of their instructor on the North Side of Chicago, is teaching a masterclass in perseverance and chemistry. Class has started on time, and has Craig Counsell in a surprising advanced placement. There is still so much work to do before making the grade, and the Brewers will be the toughest test yet, but the Cubs will pass the test with flying autumn colors. View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images It's a funny thing, being a writer tasked with describing the indescribable. After all, that's what you come for, isn't it? We're a fortunate lot, us Cubs fans—treated to decades of friends and memories more indelible than the bricks which line the walkway on Waveland Avenue. With just a fortnight remaining, the 2025 season is at its ultimate tipping point. Perhaps that's the reason why Anthony Rizzo's return, juxtaposed against the backdrop of enormous baseball games, exceeded our impossibly high expectations. It was hard to put his homecoming into words. This new week of Cubs baseball opened up with a road trip to Georgia. You'd be a hopeless optimist plucked directly from a G-rated Disney movie to think it an easy task to beat a team for a second series, after having just played this very same club a week prior at the Friendly Confines. But even though game one of this set didn't indicate it, that's exactly how things played out. There are a handful of top-tier pitchers whose overall records fail to really take off in a given season, because they simply do not get run support from their offense. Shota Imanaga, who spent a good chunk of time on the injured list this spring and early summer, is one of those pitchers. The Pitching Philospher did almost exactly what you've come to expect from him, giving up early runs but settling down to near-shutdown levels. Going six innings and surrendering just three earned runs, that's the type of start Imanaga had. Scattering a meager five hits, though, the Cubs managed just one run of their own. Atlanta took the series opener by a score of 5-1. At this exact moment in time, Cade Horton is the best pitcher in baseball, and the reasons why were on full display as his squad evened the series 1-1 with a convincing 6-1 victory. While the North Siders enjoyed a gratifyingly steady day of offense fueled by the likes of Matt Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong, Horton's dazzling performance stole the spotlight. Going a commanding 6 1/3 innings. Horton picked up win No. 10 on the year, giving up one run on just four hits. One of the hottest new pieces of merchandise from the fine folks at Obvious Shirts reads: "Horton Earns A W", a clever reference to the Dr, Seuss book "Horton Hears A Who". If things keep up the way they've been for this young man, I surmise that will be a difficult piece of apparel to come by. With the bullpen enjoying a run for the ages, the Cubs scooped up a gargantuan series victory with a 3-2 triumph in the finale. Squaring off against the mighty Chris Sale, the North Siders played one of their most stunning and confident games of the 2025 campaign. Made possible by another clutch blast from Carson Kelly, the Cubs used a 4 1/3-inning performance from Jameson Taillon as a springboard for this storybook bullpen. Collecting the last 14 outs of the ball game, Chicago relievers slammed the door shut and locked it. The win capped an impressive all-around performance against this Atlanta squad over the past two weeks, but more importantly, it seemed to answer questions about the relief corps's readiness for October. The Cubs came home to host the road-weary Rays. Battling back from another alarmingly pedestrian outing from Matthew Boyd, the home team picked up a 6-4 victory in Friday's opener. It was the squad's third straight win, and featured fabulously impressive days from Ian Happ and Moisés Ballesteros. Ballesteros, the upstart youngster occupying Kyle Tucker's place in the lineup, laced a huge RBI triple into the far corner of right field. The comeback conjured up visions of the club's first half of the season, full of tenacity and offensive heft. If that weren't enough, it solidified the perfect road map for getting on without the squad's superstar slugger. At least for now. There was a time (possibly returning soon) when watching the iconic ivy take on an orange fall tint brought on emotions of postseason promise. On a summer-like afternoon, all of that happiness and jubilation returned to Wrigley Field, as it welcomed back the living Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo. In a stunning turn of events on an unassuming Wednesday, Rizzo and the Cubs organization announced that the former Platinum Glove Award winner would be retiring a Chicago Cub after a 14-year career, 10 of them in a Cubby uniform. As tears streamed down the faces of the Wrigley faithful. Cubs fans were handed a heartfelt reminder of what makes this franchise great: family. Though the 5-4 Cubs loss was not a fitting ending to this cinematic day, there was no shortage of Hollywood-worthy moments. While becoming the impromptu architect of his very own beer snake, Rizzo was nearly the recipient of Ballesteros's first major-league home run. The 39,000-plus in attendance were in an absolute uproar the whole afternoon, but moments like this one—not to mention a seventh inning stretch singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with fellow Chicago legends Eddie Vedder and Cindy Crawford—created an all-time cornerstone memory for everyone who loves Chicago Cubs baseball. It was a sensational weekend in Wrigleyville from a vibes standpoint, but what about from a baseball standpoint? Their rubber match with Christopher Morel's squad offered the North Siders a chance to stride to the precipice of locking up a playoff spot, perhaps by the next time we gather for this weekly recap. Imanaga again toed the rubber in this critical tilt, in search of a better result from his previous outing. But despite striking out nine Rays over five innings, he didn't find it. Once again, the lefty succumbed to first inning woes, allowing Tampa on the board early. The North Siders had the bats rolling from jump, yet couldn't deliver the sequence of knocks to give them the upper hand versus the club formerly known as the Devil Rays. Until they could. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the outstanding Nico Hoerner laced a ball into the left-field corner, giving the Cubs a 4-3 lead. There's no way to overstate how instrumental Hoerner has been to his squad's final push to the postseason. If Chicago is to host playoff games at Wrigley in a couple short weeks, he'll have been a major reason why. So will the bullpen, and once Hoerner gave the North Siders the late lead, Caleb Thielbar and Andrew Kittredge shut down the scrappy, eager Rays hitters. The 4-3 victory gave the home side their second straight series win, as they head to Pittsburgh to battle the Pirates. Earlier this summer when I spoke with Alex Cohen, he emphasized how special this baseball team is. They don't look at the odds, they don't panic in the most dire situations, and they sure as hell don't back down from a fight. Alex is right, and indeed, it was a special week in Chicago, Illinois. With more to come. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images Starting pitcher is one of the most important positions in professional sports. Every five days, skippers like Craig Counsell trust the man toeing the rubber to harness the hopes, dreams, and tangible outcomes of a whole organization. Certainly, there's less pressure and responsibility baked in than there used to be (in the days when starters often pitched the whole game), but it's still the center ring in the daily circus. With the Cubs making a strong playoff push this September, the temperature is ratcheted up even higher. The success of hurlers like Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, and Matthew Boyd could determine whether the Cubs are a postseason "also-ran" or a serious disruptor, but they've needed something a bit more for what seems like forever. Enter 24-year-old righty Cade Horton, the most important starter in the Cubs' playoff rotation. Now on a pitch limit that is frustrating for Cubs fans and baseball fans alike, we are yet unaware of whether or not the squad's braintrust will really let Horton loose in pivotal postseason situations. But, we do know this: With a 9-4 record, a 2.74 ERA, a lethal arsenal of punchout pitches, and dripping with uncommon confidence for a rookie, the Oklahoma City native will be a reason why the North Siders stick around just a little bit longer in baseball's annual fall tournament. To paraphrase an old adage, one must know who they are and what has come before them to better lay out a path for the road that lies before them. Horton, a fellow who frequently speaks wisdom beyond his years, knows that history often provides the best lessons for current success. Modeling his game after the great Kerry Wood both in approach and facial hair, Horton wields maturity and good 'stuff' that hasn't even realized its full potential yet. Well, this certainly sounds good on paper, but why does any of this matter as it relates to the North Siders' postseason fortunes? Because he is one of the most coveted assets in baseball come this time of year: an unknown commodity. While here in Chicago we're quickly getting acquainted with Horton's brilliance, other clubs aren't that familiar yet. That's invaluable in playoff baseball. Every pitch matters on a heightened, amplified level where one gaffe can wildly throw the entire game off its axis. Which arguably makes Cade Horton's presence even more paramount in keeping their adversaries off balance. As his stock continues to rise, he's built a reputation on pounding the strike zone, and twirling his way through swift innings. And that's quickly making a serious playoff run seem more plausible. Even anecdotally, think back to the last Cubs' great playoff run. That rotation was filled with postseason staple Jon Lester, reigning Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, veteran stalwart John Lackey, and... soft-tossing Kyle Hendricks. Now, Hendricks wasn't quite the baby-faced assassin that Horton is (he literally won the National League ERA title during that 2016 regular season), but in a postseason rotation filled with big names with a history of living up to the biggest moments, it was Hendricks who twirled an all-time gem in Game 7 of the World Series. Like Hendricks, who served as Joe Maddon's No. 3 behind Arrieta and Lester, Horton will be tasked with backing up co-aces Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd this October. Good teams have good players. But great teams have a "dude". What is a dude? A dude is someone other teams game plan for just a little bit more. Someone who gives you a better chance to win a baseball game. The Cubs know they have a better chance to win when Cade Horton pitches. I'm not saying that Horton is the best pitcher in baseball. I'm not saying that, like his idol Kerry Wood, he's going to punchout 20 batters in a game. But, what I am saying is that he could do whatever the Cubs need from him on a given night. That's his potential, and that's what he's been doing recently. It's what makes him, and the team he plays for, dangerous. View full article

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images When I see specific opponents pop up on the Cubs' schedule, I feel an inescapable and visceral feeling of deja vu. With the Atlanta Braves pulling up to the Friendly Confines on Labor Day for a massive three-game set, that's the exact sensation that came over me. That familiar feeling was deflation, thinking back to the club's mammoth collapse in September 2023, lowlighted by a tumultuous series full of miscues and follies versus (a much better version of) this squad. It was a chance squandered, and a dream that fell short of reality. But that was a different team, a different time. Like a soothing stroll through the Garfield Park Conservatory, the 2025 Cubs calmed concerns of the past. They showed up with a rousing extra-innings victory on the holiday. On another shaky day for starter Colin Rea, the offense played hero ball, with gargantuan swings from Ian Happ and Carson Kelly. Happ is absolutely electric right now. He collected another three hits, came around to score twice, and drove in a run. But in the bottom of the 8th inning, with the home nine down 6-4, Kelly, the squad's workhorse catcher, drilled a game-tying two-run bomb into left field. The long fly was Kelly's 14th of the year, and sent the Wrigley crowd into a state of euphoria that would make Zendaya blush. The bullpen (after excellent showings from Aaron Civale and Brad Keller) trotted out Andrew Kittredge in the 10th, who slammed the door shut on the Nats, making way for Kelly's thunderous curtain call: a walk-off, line-drive single down the left-field line. Cubs win, 7-6. What did the North Siders do for an encore after collecting one of the most clutch wins on the campaign? Got another one. Though their 4-3 triumph Tuesday came at the steep cost of (temporarily) losing the resurgent slugger Kyle Tucker, it showed us another dazzling and dominant performance by the Cubs' bullpen. After Shota Imanaga got through six innings, Drew Pomeranz and Caleb Thielbar set the stage for Daniel Palencia to pick up a cathartic save in the 9th. Despite allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to reach base, Mr. Gasolina went 0-60 in no time flat from the traffic light, fueling his team to the dramatic win. Recent evidence has suggested that the Cubs' once-mighty offense might be back. But none of that evidence was provided in the North Siders' series finale defeat, 5-1 on Wednesday. Wasting a five-inning, no-hit masterpiece from the superb Cade Horton, the bats failed to produce more than one run for the likely Rookie of the Year winner. Chicago's 1-for-7 output with runners in scoring position denied them the head-turning sweep, though that shouldn't be the headline here. With three left down in Georgia coming up this week, the North Siders used this series to announce that they are up to the challenge of this breathtaking playoff push. Or did they? Turning the page to one of the last remaining regular season weekend tilts at Wrigley, the club played host to their 2026 Opening Day opponent, the Washington Nationals. In the first of a three-game set, Javier Assad took the bump, with each of his appearances serving as critical auditions to his postseason viability. His first three scoreless frames allowed the Cubs' offense to dig their heels in, starting with an explosive five-run first inning. For a time, it appeared as though the scorching hot bats of Dansby Swanson, Reese McGuire, and Pete Crow-Armstrong were leading an all-out romp. While the game never really felt in doubt, things did get a bit trickier in a three-run sixth inning for Washington. Always ready with a counter punch, the Cubs were able to answer most of the Nats' run production, handing the stellar bullpen a sizeable cushion to work with in securing the 11-5 win for the home team. The Chicago Cubs are masters of seizing momentum, only to unceremoniously watch it slip from their grasp. And while that may seem a bit melodramatic, each game down the stretch is not only critical toward clinching a playoff berth, it's a chance to greatly shake up the perception of what's possible once they get there. In game 2 of this set, Cubs baserunners were Tom Hanks in "Castaway", which is to say, they were stranded. On another frustrating day which featured an alarmingly pedestrian start from Matthew Boyd, Nico Hoerner and his club couldn't deliver the big hit when they needed it. Matt Shaw laced one in the middle innings that certainly would have put the North Siders up 3-2, perhaps altering the fortunes of the day as a whole, but it was tracked down by a charging Dylan Crews. I don't think that this game was harbinger of doom, just a bad luck kind of outing on an excessively windy afternoon both squads had to reckon with. With the backdrop of a thrilling playoff chase behind them, the Chicago Cubs welcomed two of their own, Sammy Sosa and Derrek Lee, back into the loving arms of their home at 1060 W. Addison. With the two iconic sluggers taking their official place among the greats in the organization's Hall of Fame, it was easy to get caught up in the pomp and circumstance of the moment, and forget how we got here. When it comes to 'Slammin' Sammy", much has been made of his long road to redemption and good standing with his beloved Cubs, but just witnessing the sheer expression of joy and gratitude on the faces of Sosa and his close family members was a magnificently human and endearing moment. As far as "D-Lee", his enshrinement in the Cubs' Hall of Fame seemed never to have been in doubt, yet no less satisfying. With their places in team history cemented, the rubber match of this series commenced. Counsell rolled out Drew Pomeranz as the opener, in an effort to give Rea a reset without pushing him truly out of the rotation. That part worked, as Rea came on and pitched 5 1/3 strong innings. The team had an early edge and then created a bit of separation late, thanks in large part to two solo homers by Kelly. This time, though, Palencia didn't wriggle off the hook after getting into trouble in the top of the ninth. Two Washington homers led to five last-at-bat runs, and the Cubs fell 6-3 in a heartbreaker. On a homestand against the two worst teams in the NL East, Chicago could only claim a split. Another opportunity missed, although hopefully, this one will turn out less costly. Weathering the storm of challenging injuries and zeroing in on what they do have, not what they don't have, It's the club's resilience and self-awareness that make them a danger in the postseason. The sudden health concerns around Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong may kneecap this club, though neither has sustained an ailment so severe as to rule them out of being a factor in this squad's playoff success. Things are really starting to get good, and they might even get better. Unfortunately, it was also a week that reminded us that it could get worse. View full article

Image courtesy of © Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images You don't have to do much coaxing to get me to speak romantically about October. Whether it was watching Magglio Ordoñez send a walk-off bomb into deep left field under the lights of Comerica Park or witnessing the magic and moments of the 2016 Cubs World Series run, playoff baseball hits different. We're not quite there yet, but it's starting to feel that way. By the time you read this, Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs will have just one month of grind-it-out contests remaining to punch their playoff ticket. What happens after that, nobody knows. This past week was a missed opportunity to open things up a bit in the scramble for playoff seeding, but there were good things mixed in with the bad. Will this group provide us a lifetime of new memories, or force us to spend a lifetime wondering what could have been? Enjoying the jubilation of their sweep over the Los Angeles Angels last Sunday, the North Siders traveled to San Francisco for the second leg of their West Coast road trip. Unfortunately, it looks like the Giants have this team's number. It showed in game one of this three-game series. The first contest featured future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander taking the bump opposite surprise Cubs ace Matthew Boyd. Though Verlander spun one that was far from "Vintage JV", his counterpart suffered one of his worst outings of the season, going just 5 1/3 innings and coughing up five earned runs to the Giants' offense. For the North Siders, the struggles from inside the batter's box persisted, leaving eight men on base. San Francisco took the opener, 5-2. Things got uglier in the second game of the set. The 12-3 loss came on a night where the Cubs' run-scoring opportunities came few and far between. On the other hand, Rafael Devers and his squad ripped the cover off the ball, slugging with tremendous efficiency. Wasting one of Nico Hoerner's few long balls of the season, and in his home state, Chicago failed to make up ground on the Brewers; the division slid fully and finally out of reach. By the time the club got out of McCovey Cove, it was three steps forward, three steps back. As you'd expect, Shota Imanaga put his side in a reasonable position to win, going seven innings and punching out five batters. The North Siders stranded over 33 baserunners this week, though, and that same failure to knock in guys in scoring situations stymied them in the last game of the Giants series. But what actually spoke louder in this contest was the astonishingly poor performance of the bullpen. Closer Daniel Palencia could not put the ball where he wanted it, and swung the door wide open in the ninth inning for the Giants to deliver the knockout blow to the Cubs. The 4-3 defeat marked the first time in the 2025 campaign in which the North Siders were swept in a three-game series. The Cubbies lifted their spirits after traveling to the Mile High City for the first of a three-game set with the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies. It's been some time since they have enjoyed a no-drama victory. Things were no different in this one. Dansby Swanson and our favorite play, the home run, took center stage like a performer at Red Rocks. Offensive pop has become a puzzling rarity for the lineup in the second half of the season, but it came back with a vengeance in this tilt. Cade Horton helped his squad get out to a 9-2 lead with five respectable innings. In a throwback to their early-season woes, the bullpen was slightly rocked by the Rockies, giving up five runs and making things far more interesting than they should have been. All told, however, the relievers provided a sigh of relief to the faithful in securing a victory, 11-7 over Colorado. A key piece of Chicago's formula for success in 2025 has been the remarkable reliability of its back-end rotation pitchers (Ben Brown not included). Still getting up to cruising altitude after missing much of the season due to injury, Javier Assad has been admirable in his recent starts. Trouble is inevitable, yet somehow, Assad continues to build an eyebrow-raising reputation of resilience, as he can routinely get himself out of a jam. He tip-toed his way out of adversity like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. Making it possible for the pen to come in and slam the door shut in breathtaking fashion, Ian Happ delivered an RBI double. It was one of the most clutch hits I've seen since the season started in Tokyo. The Cubs guaranteed the series victory with a 4-3 triumph. One more word on the bullpen; This is a unique amalgam of veterans and youngsters, and if they pitch in the playoffs like they did in this one, they'll beat whoever they face in October. Before returning to the warmth and welcome of Wrigley Field, Boyd and the Cubs took the field in Denver for one more versus the Rockies. With a winning road trip already under their belt, could the North Siders pull off the bookend sweep? No. Boyd, despite going six innings and striking out five, wasn't sharp. Chicago went 2-for-8 with RISP. An early clutch knock from Seiya Suzuki put the weary travelers out in front 2-0 early. After trailing 5-2 for what seemed like a whole holiday weekend, Ian Happ launched a game-tying three-run bomb to left field, breathing new life into the group. Capping off what was a concerning week to say the least for the young fireballer, however, Palencia allowed the leadoff runner aboard in the home half of the ninth, and Mickey Moniak drilled a ball into the deep corner in right-field. It gave baseball's worst team a salvage game, and gave the Cubs a stark reminder of what happens when you let even the most lowly of squads a chance to get off the mat. The North Siders dropped the last game of the trip, 6-5. In the space I'm provided to recap each week of Cubs baseball for you, I attempt to uphold an air of optimism. But one thing I will never do is sell you on false hope. This squad faces adversity both externally and internally, but with the final month of the regular season upon us, with more sports options to divert our attention, they are still a team worth paying attention to. The last-minute warchest the team's top decision-makers are building right now should provide all of the evidence you need to prove that this club is still chasing October romance, and has just about caught up to it once more. View full article