Andrew Wright

For the first time in five years (and really, seven, and really, eight), the Chicago Cubs will be playing postseason baseball. They're still fighting for positioning and seeding, but it's likely that they will be locked into the No. 4 seed and host the Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field, against the San Diego Padres. San Diego has a right-handed-heavy starting rotation (Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Randy Vásquez), which puts the Cubs on the horns of a dilemma. Seiya Suzuki has been brutal over the last month and a half, and hasn't hit righties well overall this season. Should Moisés Ballesteros steal his place as the designated hitter? Ballesteros has been stellar in his time in the majors this season. He entered Tuesday slashing .261/.370/.457, with two home runs and an .827 OPS. In the absence of Kyle Tucker, his addition to the everyday lineup has been much-needed, and he is showing all the same tools that he showcased during his time in the minor leagues. Tucker's injury has allowed both Ballesteros and Seiya Suzuki to be in the everyday lineup. That will obviously have to change, if Tucker is able to get healthy and return to the lineup in the playoffs. Yes, I know it may sound crazy to discuss the possibility of Suzuki being out of the lineup, but is it actually that crazy? His average hasn't climbed above .260 since July 20, and he has just one homer and 10 RBIs since the trade deadline. We covered the details of his derailment earlier today. The struggles from Suzuki have been going on far too long for it to be considered a fluke. He isn't producing at the level he needs to, and having him in the lineup in the postseason against a righty over someone playing as well as Ballesteros would just feel like the wrong decision from Craig Counsell. There is certainly time left during this final week of the season for Suzuki to catch fire and Ballesteros to go ice-cold. If that happens, then the decision to have Suzuki in the lineup at DH would be an easy one, Again, though, this all depends on the health of Tucker. Tucker's (hoped-for) addition to the postseason lineup will be what puts these wheels truly in motion. If he is not able to play, then it will be both Suzuki and Ballesteros in the lineup against right-handers. Tucker being available, though, would force Counsell to make one of his toughest decisions as a manger. The final week of the regular season may sort things out, but if not, Ballesteros should be in every starting lineup against right-handers for as long as the postseason lasts for the Cubs.

In the blink of an eye, the MLB regular season is down to just two weeks remaining before playoff baseball is upon us. It feels like it was just yesterday that the Cubs were battling it out with the Dodgers in Tokyo to kick off the season. We've come a long way since March, and that means October is rapidly approaching. Let's dive into exactly where the Cubs stand, with the regular season winding down. Entering Monday, Chicago still trails the Milwaukee Brewers by 5 1/2 games for the NL Central lead. With every day, a division title feels less likely, so the main focus has shifted toward securing the top NL Wild Card spot. That lead over the San Diego Padres currently sits at 3 1/2 games, with just 13 games remaining for the Cubs and 12 remaining for the Padres. Chicago's magic number to clinch at least a spot in the postseason is down to four, but the magic number to clinch home-field in the Wild Card series is 10. That home-field will be of huge importance for a series against a team like San Diego, who thrives in the warm weather and in front of its raucous home crowds. This week will be extremely important for the Cubs, as they have seven games against divisional opponents. A bad week would open the door for the Padres to creep within true striking distance. If they were to finish tied atop the Wild Card standings, San Diego would likely get the top spot, due to the intradivisional tiebreaker rule. A 5-2 or even 6-1 week against the Pirates and Reds, however, would both keep San Diego in the rearview and give the Cubs a more impressive record within their division. On the injury front, Chicago is set to have Michael Soroka back at some point in the early part of the week, and there's some hope that Kyle Tucker will rejoin the lineup during the weekend series in Cincinnati. One other injury of importance is to closer Daniel Palencia. It looked like Palencia may need to miss extended time, but he actually may be returning sooner than expected. The team indicated he could throw off a mound again as soon as early this week. Tucker is obviously the biggest potential boost to the roster, but the possible contributions from Soroka and Palencia can't be overstated. Soroka surely won't be tasked with a postseason start over Jameson Taillon or Colin Rea, but he could provide needed length and matchup value out of the pen. Palencia will likely be inserted back into a high-leverage role in relief, despite his recent struggles—if this quick comeback materializes. There is still a bit of stuff that will be sorted out this week, but the blueprint is clear. Win four games, dominate your divisional opponents and make sure everyone is as close to 100% as they can be. A good finish down the stretch will be important for momentum headed into the playoffs. Two good weeks will have the Cubs in the postseason for the first time since 2020, and playing a real series in a standard postseason setup for the first time since 2017.

Speaking with my dad prior to Tuesday's game, I told him how I felt like it was time for Cade Horton to run into a bad start. The somberness around the state of the Cubs was eventually going to carry over, and Horton was about due for a rough outing, right? Glad I was wrong about that, thanks, Cade, you're the man. Horton took the mound Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves and continued his dominant second half. He was able to get through 6 1/3 innings, allowing just four hits and one run against a scorching-hot Braves offense. Another good sign for Horton, he threw 87 pitches, his most in a start since throwing 94 against the Twins in July. Offensively for the Cubs, it was Pete Crow-Armstrong back to having productive at-bats and swiping a bag nearly every time he reached. Nights like Tuesday, when Horton and PCA are at the forefront of a Cubs win, make me and plenty of other fans ecstatic for the future. Here are the standout players and key plays from Tuesday's 6-1 win. Top of the Eighth, Dansby Swanson vs. Alexis Diaz, +10.9% Win Expectancy Many of you probably rolled your eyes when Swanson stepped up to the plate in a 2-1 game with the bases loaded and a chance to blow the game open. His season-long struggles with men in scoring position are well documented, and to take measures a step further, Swanson was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts headed into said plate appearance. It wasn't a hit that Swanson got, but a bases-loaded walk that gave the Cubs a much-needed insurance run and set the stage for Matt Shaw. Top of the Eighth, Matt Shaw vs. Connor Seabold, +10.4% Win Expectancy Since the All-Star break, Shaw is the one hitter most folks want up when the Cubs need a big hit. Shaw proved why that is when he roped a two-run single into centerfield, scoring Nico Hoerner and Willi Castro. Swanson was also able to score on the play after a throwing error from centerfielder Michael Harris. The big swing from Shaw gave Chicago plenty of breathing room over the final two innings. Bottom of the Fifth, Nacho Alvarez Jr. vs. Cade Horton, +9.8% Win Expectancy Horton found himself in a jam in the bottom of the fifth when Atlanta put men on the corners with just one out. Alvarez helped out in a major way with a check-swing pop-up on the infield that was caught by Dansby Swanson for the second out. Jurickson Profar was the next batter, and he flew out to left field, allowing Horton to escape the jam he'd gotten himself into. A hit from Alvarez would've tied the game and completely flipped the momentum, so it was an excellent job by Horton to escape that inning. Top Performers Cade Horton, +27% WPA, 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 2 K Andrew Kittredge, +11.3% WPA, 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 K Pete Crow-Armstrong, +10.4% WPA, 1-1, SF, HBP, BB, 2 SB, 2 RBI Bullpen Usage FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Hodge 15 0 9 0 0 24 Pomeranz 0 11 8 0 0 19 Brown 0 0 0 0 15 15 Palencia 0 13 18 0 0 31 Rogers 11 0 0 0 0 11 Thielbar 13 0 7 0 13 33 Keller 0 0 11 0 0 11 Kittredge 9 0 0 0 10 19 Civale 0 0 0 45 0 45

Coming off a brutal series loss against the lowly Washington Nationals, the Chicago Cubs headed to the outskirts of Atlanta—a place they frequently struggle—for a three-game set. Chicago narrowly escaped with a series win last week against the Braves, and Monday's results indicated that the Cubs would once again be in for a long week in the 404. It all started in the bottom of the first inning, when the normally solid Shota Imanaga allowed Atlanta to get on the board with three runs. Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuna Jr. created that rally, and the Braves never looked back after taking the lead. Imanaga was able to settle in, but it was the Braves' Bryce Elder who limited Chicago to just one run across 6 1/3 innings, including striking out four of the first eight batters he faced. Here are the standout players and key players from Monday's loss. Bottom of the First, Ozzie Albies vs. Shota Imanaga, +10.7% Win Expectancy Jumping out to a first-inning lead is always the goal. Atlanta was able to successfully reach that goal, thanks to Albies. After Imanaga retired the first two batters of the inning, Albies took a 1-1, center-cut fastball from Imanaga and smoked it, sending it 435 feet. It was the second home run for Albies this season against Imanaga, with the first coming last Tuesday on another center-cut fastball. Bottom of the First, Drake Baldwin vs. Shota Imanaga, +10.2% Win Expectancy One run in the first inning is a good start. A crooked number is a great start and that is exactly what the Braves did. With shortstop Ha-Seong Kim on first and two outs in the inning, rookie catcher Drake Baldwin drove a first-pitch fastball into right-center field. Kim came around to score, and just like that, it was 2-0 Braves. Baldwin entered Monday hitting .323 with a .912 OPS against left-handers. His double continued his recent success and furthered his case for NL Rookie of the Year. Bottom of the First, Ronald Acuna Jr. vs. Shota Imanaga, +7% Win Expectancy Acuna entered Monday night hitless in his last 25 at-bats. That ended rather quickly, as he jumped on a 1-1 fastball and lined it into left field for a run-scoring single to make it 3-0 Atlanta. The ball left Acuna's bat at 108 mph, his hardest-hit ball since a 115-mph single on August 26. In the blink of an eye, Atlanta went from nobody on base and two outs to a 3-0 lead against one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball over the last two seasons. As it turned out, the game was essentially over at that point. Top Performers Bryce Elder, +21.1% WPA, 6 1/3 IP, 1 ER Ozzie Albies, +7.6% WPA, 1-4, HR, RBI Drake Baldwin, +7.9% WPA, 1-4, RBI Notable Cubs Pete Crow Armstrong, -13.2% WPA, 0-4 Shota Imanaga, -11.6% WPA, 6 IP, 3 ER

With an 8 1/2-game cushion in the National League Wild Card picture. it feels fairly safe to assume that the Chicago Cubs will be playing postseason baseball in 2025, for the first time since the Wild Card series of 2020 against the Miami Marlins—which doesn't count, and neither does the abortive one-game Wild Card appearance in 2018, so really, since 2017. The NL Central is still within theoretical reach, with the Milwaukee Brewers losing Trevor Megill, their All-Star closer to the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain. It is most likely, though, that the Cubs will end up securing one of the top two Wild Card spots in the NL and play in the best-of-three first-round series. When thinking about postseason baseball for the Cubs, the playoff rotation is the first thing that comes to mind. It's almost a guarantee that in a best-of-three series, Chicago would roll out the trio of Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Cade Horton for those three games—assuming they have the luxury of setting their rotation in advance. It is a bit unclear what order those three would pitch in, though, and that ultimately could be decided by the postseason seeding. The No. 4 overall seed (and top Wild Card seed) would give the Cubs home-field advantage in the first round. That would obviously be the best-case scenario, as the trio of pitchers mentioned above all boast a better ERA at home than they do away from the Friendly Confines. A No. 5 seed would mean Chicago goes on the road, and that is where things could get a bit tricky. Neither Imanaga nor Horton have ever made a start in the postseason, and there is a slim possibility that manager Craig Counsell does not want that taking place in front of what could be an insane crowd like Philadelpha or San Diego. That could force decisions to start the likes of Jameson Taillon in Game 2 and then decide between Imanaga or Horton for the deciding Game 3 of the series. Such a move would likely enrage the fan base, especially if it were to backfire. Starting the three best pitchers in the rotation would most likely leave Taillon to pitch Game 1 of the NLDS, if Chicago was able to advance that far. After that, the postseason inexperience comes right back to bite. Colin Rea has never made a postseason start; neither have Javier Assad or Ben Brown. Boyd and Taillon are the only two members of the starting rotation with postseason experience. That obviously isn't the end of the world, as we saw the Arizona Diamondbacks nearly win the World Series with little postseason experience on their entire roster. The lack of experience could make for a nervous postseason for Counsell, and he may feel like he needs to stay away from his inexperienced players. It may get to 2017 Brandon Morrow territory, when Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts used Morrow in every single game of the World Series. Due to his usage so far this season, Brad Keller seems like the one arm Counsell would continuously turn to. The Cubs' staff isn't the most benighted of the potential playoff teams, but their inexperience is worrisome and that could ultimately lead to poor decision-making—or just poor performance, born of a dearth of reliable options.

Fans were absolutely elated prior to the 2024 season when the notification flashed that the Chicago Cubs were hiring manager Craig Counsell. The longtime Milwaukee Brewers skipper had out-managed and manipulated the Cubs so many times over the years, but finally, the front office had poached him out of Milwaukee, and he would now be responsible for leading Chicago back to the postseason for the first time since 2020. Counsell was given a five-year deal worth $40 million, making him the highest paid manager in the history of Major League Baseball. It was a steep price for a non-player, but once again, Cubs fans had seen the way Counsell's teams in Milwaukee were able to consistently top the league and play some of the most fundamental baseball across the sport. Everyone hoped that Counsell would bring his genius mindset and excellent managerial skills with him, but so far, it's not really showing up on the field. The Cubs won just 83 games in Counsell's first season and missed the playoffs entirely. It was a bit of a down year, and injuries had derailed the season a bit, so there was no need to place much blame, if any at all, on Counsell. Fast forward to August 2025, and the tide has shifted completely, and it seems that Counsell's managerial skills are being questioned almost every single day. The questioning truly began earlier this month, when Counsell completely mismanaged the late stages of the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays. His bizarre decisions in that game really set the alarms off, and that has only continued through the last few weeks. It picked up once again on Thursday, when it felt like Counsell truly punted the series finale of what could have been argued as a must-win game for the Cubs. The decision to sit both Owen Caissie and Matt Shaw on Thursday was preposterous to say the least. Caissie, coming fresh off a stretch of three straight impressive performances, and Shaw, the best hitter in the lineup since the All-Star break, were left watching from the bench for seven innings as Chicago was able to push across just one run. Caissie did get a pinch-hit appearance, and Shaw came in to replace him on defense, but that was far too late for anyone to forget about the awful lineup decisions. The recent decisions have stirred up some online comparisons to former manager David Ross, and while those are blatant examples of recency bias, it is an ominous sign that the front office remains seemingly oblivious to the day-to-day operations of the team. Let's remember that Ross was 262-284 (.480) in his tenure, and Counsell entered the Angels series with a 156-134 (.538) record as Cubs manager. The Cubs could lose their next 30 games and Counsell would still have a better winning percentage than Ross, granted the longtime backstop was not given a ton to work with after the 2021 deadline. There's obviously no one seriously arguing that Counsell is a worse manager than Ross -- who probably wasn't quite as bad as some of his under-the-microscope decisions made him seem at the time -- but it is stupefying that he's seemingly lost some of the magic touch that he had with the Brewers. Yes, it's true that his winning percentage in Milwaukee (.531) is technically lower than his winning rate with the Cubs, but that's due to two truly horrendous campaigns at the start of his tenure in 2015-16 as the Brewers were slogging through a rebuild of their own (he took over mid-way through the 2015 season for Ron Roenicke). From 2017-23, the Brew Crew won four division titles with Counsell at the helm, and never finished lower than second in the NL Central (not including the Covid-shortened 2020 season). His record in those campaigns was 573-460, good for a .555 winning percentage. Now, the Brewers look like they're about defend their NL Central crown with Pat Murphy leading the charge, who seems destined to win a second consecutive NL Manager of the Year award. Was it ever really Counsell's magic, or just the Brewers' organization as a whole? Is Milwaukee just that much better than they look on paper? Is their front office -- even following the departure of David Stearns in 2022 -- the best in the league by a comfortable margin? It's hard to answer any of these queries with definitive confidence, but it's troubling that Counsell hasn't really quelled any concerns as he comes into the stretch run of his second year managing the Cubs. This conversation could turn around in a hurry, of course, if Counsell leads the Cubs to a World Series. Everyone will forget about the mismanagement of games in mid-August if the team is hoisting a trophy after the final game of the season. If not, though, the offseason discourse about Counsell's "fall off" from his time in Milwaukee to now will only grow louder.

It's been nearly two months since Kyle Tucker plunged into a slump that has seen his power disappear. After an 0-for-4 day at the plate in the Cubs' 7-0 loss to the Brewers Monday, changes are reportedly coming to the lineup. ESPN baseball reporter Jesse Rogers relayed Craig Counsell's decision Monday afternoon. Tucker's second-half struggles are well documented, and while everyone has expected the superstar to break out of it, it just hasn't happened. Tucker is still without an extra-base hit in August, and his month-long slash line now sits at .148/.233/.148. Going all the way back to the start of July, he's batting just .189/.325/.235, and the futility of his at-bats is starting to draw the worst out of everyone involved. Such a reset wouldn't be especially surprising, except that Counsell's announcement of it came on the same day president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told members of the media that sitting the veteran players isn't something that Chicago could afford to do. That added to a list of comments from both Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins over the last several days that have left Cubs fans scratching their heads; Counsell's change of tack will be welcome news for many of them. There is a bit of a silver lining, too. It opens a spot in the lineup, which figures to be filled primarily by top prospect Owen Caissie. The organization believed in Caissie enough to promote him after Miguel Amaya landed on the injured list, but he's had just eight plate appearances in his first five active days in the majors. Caissie collected his first major-league hit Monday, and he should remain in the lineup each game until Tucker returns to the lineup. Willi Castro and Justin Turner figure to mix in against any left-handed pitchers the Brewers use during the balance of the series, but all of Milwaukee's projected starters are righties. The Cubs need to rediscover the form that pushed them as high as 20 games over .500, a month ago. Caissie can be a valuable part of that, in the short term. All Cubs fans are hoping that Tucker comes back from his benching and catches fire. If he continues to struggle this badly the rest of the way, he's unlikely to find the massive payday that seemed almost assured earlier this summer—and the Cubs are unlikely to finish in a strong playoff position.

We just recently looked at the top three pitchers of the month of July for the big league club, so it is now time to dive into the farm system and look at some of the same stats. July was full of stellar starting pitching and has given Cubs fans hope for the future of the pitching staff. Here are the top three Chicago Cubs minor league pitchers for July 2025. #3 - Brandon Birdsell - 5 GS, 23 IP, 3.52 ERA, 9 BB, 21 K (Triple-A Iowa) Birdsell had his busiest month of the season after missing the first part of the campaign due to an injury. He did struggle a bit with command, as shown by the nine walks in just 23 innings. That was to be expected with Birdsell being a bit rusty after returning from an extended hiatus, but he was extremely solid on the mound otherwise, and his last start showed exactly what Cubs fans have come to expect of the right-hander. Birdsell went six innings, allowing just two hits, no runs and striking out six. The potential for starts like that on a consistent basis will be the reason that Birdsell is fighting for a roster spot next year in spring training. #2 - Tyler Schlaffer - 5 GS, 26 IP, 2.42 ERA, 9 BB, 20 K (Double-A Knoxville) Schaffler is not as well-known of a name as a Birdsell or Jaxson Wiggins, however, he is a solid arm in Double-A for the Knoxville Smokies. He spent the first two months in South Bend, going 3-1 with a 4.10 ERA before being promoted to Double-A to begin July. He made the most of the opportunity, going 2-1 in his five starts and showing flashes of potential. Schaffler allowed seven home runs in 12 starts with South Bend, but has not yet surrendered one with Knoxville. He does struggle a bit with command as well as swing and miss stuff, as shown by the nine walks compared to just 20 strikeouts in 26 innings. A true put-away pitch mixed with better command of his offerings would elevate him to the next tier of pitching prospects. #1 - Jostin Florentino - 4 GS, 21 IP, 0.43 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 6 BB, 26 K (Low-A Myrtle Beach) Florentino was at the center of headlines in mid-July when he was one of two Myrtle Beach pitchers to combine for a nine-inning no-hitter. He walked just one batter and struck out nine in six solid innings of work in that start, and that has really been the theme all month. He sits around 89-91 mph with his fastball, but it is the secondary mix of his cutter, slider, changeup that helps his fastball play up a bit. His command is also stellar, as shown by just six walks and a 0.86 WHIP in 21 innings pitched. Florentino struck out four-plus batters in each of his four starts, and his 22% strikeout rate thus far should lead to more excellent starts the rest of the season. What do you think of our list? Are there any other Cubs MiLB pitchers who you think deserve recognition for their performances in July? Let us know in the comments!

The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Cubs were able to hold onto/unwilling to part with some of their best organizational prospects and keep them around for this season and beyond. Chicago's minor league teams produce some of the best lineups all across MiLB, and a couple of the organization's prospects in particular had big time performances in July. So, let's dive into the top three minor league hitters from last month in the Cubs' farm system. #3 - 1B Edgar Alvarez - .279 AVG, .388 OBP, .426 OPS, .814 OPS, 2 HR, 4 2B, 6 RBIs (High-A South Bend) Raising your season-long average from .251 to .262 is quite the month, and that is exactly what Alvarez did. Alvarez may not be a well-known name for the casual fan, as he is not inside the top-30 in the Cubs' farm system rankings, per MLB Pipeline. His excellent month of July followed a scorching hot month of June in which he hit .304 and raised his season average from .223 to .251. Along with spraying the ball all over the field, Alvarez was able to draw 12 walks compared to just 17 strikeouts. Back-to-back months that good are usually reasons for a promotion, so it would not be surprising at all to see Alvarez be moved up to Double-A Knoxville in the near future. #2 - BJ Murray Jr. - .292 AVG, .407 OBP, .438 SLG, .845 OPS, 3 HR, 4 2B, 23 RBIs (Double-A Knoxville) Just taking one gander at the RBI total of 23 from Murray, and it quickly becomes apparent that he is a big-time run producer. It took him just seven games to total that production, as he had three games with three RBIs and one game with four. His three home runs did tie a season low for a month, but the 23 RBIs were his highest total in a month so far this season, and it speaks volumes to the lineup being showcased in Knoxville on a nightly basis. Maybe the most impressive stat of all, Murray is hitting .286 with two outs and runners in scoring position. Maybe he should give some tips to Dansby Swanson on how to be productive in that regard. #1 - OF Owen Caissie - .333 AVG, .398 OBP, .744 SLG, 1.096 OPS, 8 HR, 14 RBIs (Triple-A Iowa) We know, it feels cheap to put the organization's No. 1 prospect as the best hitter of the month, but it is a well-deserved honor. Caissie's scorching hot month of July may have very well made him untouchable in trade talks prior to the deadline. His July included eight multi-hit games (including a 5-for-5 performance) and three multi-home run games. Like we mentioned above with Murray, Caissie's production with runners in scoring position and two outs was otherworldly; he boasted a slash line of .298/.389/.638 in those situations in July. It very well may have been the best overall month of his minor league career, and it has fans very excited for his first appearance in a major league uniform, which is now all but guaranteed to happen with the Cubs. What do you think of our list? What other Cubs farmhands do you think deserve recognition for their performances in July? Let us know in the comments!

Looking back to June, the Chicago Cubs' bullpen nearly carried the team through the month. The contributions from Chris Flexen, Drew Pomeranz and Brad Keller could not be understated. Fast forward to July, and it was much of the opposite, so much so that Flexen is no longer even on the team. Chicago did have some bullpen contributions, but most of the good work came from the starting rotation. Though the trade deadline failed to live up to expectations, the team did bring in three solid relievers (Andrew Kittredge, Taylor Rogers, Michael Soroka), one of whom (Soroka) can pitch in the rotation if needed. Though it's hardly an objective measure of the success of those deals, it would be nice if one of those players could make an appearance on this list in August or September. Without that preamble out of the way, here are the Cubs top three pitchers from July. #3 - Matthew Boyd - 5 GS, 1.97 ERA, 32 IP, 8 BB, 28 K Take away Boyd's rough final start of the month against Milwaukee, and he may have turned in his best month overall of the season. Despite the All-Star break, Boyd tied his season-high for starts in a month with five. He went seven-plus innings in three of those appearances, allowing zero runs in three of the five as well. He and fellow left-hander Shota Imanaga have helped keep the Cubs afloat despite a horrific month from most members of the bullpen. #2 - Cade Horton - 4 GS, 1.52 ERA, 23 2/3 IP, 8 BB, 17K Horton turned in the best month of his professional career and gave Cubs fans quite a bit of hope as to what he can provide down the stretch this season. He allowed runs in just one of his four starts in the month, a big reason he was able to lower his season ERA from 4.15 to 3.67 during that stretch. If Horton can continue his success, he will become a well-trusted arm for Craig Counsell and can truly make a name for himself with contributions to a deep postseason run. The stink of the deadline failure will dissipate if he can emerge as a genuine Game 3 starter in the season's second half. #1 - Daniel Palencia - 10 G, 0.00 ERA, 9 2/3 IP, 6 SV, 1 BB, 9K In a month full of bad bullpen performances, Palencia was light outs, as he has been all season long. Palencia appeared 10 times and did not allow an earned run all month long. He added six more saves, bringing his season total to 14, and has cemented himself into Chicago's closer role for the remainder of the season and beyond. Some of the relief help acquired by the Cubs at the deadline should give Palencia plenty of rest days to help save some bullets for the stretch run in September and October, though you can bet when the door needs to be slammed, it's the fireballer who will be trotting out of the bullpen.

When the Cubs front office decided to promote right-hander Chris Flexen to the majors earlier this season, not much was expected of the veteran. He'd never had an ERA under 3.60 in his entire career, and he was just another piece in the bullpen to provide some depth and eat innings. Nobody could have predicted the success and the impact he made throughout the season. That tenure officially came to an end Tuesday, however, with the Cubs announcing that Flexen has been designated for assignment. Flexen made his Cubs debut May 2 against the Milwaukee Brewers, and it wasn't until June 22 that he allowed his first earned runs of the season. For those counting, it was 12 appearances and 21 1/3 innings pitched before he surrendered an earned run. It was a completely unexpected stretch from Flexen, and fans (and maybe even the front office) started to believe they'd found a hidden gem. A shutout inning July 3 against the Cleveland Guardians lowered Flexen's ERA to 0.64, but since then, he's hit a bit of a rough stretch. Flexen appeared five times after that and allowed at least one run in all five of those outings. He allowed multiple runs in four of those five appearances, and the season ERA climbed to 3.09. By no means was a 3.09 ERA bad for a guy on a minor-league contract, but the spike in such a short time was definitely cause for concern. Flexen's fastball velocity had begun to dip a bit, and in his recent multi-inning outings, it was a full mile per hour difference in some cases. It could be fatigue, it could be an injury, or it could have been that Flexen was just having really good luck when things were going well. The numbers suggest it is the latter of the three, with Flexen having an expected ERA of 5.09 and expected opponent average of .287, both ranking in the bottom 14% of the league, according to Baseball Savant. Flexen also ranks in the bottom 1% of the league in both strikeout and whiff percentages. All of the worrisome stats above, combined with the pending returns of Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad, Porter Hodge and whomever Chicago targets at the trade deadline, ultimately ended Flexen's tenure with the Cubs. When evaluating the roster, there simply just wasn't enough room to keep Flexen on the roster and his poor performance of late made it an easy decision for Jed Hoyer and company. Gavin Hollowell will be just a placeholder; the idea is to meaningfully upgrade that roster spot in the next 48 hours. While it was an abrupt and unfortunate end to his time in Chicago, Flexen pitched so many valuable innings during his nearly three months with the team. Quite frankly, the Cubs would not be in nearly as good of a position as they are if he had not been on the team this season.

Headed into the season, Chicago Cubs fans were ecstatic about what was anticipated to finally be the year that top pitching prospect Cade Horton made his MLB debut. It took a little over a month before Horton finally received the call and was told he'd be a big leaguer, but he's remained in Chicago ever since. He made his first MLB appearance against the New York Mets on May 10 as a long reliever out of the bullpen, and each appearance since then has been as the starting pitcher. Horton's season has been good by most standards, as he's 3-3 with a 4.04 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 12 appearances and 62 1/3 innings. Walks have plagued Horton a bit, as he has 21 of them and has walked at least one batter 10 of his 12 appearances. He's walked multiple batters in seven of his 12 outings, so that is certainly an area that will need to be improved, as it also plagued him at the minor league level. Zooming out from those basic stats, it is evident that Horton enjoys pitching at Wrigley Field much more than anywhere else. He has six starts at home and five starts on the road, and the production for both has been on complete different ends of the spectrum. At Wrigley,, Horton is 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA, nine walks and 23 strikeouts in 34 innings. Away from Wrigley, he is 2-3 with a 6.35 ERA, 12 walks and 24 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched. It's evident that Horton is more comfortable pitching in front of the Cubs' faithful, but is there a specific reason why? For starters, Horton has been extremely fortunate in the aspect of what opponents he has faced when pitching at home. His home starts are against the following teams: Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox. Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are the three worst hitting teams in all of MLB. Colorado isn't much better (sixth-worst), Seattle tagged Horton a little bit and the Boston start on Sunday was a bit of an outlier against a good offense. Still, a veritable gauntlet of elite offenses that is not. Meanwhile, his road starts have come against the Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins. Three of those teams rank within the top-13 batting averages (Astros, Marlins, Tigers) in baseball, and two of Horton's worst starts this season have come against Houston and Detroit. When reviewing Horton's game logs on Baseball Savant, it's immediately clear his curveball usage in his home and away starts is all kinds of wonky. In four of his five away starts, Horton has thrown his curveball less than ten times. In his six home starts, he's thrown that pitcher under ten times just once. It's not an overwhelming difference in home and away starts — and is perhaps more attributable to the opposing teams he's facing rather than the location he's facing them in — but it is something to note, and it appears that some of his best starts have come when he frequents his curveball. The usage of Horton's changeup will always help him be successful, and much like the curveball, he frequents that pitch just a bit more in his home starts than he does on the road. So, is there a comfort piece of the puzzle in play here? Is there a "park factor" in Horton's approach to games, or his prep work? Most pitchers will always prefer pitching at their home ballpark over an opposing one, and it may very well turn into a situation where Chicago will try and align the pitching rotation for Horton to make a majority of his starts at home, but that's not the most practical solution in the regular season. In truth, this may just be a situation of young player learning the ropes of Major League Baseball. It wouldn't be the first time a talented player registers huge home-road splits, and it registers as a positive development that Horton seems to be comfortable anywhere in the big leagues. Starting with his road start against the Chicago White Sox this weekend, this trend bears monitoring through the remainder of the season.

Four seasons ago, the Chicago Cubs acquired a 19-year-old outfield prospect named Pete Crow-Armstrong. Though set back by a major shoulder injury that had truncated his season, Crow-Armstrong was a highly touted prospect, and Cubs fans were eager for his arrival on the big-league team. What they couldn't have expected, however, were the similarities between Crow-Armstrong and Javier Báez that are becoming increasingly clear daily—beyond the obvious ones. It's more than swagger and charisma. The two share surprising substance beneath the style. His takeover of Chicago has started with his play on the field. Crow-Armstrong is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season and the best overall season from a Cubs player since Báez finished second in MVP voting in 2018. He entered the All-Star break hitting .265 with 21 doubles, 25 home runs, 71 RBIs, 27 stolen bases, and an .847 OPS. He was appropriately rewarded with a starting nod for the National League in the All-Star Game, the same as Báez in 2018. He's put together all that offensive production while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field, with 15 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). It's not just Crow-Armstrong's play, though, that has turned him into the captivating player he has become in Chicago. It's the attitude, the effort, and so much more that have helped him garner such a significant amount of attention. Whether that be in interviews or stellar performances on the field, he has an infectious personality, and it's easy to understand why he's become so popular among the Wrigley faithful. His presence at the All-Star Game further proved that, as it felt like he was popping up on every social media feed available. He was even mic'd up in center field during the game, showing that the higher-ups at MLB and its partner TV networks are leaning into his hype and wanting him at the forefront of one of the biggest yearly events in professional sports. Maybe the coolest moment of the All-Star break was seeing Crow-Armstrong and Báez meet for (potentially) the first time since being traded for one another. It almost felt like a bit of a 'passing the torch' moment from a once-beloved Cub to the currently most beloved Cub. As great as it was as a fan watching, it had to be even cooler for those two. Crow-Armstrong made that known in media availability sessions on Monday, even before the two had the chance to meet up. Crow-Armstrong has brought a much-needed buzz to Wrigley Field on a daily basis, and if the Chicago front office knows what is best and listens to the fans, he'll will never wear another jersey. He could easily be the face of the Cubs for years to come.