Thomas Domol

Image courtesy of Denis Poroy-Imagn Images The quest for the Chicago Cubs' fourth World Series championship must now wait until their 151st season. Countless moments this season took our breath away, but right now, it feels like 2026 was a missed opportunity—one that, with a prolonged work stoppage looming as at least a cloud over the offseason, might take a while to get back. Thanks a lot, San Diego. Jed Hoyer addressed directly in his end-of-season press conference what we all knew: blowing the chance to host the Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field put the Cubs at a tremendous disadvantage. In a "two-and-done" situation, taking the field in Southern California opposite a piping-hot team and their rabid fanbase put the North Siders into an environment they seemed ill-prepared to manage. Game 1 was ugly. The postseason experience of veteran starter Matthew Boyd was ineffectual against the explosive talent of Fernando Tatis Jr., who sent the very first pitch of the bottom of the first inning over the wall in left-center, just out of reach of Pete Crow-Armstrong. Three pitches later, Manny Machado went yard, sending an already raucous sell-out crowd into a state of delirium. Meanwhile, the Cubs' vaunted offense was shut down by the Pads' razor-sharp starter Michael King, who held Craig Counsell's crew hitless through 6 1/3 innings. The offense, so mighty throughout the regular season, was limited to just three hits. The 8-0 loss set up what could be the squad's last game of the year. And it was. Though the Cubs and Game 2 starter Kevin Gausman attempted to wipe the slate clean and keep their season alive, nothing quite "clicked". The untimely slump Chicago's offense settled into over the last two weeks of the regular season manifested in this contest, too. The North Siders left seven baserunners stranded, producing a nauseating 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. After a quick first inning, Gausman was uneven at best, lasting just 3 1/3 innings and surrendering three earned runs. From the jump, the Cubs didn't look like a squad ready for the postseason spotlight. The 4-1 loss stopped their playoff run before it could begin. They never held a lead. Indeed, the Padres led for all but the first inning and a half of the second game. So, here we are. While eight teams remain in the MLB playoffs vying for the Commissioner's Trophy, The Chicago Cubs stand outside of it all, facing the doubt and scrutiny of a mission unfulfilled. When this team returns to action, whether that's in 172 days or longer, it could look different in some major ways. For starters, the squad's corner outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are free agents. Happ's emotions when reflecting on his decade-long tenure with the team were emblematic of what the vibes are like right now within this organization. The bar is irreversibly raised for this franchise. Getting to play just two additional games, when much more was anticipated, is not enough. Here's hoping that when this club comes back, they more closely resemble a championship contender. View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images Being the flawed individuals we are, we have a tendency to let 'good' be the enemy of 'great'. Such is the case when discussing the 2026 Chicago Cubs. Not only did they clinch their second straight playoff berth last week, but they saw their center fielder become just the seventh player in MLB history to reach the 40-home run and 40-stolen base milestones in a single season. Despite these marks of excellence, however, the club's avoidable losses over the last seven days have the spirits of this team's supporters in the doldrums. Though there is much to be desired, make no mistake about it: this is a good team, and they've earned the right to keep playing. Kicking off what could be the last three games at Wrigley Field in 2026, the Cubs welcomed Miami to town last Tuesday night. Left-handed ace Shota Imanaga toed the rubber for the North Siders, going five frames, allowing just one earned run and setting down seven Marlins via the strikeout. Early production from the top of the Cubs' lineup wasn't enough for the home team to break through with a serious momentum-shifting rally, though, leading to the heartbreak of what transpired in extra innings. With a chance to advance runners at first and second in the home half of the 10th inning, Matt Shaw (on maybe the worst bunt attempt in the majors this year) popped the ball up for the first out. That out might as well have counted for all three, as the lineup failed to recover from the ill-fated at-bat. A 12th inning bullpen blow up sealed the home team's fate in an 8-2 loss. Trying to cleanse themselves of the previous night, Chicago trotted out veteran hurler Kevin Gausman to secure the squad's hotly-anticipated playoff berth. A cold night at the plate for the North Siders deferred that dream for one more night, as the spoiler-minded Marlins (led by slugger Kyle Stowers) prevailed once again. The Cubs wasted eight scattered hits, clearly laboring under the pressure of the attempt to realize a postseason champagne bath, and a chance at Crow-Armstrong making history. The Cubs dropped the series and the game in a 3-2 loss. A rush of triumph has a way of absolving even the nastiest defeats of the past, and that's exactly the feeling that spread throughout 1060 W. Addison on Thursday afternoon in their regular-season home finale. Pete Crow-Armstrong handled the first order of record-setting business, swiping his 40th base of the campaign in the early going. With that weight lifted, the Cubs went to work, highlighted by a masterful seven-inning performance from Matthew Boyd, who searched for and squeezed out every ounce of resolve he could, like scraping the bottom of a bottle of giardiniera. With the plane to Boston waiting for them, Seiya Suzuki and his club basked in the glory of a hard-fought season they ensured would not conclude after game 162. Threats of a dreaded Nor'easter pushed up the squad's three-game tilt with the Boston Red Sox, much to the chagrin of Counsell. The first half of a Friday twin bill saw an abbreviated outing from starter Clay Holmes, opposite Alec Gamboa of Boston. For a team that (at the time) was still playing for home field in the Wild Card round, Chicago looked like a frustrated, sleep-deprived club longing for winter's reprieve. After plating runs in each of the first two innings, the North Siders went scoreless the rest of the way, leaving eight men on base and delivering just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. With the slate wiped clean for the second game of the doubleheader, the Cubs couldn't generate any of their own thunder with the storms creeping in. David Peterson was as good as you'd like him to be, especially heading into postseason play. He delivered five scoreless innings, issuing just two walks in the process. The 2-0 shutout for Boston was the capper on what had been a putrid stretch of appearances for this lineup at the plate during clutch moments. Forthcoming events from their playoff foe San Diego guaranteed that the first leg of Chicago's postseason run (and perhaps all of it) would occur on the road. Optimists searching for reasons to remain in that camp found them in the series finale with the Red Sox in St. Petersburg, Florida. Back after his terrifying scare last week, Alex Bregman provided resounding, heartening evidence as to the type of game-changing player he is. Smacking two home runs and a double on a 4-for-4 day, Bregman resurrected the squad's offense at (hopefully) just the right time for the Cubs to hang around the postseason for an extended stay. Braxton Garrett got the lion's share of the work, with five full frames after Imanaga opened things. The 6-2 victory, though not material, was still encouraging from a rhythm and vibes standpoint. Counsell and his staff are clearly doing what they can to preserve the best of what this ball club has to offer. Now, postseason baseball is here. At 9 PM Central time on Tuesday night, screens across the Chicagoland area will light up with the Chicago Cubs taking the field to begin their quest for the franchise's fourth World Series crown. This is what all 30 MLB teams play for, and though it may not always look like it, as of right now, the North Siders have a shot. View full article

Image courtesy of Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Cubs' magic number is 1. They haven't quite earned the right to spray champagne, but they moved much closer this week, with back-to-back series wins over the Atlanta club at Wrigley Field and the Cincinnatis at Great American Ballpark. We've spoken often in this space about how Chicago seems to rise to the level of elite competition. Facing Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Braves in the first of a three-game set at Wrigley Field, that sentiment held up. The capable and increasingly steady David Peterson toed the rubber for the home team, spinning six sparkling, relatively quiet innings. Peterson was fabulous, but as is the case most nights, the club's MVP center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong stole the show. The 10,000 earliest-arriving of the roughly 38,000 fans in attendance clutched their Seiya Suzuki bobbleheads, looking on in wonder as Crow-Armstrong tied Billy Williams for the franchise's single-season home run record for a left-handed batter. The North Siders sealed the opener, 7-3. One night removed from a historic celebration of Crow-Armstrong's excellence, the squad's erratic pitching staff dealt a sobering reality check. Starter Kevin Gausman's shaky 5 2/3 innings gave way to a clean third of an inning for Daniel Palencia. From there, however, Jacob Webb and Edward Cabrera's first relief appearance doomed the home team. The Cubs don't get away with many off nights from their offense, which plated just three runs and stranded seven baserunners in a 6-3 loss. After that frustration, the squad's 8-4, series-winning victory in the final game of the tilt felt cathartic, as well as being deeply needed in the standings. Locked into a groove lately, Shota Imanaga collected his 11th win of the year—a six-inning, eight-strikeout gem. With third baseman Alex Bregman coming just a base hit away from the cycle, it was Crow-Armstrong seizing headlines once again, as he crushed his 43rd and 44th home runs of the year with the lights of Wrigley shining brightly. Basking in the glow of their off-day escapades at the legendary Churchill Downs, the North Siders arrived in Cincinnati to do battle with Terry Francona's charges. The Cubs were slow out of the starting gate (if you will) in the first of a three-game weekend series. Clay Holmes was touched up in his 5 1/3-inning appearance, in which he issued five walks and yielded six earned runs. A silver lining from the visitors came in the form of a two-run knock from Suzuki, as well as a solo shot from Ian Happ, his 24th of the year. More like gold than silver, Dansby Swanson also returned to the lineup—but the cloud was the headline, as the Reds won 6-4. For as long as anyone who supports this squad can remember, we've been looking for even the slightest glimmer of hope from the much-maligned bullpen. On Saturday night, it came, in the form of a reinvigorated Daniel Palencia. Following a brief but clean outing earlier in the week, Palencia came on in relief of starter Matthew Boyd and delivered two innings of six-up, six-down ball. This wasn't a white-knuckle, high-leverage situation, as the Cubs are likely to find in the postseason, but when combined with spotless turns from Aaron Civale and Ryan Zeferjahn, it was as strong a case as ever that this team could make some noise in October. Swanson homered, announcing his return in full, and Chicago won 5-2. Concern for Alex Bregman took up all the air in the room after Chicago's 9-1 series clincher over the Reds. Crow-Armstrong scooped up his 45th homer and 38th stolen base of the season, landing him just two shy of going 40/40. Despite coughing up a solo homer to JJ Bleday, Peterson largely cruised through his six innings. A victory over the Yankees by the Diamondbacks prevented this day from being a more celebratory one, but it was heartening how the North Siders took care of business. The bubbly will be on ice in the clubhouse Tuesday. The North Siders welcome Miami to the Friendly Confines for the last home series of 2026, before hitting the road to take on the Red Sox for the last three contests of the season. Just how good this team really is a(nd how far a potential playoff run will last) is still undetermined, but it will be fun to find out. View full article

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect Be it the MVP heroics of center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong or the club's penchant for rattling off big wins versus bigger opponents, we want more out of the 150th edition of the Chicago Cubs. In addition to a squandered chance at a sweep opposite the lowly Pirates, the Cubs failed last week's litmus test in Milwaukee, against the mighty Brewers. Matthew Boyd and his Cubs squad opened a pivotal week of baseball at American Family Field. With memories of their four-game split with the Crew at Wrigley the previous week still fresh in their minds, Chicago looked for ways to beat Pat Murphy's team in the opener. They didn't find them. Though matching Milwaukee in total hits (six apiece), the visitors couldn't keep pace in the most important column on the scoreboard. The Crew strung together the most critical hits in the home half of the eighth inning, including a two-run single off the bat of Jackson Chourio that wrecked reliever Ryan Zeferjahn's appearance. This was just the latest in a seemingly unending string of bullpen blowups for the city's North Side club, who dropped the contest 4-3—although, arguably, it was Counsell leaving Boyd in to become embroiled in trouble in that eighth inning that cost the team. On Tuesday, a subpar outing from David Peterson led the Cubs toward an excruciating 10-inning loss, their third straight. A valiant effort from the bullpen was derailed by a heart-wrenching blown save from the typically solid Jacob Webb. Chourio struck the tide-turning blow again, and Luis Lara walked off Chicago in the 10th. Getting swept at the hands of any squad is bad, but when that group is the standard by which yours is endlessly measured and found wanting, it lingers a bit more. Kevin Gausman was brought in at this summer's trade deadline to be a stopper. He was unable to fulfill that role in the final matchup versus the Cubs' division rival. Despite a furious five-run 9th-inning rally which saw the tying run step into the batter's box for Chicago, Counsell's lineup wasn't able to do much versus Milwaukee's pitching staff. After starter Logan Henderson sailed through the first five innings, his bullpen picked up roughly where he left off until the aforementioned final frame of regulation. The North Siders limped out of town with their tails between their legs. A day off Thursday delivered a much-needed reset ahead of the Cubs' final Friday 1:20 PM game of the regular season. This one was the opener of a three-game tilt with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After going missing for most of the week, the club's potent offense returned dramatically, featuring production from some of its biggest names. Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, and Crow-Armstrong all tallied big knocks in a 12-2 thumping. While the big run total was cathartic, Shota Imanaga's 10th win of the campaign was arguably the most heartening, coming in at six full innings of stellar work. Enjoying the fruits of someone else's bullpen collapse for once, the Cubs were the beneficiaries of a tight 4-3 victory over the Buccos in which Don Kelly's club walked in both the tying and eventual winning run for Chicago. The victory earned the North Siders their first series win since the middle of August, when they thwarted the White Sox in the Wrigley Field portion of the Crosstown Classic. There would be no sweep to make up for the one up north, though. Just as several of the Cubs' recent opponents have done, the Pirates strung together clutch hits, chasing Boyd in the sixth inning and pushing across the go-ahead tallies against reliever Aaron Civale. Ill-timed grounders and a stiff wind gusting throughout the Friendly Confines kept Chicago from a much-needed sweep. Cubs faithful should take solace in a clean appearance from Daniel Palencia, just as they did with Miguel Amaya's two-run blast to left field. For the day, though, all was in vain. With 12 games remaining, the Cubs face the unenviable task of stacking up wins not only in the hopes of clinching a second-straight playoff berth, but also of staving off the red-hot Phillies to lock up the top Wild Card spot and home-field advantage. It's there for the taking, but will the North Siders take it? View full article

Image courtesy of © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Playoff baseball is special, but anyone lucky enough to have walked through the gates of Wrigley Field knows it’s just a bit more special on the North Side of Chicago. Locked in a back-and-forth battle with the Phillies for the top Wild Card spot in the National League, September kicked off with the Cubs playing their most important baseball to date. Since taking the reins of the Milwaukee Brewers in the wake of Craig Counsell’s departure to Chicago, Pat Murphy has been quite greedy with his stranglehold on the National League Central division. But that didn’t stop the Cubbies from landing a couple of good jabs in the opening contest of their four-game set with Milwaukee. Backed by a record-setting day from his offense, staff ace Clay Holmes largely cruised through six frames of scoreless ball. The Cubs’ lineup produced offense early and often, including a three-home run day from Alex Bregman. In total, the Cubbies went on to bash a franchise-record nine long balls in a 17-3 drubbing of Milwaukee. Decidedly more modest offensive presence and a blow-up from Chicago’s bullpen allowed the Crew to get even in the second game of this series. Tied 3-3 in the sixth, suddenly beleaguered reliever Daniel Palencia surrendered a no-doubter two-run shot to Christian Yelich. The Crew would then tack on two more runs in both the seventh and eighth while the home team’s muscle at the plate all but vanished after getting out to a 3-0 lead, falling 9-4. While generational talents like Pete Crow-Armstrong roam the Chicago clubhouse, Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio reminded the North Side faithful that his club can hang with anyone. Check the box score yourself to see his four-hit day, including a homer off of starter David Peterson. The Cubs’ starter labored from the jump, lasting only 3 2/3 innings and coughing up six earned runs with as many walks as strikeouts. The 9-5 loss put the Cubbies behind the eight ball, hoping to salvage a split the following day in the series’ finale. And fortunately, an outstanding performance from Kevin Gausman ensured that was the case in this critical “get right” game for the North Siders. The former Blue Jay dazzled, lasting seven innings and punching out nine Brewers. Likely National League MVP Crow-Armstrong provided the only offense his squad needed in this one, a two-run blast to the basket in straightaway center field. Even more heartening still, the bullpen earned a measure of redemption with Zeferjahn and Rolison both pitching crisp, scoreless innings for the Cubs. The North Siders prevailed in a 2-1 thriller. Leaving home with a better taste in their mouths, the Cubbies then took their talents to South Beach to square off with the feisty Miami Marlins. A refocused Shota Imanaga toed the rubber for Chicago in the first of this three-game weekend series. The lefty spun six innings of one-run ball, getting backed up by both a capable offense and a stunning, leaping catch in deep center field by Crow-Armstrong. The web gem was just the latest in a virtually endless stream of highlights for the 24-year-old. The Cubs took the opener 6-1. Michael Conforto helped guarantee that Javier Assad’s return to the big-league club was a memorable one, launching Chicago’s 200th home run of the season. The aforementioned Assad had visible rust to shake off in what was far from his best outing of the year. He walked five Marlins in 4 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs in the process. As it did earlier in the week versus Milwaukee, the bullpen showed up when it was needed, helping the Cubbies hold one for a 6-5 victory. The series win was the first since mid-August, during the Cubs’ Crosstown tilt against the White Sox. In perhaps his most disappointing start since he joined the squad at the trade deadline, Clay Holmes and the Cubs fell in a deflating 10-3 loss to Miami in the finale. The North Side lineup cobbled together seven hits of no real consequence in a 0-7 day with runners in scoring position. The silver lining? The baseball world got to witness Pete Crow-Armstrong become the first Cub since Derek Lee in 2005 swat his 40th homer of the year. It’s hard to predict how far the Cubs could go in the postseason, but the proceedings will certainly be better with PCA as a participant. With the days of regular season baseball waning, it’s up to this capable squad on the North Side of Chicago to tap into a consistent brand of baseball. That they’re stymied by a lackluster, shaky bullpen at this point in the campaign is certainly alarming, though they have enough of everything else to make up for it. View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images In sports, either in anticipation of October baseball or locked in the midst of another exhilarating "March Madness" tournament, the critical moments always seem to come down to a vital call or two; whether the calls fall under reasonable or malpractice is another matter entirely. Sifting through how to classify such matters stymied Craig Counsell's Cubs club and took the focus off baseball at a time when it genuinely ought to be the only focus. Concurrently with the follies taking place on the diamond in the squad's defeats, the same type of elite play from Chicago's brightest stars kept the fires burning with visions of postseason glory on the North Side. Fresh off the heels of a dismaying series loss in Seattle, the Cubbies continued their westward swing, kicking off a three-game set in Arizona with the Diamondbacks. Corbin Carroll's squad is one defined by unfulfilled expectations and is currently fighting for their playoff lives with sights set on the third Wild Card spot. Fortunately, starter Kevin Gausman and the visiting North Siders made sure the Snakes would make up no ground on the good in this tilt. The 35-year-old righty sparkled for this side, dealing seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out six, and issuing just one free pass. He's locating his pitches with more accuracy and allowing the typically prolific offense the chance to get going. That came in the form of back-to-back blasts from Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly in the sixth inning. Their emphatic swings gave the Cubbies the momentum necessary to close the door on the Snakes in a 7-0 triumph to open the series. And that's about where the North Siders' fun in the desert ended. Bullpen struggles are nothing new for this Cubs team, but when they falter as they did in this contest, all it can do is linger like the worst desert sunburn imaginable. The visitor's new de facto ace, Clay Holmes, was brilliant, spinning a scoreless seven innings and situating his already impressive ERA at a stingy 2.26. Chicago took a four-run lead into the eighth inning, which marked an unthinkable statistic: the Cubs scored 30 unanswered runs against their opponents dating back to their 19-2 victory over the Mariners. Palencia's gut-wrenching implosion in the eighth inning left the Cubs headed to the home half of the ninth, and the sterling reliever Jacob Webb entering the game to record the final three outs. He came two strikes away from delivering, but in a most jarring fashion, did not. The Cubs' dugout instead was forced to watch a cascading, two-run home run off the bat of the D-Backs' Ryan Waldschmidt sail into the seats in left field at Chase Field in a 5-4 comeback win for Arizona. A supposed and perceived balk from Los Serpientes ace Eduardo Rodriguez in the sixth inning of this series' finale opened up a line of discussion for Chicago sports radio that will continue for months. Should Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs fall short of seizing the Fall Classic, the umpire's failure to properly call the balk on Rodriguez, which would have plated the go-ahead run for Chicago, will firmly be etched as an example of this franchise's mythical plight. Let's not take the focus off of the brilliant performance by Rodriguez. As he has been all season long, he was magnificent, punching out nine Cubs in seven innings of work. From the pitch clock to ABS, baseball has gotten a lot right with its rule changes, but with a looming lockout and new CBA, the efficacy and accuracy of big-league umpires will continue to stay under the microscope of justified scrutiny. The Diamondbacks won the contest 2-0. The North Siders returned home for a much-anticipated three-game weekend tilt with division foe Cincinnati. Taking center stage in this matchup was the reunion of several of the franchise's most legendary players, such as Jon Lester, Sammy Sosa, and Kyle Hendricks. Despite scoring eight runs and matching the Reds' hit tally, the Cubs failed to get the weekend started right. Recently maligned reliever Trent Thornton unraveled in the sixth inning, surrendering five runs to the visitors, a Reds team a full eight games back of the third and final Wild Card slot. A late, modest rally made things interesting for the home team, though it was not enough on this Friday afternoon, falling 10-8. It will be easier said than done, but regardless of how far this team goes the rest of this season, we must find a way to cherish, recognize, and appreciate the brilliance of Pete Crow-Armstrong. Capturing the hearts of baseball fans across the country, Crow-Armstrong's legacy as a Cub is just getting started, but his three-home-run performance in the Cubs' 17-5 rout of Cincinnati is evidence of a legend in the making. Like any generation-defining player, it's not just his performances that inspire; it's his spirit, competitive fire, and love for the game that make him a fixture in MLB. Gloomy clouds and precipitation delayed the finale of this series on NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball. With many Cubs dignitaries still on-hand, another lead off shot from PCA surged electric vibes through 1060 W Addison. But by the fourth inning, a fall in the giddy up of starter Shota Imanaga’s fastball, shut the power down. Big flies from Tyler Stephens and Hector Rodriguez catapulted the away team out in front. The North Siders put traffic on the bases nearly all night but alas, could not withstand every counter from the Reds who handed Chicago its third-straight series loss, 7-5. So now, we’ve arrived at the home stretch. While still in comfortable playoff position, the final month of the season and how the North Siders fare in it will likely determine their postseason hopes. It starts with one of the biggest tests of all, a four-game tilt with Pat Murphy’s division rival Brewers. Should Counsell manage to get the better of his former squad in this matchup, it stands to reason that the Cubs are primed for deep run. Regardless of this club’s flaws, Chicago is still a team that when at or near their best, can seize every opportunity placed in front of them. View full article

Image courtesy of Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images There have been plenty of moments at which the 2026 Cubs felt like something truly special. From clutch pitches on the mound to even more clutch swings from NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong, the team has delivered ample thrills. Their wins this week neatly encapsulated the flavors of brilliance they deliver. In the team's three losses, however, they offered plenty of reminders that they've been inconsistent and enigmatic. Only five weeks remain in the season, and it's still not clear that this team knows who they are. The week began with history in the air. The White Sox rode up the Red Line to tussle with the Cubs at Wrigley Field, with both teams in playoff position, for once. In the first game of the series, Shota Imanaga outlasted Luis Castillo with six full innings of work, striking out 10 Sox and allowing three earned runs. While the offense put the home team out in front early, the bullpen put them behind the 8-ball late. Luckily, Nico Hoerner drove a one-out, game-tying single into center field in the bottom of the 9th. That act of heroism set the stage for Crow-Armstrong to deliver his 30th home run of the year in the most cinematic way conceivable. Leading off the bottom of the 10th inning, Crow-Armstrong hammered a walk-off homer to deep right field, becoming the first player in 16 years to hit both a leadoff and walk-off home run in the same game. The superstar center fielder raced around the bases, emphatically pounding the Cubs logo on his chest while proceeding to celebrate with his teammates—an astonishing 7-5 win for the North Siders. The Cubs followed up their most enthralling victory of the season with a series-clinching epilogue worthy of its own place in this rivalry's history. When a player sparks a hot streak akin to what Alex Bregman has enjoyed the past few weeks, even the best-laid plans from managers of the caliber of Will Venable fall short of expectations. Finding themselves immersed in yet another contest requiring extra frames, Bregman (1-for-4 at that point) laced a first-pitch, two-out single into center field, allowing the courtesy runner at second to sprint home, notching the club's 13th walk-off triumph of the year in style. Unfortunately, the good vibes didn't last. New-arriving ace Clay Holmes turned in his most pedestrian start since joining the squad Wednesday, with 5 2/3 innings of six-hit ball. Meanwhle, the Cubs offense was limited to just two hits on the day, thanks in large part to long reliever José Urquidy, whose six innings of work got the Sox into the 8th unscathed after opener Sean Newcomb got through the first two innings. It was a demoralizing 3-0 loss, and it felt like a missed opportunity to create greater momentum. After a travel day, the team touched down in Seattle to do battle with the struggling Mariners in a three-game weekend tilt. M's starter Emerson Hancock was anything but dominant, allowing three earned runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, but lousy sequencing did in the visitors. Chicago went a staggering 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position, stranding 11 runners. They fell behind, then came back to tie it in the ninth, but they dropped the contest 6-5 in extras. Over the course of this year, Chicago's North Side club has faced off with some of MLB's most heralded pitching prospects. Such was the case in the middle game of this series, with Chicago running into the debut of top prospect Kade Anderson. The rookie put forth a respectable effort, spinning 5 2/3 innings of his own. Meanwhile, David Peterson lasted six full innings, surrendering two earned runs. That was hardly his worst outing as a Cub, but it proved not to be enough. A bullpen collapse—and a Randy Arozarena performance to match the one Crow-Armstrong inflicted on the White Sox at the beginning of the week—turned the game into a third straight Cubs loss. Sunday threatened to be more of the same, especially after an Arozarena leadoff homer. (Again.) Then, in the third inning with the bases loaded, Ian Happ uncorked a towering grand slam off the foul pole in right field, putting his team up 5-2. From there, it became the type of boat race this Chicago team can often lure their opponents into. A stout overall day from Counsell's lineup made the game a cathartic blowout win, even after Imanaga left early. It ended 19-2, as Seattle gave up in the wake of a back-breaking Crow-Armstrong homer. The team needs to do more than go .500 the rest of the way, if they want to finish the season in position to host October baseball at Wrigley Field again. Throughout the week, though, there was plenty to provide optimism that they'll do just that. View full article

Image courtesy of © William Purnell-Imagn Images As anyone with a background in video games can attest, the further you advance in your digital adventure, the higher the stakes become, and the more daunting the adversaries grow. Unlike a frustrated virtual hero tossing the controller halfway across the living room, the new-look Chicago Cubs have leveled up. Facing down an "all boss fights" gauntlet of contests, Craig Counsell and his squad pushed several of the right buttons in arguably their best week of baseball yet. The reputations of clubs like Chicago and Los Angeles tower higher than the buildings that fill their respective skies. Welcoming the vaunted Dodgers to Wrigley for a hotly anticipated three-game set, the drama in this potential NLCS preview grew higher yet. North Side newcomers Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and others looked on as their new squad dialed up a heartily impressive victory versus MLB's prohibitive World Series favorite. The free-swinging Cubbies figured out L.A. starter Justin Wrobleski early, tallying two runs apiece in each of the first three innings. Marking an upward trend for the whole offense, the Cubs benefited from long balls cashed in by Kevin Alcantara, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, and Carson Kelly. While the offense kept things moving, North Siders' starter Matthew Boyd hung tough through 6 2/3 innings against one of the game's most prolific lineups. His exit made way for his squad's increasingly stingy bullpen to lock the door on Hollywood's finest, lifting the Cubs to a 10-5 win. Los Angeles' trade deadline acquisition of the game's best pitcher, Tarik Skubal, meant that the eyes of the entire baseball world were fixed on 1060 West Addison to witness the Cy Young lefty's first start in his new uniform. By human standards, Skubal clocked in a respectable first day at work with six full innings, allowing just two earned runs. But it was the Cookie Monster-backed home team that found production from its biggest stars like Hoerner, Crow-Armstrong, and Swanson when they needed it most. Postseason play is defined by blockbuster, marquee battles like this, and the Cubs sent a message to the rest of the league that they will not kowtow to anyone's preconceived notions of who ought to take home the crown in October. Their 5-1, series-clinching win proved as much. Through two full games in their tilt with Los Angeles, Chicago demonstrated the true power of team play by employing tried-and-true consistency at the plate, coupled with their signature lockdown defensive play. But in game three of this crucial series, the stars came out to play. Treating the fans in attendance to a show like no other, NL MVP favorites Shohei Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong lit up the scoreboard and millions of screens across the nation. They each smashed two homers each in one of the most exhilarating displays of offensive prowess and competition since the days of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Starter Shota Imanaga and his squad had the game well in hand until the Dodgers unloaded with five runs in the eighth inning before reliever Jacob Webb came out for the decisive ninth, in which he calmly set the visitors down in order, scooping up the emphatic series sweep. So, after surviving a brutal run of facing one ace after another, what would be the reward for the boys in blue pinstripes? The chance to beat another. In the most unlikely fashion imaginable, that's exactly what they did in their make-up game with Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays. Through seven sparkling innings, Cease silenced the normally vociferous Cubs' lineup, racking up ten strikeouts and zero earned runs. Sometimes the best pitchers get the best of you, but the North Siders' third baseman Alex Bregman had other plans. With two out and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth, Bregman drilled a game-tying two-run blast to the basket in left field, stirring up a thunderous roar from the home crowd we'd all love to get used to. Crow-Armstrong's jaw-dropping walk-off run on a wild pitch in the eleventh frame firmly closed the argument as to how strong and how special this team is in a 3-2 win. In search of their fifth straight victory, the Cardiac Cubs took their show on the road to the house that George Brett built for a three-game weekend tilt with the Royals. The interleague matchup finally saw the debut of new Cubs' ace Kevin Gausman versus the underachieving Kansas City lineup. Gausman spun seven dazzling innings, holding Bobby Witt Jr.'s squad to a modest four hits and two earned runs. Clutch RBI knocks from Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong supplied the necessary production to secure the victory in the opener, 6-4. A night after his teammate made his opening remarks as to why he was made a Cub in the first place, Clay Holmes fell short of making a similar statement. Holmes labored through four innings of baseball, allowing six hits and four earned runs. Finding themselves in an early hole, Chicago could not string together enough timely hits to dig themselves out. A rare hitless night from Crow-Armstrong set the tone for a frustrated offense in a 6-3 defeat at Kauffman Stadium. The most resilient ball clubs scratch the memory of a tough loss as quickly as they can seize momentum in the next contest, and the Cubs made good on that concept in the rubber match. The seasoned veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd took the ball and proved the stopper. Boyd cruised through seven magnificent innings, not yielding a hit until the fourth inning. The Cubs' bats unloaded eighteen hits, including a three-run bomb from Miguel Amaya and a multi-hit day with a homer from Ian Happ. The free-swinging party created a route for the visitors, capping a 6-1 week and just a shade under notching their 70th win on the campaign. With aggressive moves and a solidly galvanized clubhouse, the Chicago Cubs are without a doubt one of the best teams in baseball. A day off on Monday will then make way for the North Siders' three-game set with the Nationals in the District of Columbia, before heading home to face off with the Saint Louis Cardinals. View full article