Andrew Wright

Image courtesy of Chris Tilley-Imagn Images After struggling in a mighty way in the early part of the season, the Chicago Cubs bullpen has stepped up and become one of the best in baseball over the last month. They have put up excellent numbers despite losing Porter Hodge for a period and have gotten contributions from unexpected arms such as Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz and Chris Flexen. It has been a sigh of relief most nights to know that the bullpen is more than likely going to do its job and help the Cubs get a win. While the success has been a welcome sight, it is safe to assume that the unexpected production from the previously mentioned players will not hold up throughout the entirety of the season (or, at least, not all of them will hold up this level of production). Because of that, Chicago may be exploring trades for pitching when the trade deadline rolls around. One pitcher that may become available if his team continues to struggle is left-hander and former World Series champion Aroldis Chapman. Chapman is highly remembered as one of the heroes of the 2016 World Series team, and for the most part, that is correct. We all remember the home run allowed to Rajai Davis in Game 7 of the World Series, but he returned for one of the most gutsy ninth innings ever pitched, so it's easy to forgive an overworked Chapman for that blip. A reunion with the Cubs could make the bullpen even more dangerous and add another power left-handed arm to pitch in high leverage situations. Chapman is having an excellent season with the Boston Red Sox, posting a 1.80 ERA, nine saves and 33 strikeouts in 27 appearances and 25 innings pitched, He's posted an ERA under 3.80 in each of the last two seasons and is well on his way to doing so again in 2025. With the Red Sox going downhill fast (30-34, fourth place in the AL East) and Chapman being on a one-year deal, he is a prime trade candidate. Now, we need to acknowledge that Chapman is both an old (37) rental and not the best human being off the field. Cubs fandom went through all these emotions when the team first acquired him back in 2016, so we won't rehash everything here, but it's a not-insignificant-part of Chapman's legacy that he was suspended for domestic violence back in 2016. Looking beyond that and focusing purely on the baseball fit, there's a reason why Chapman will be highly sought-after at this upcoming trade deadline. This is just one of many possible packages the Cubs could offer to secure the flamethrowing southpaw's services. Cubs receive: LHP Aroldis Chapman Red Sox receive: RHP Jack Neely (CHC No. 16 prospect) and SS/3B Yahil Melendez (CHC No. 24 prospect) Chicago gets its high-leverage left-handed arm and the return to Boston gives them a young, controllable pitching prospect in Neely and an infield prospect of Melendez that will likely be blocked through the system because of the high amount of middle infield talent Chicago has (which is a problem the Red Sox are also dealing with, which could encourage them to seek out a secondary pitching prospect instead). Because Chapman is on just a one-year deal, the Cubs could likely get away with not giving up a top-15 prospect within the organization. If the Cubs are able to strike a deal for Chapman, it would be hard to not consider the back-end trio of Hodge, Chapman and Palencia as one of the best in the entire league. A hard-throwing, lockdown arm from the left side could be exactly what Chicago needs to win the NL Central and get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020. View full article

Image courtesy of © Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The 2025 Chicago Cubs can hit and score runs with anybody in the league. That was showcased over the weekend in Cincinnati, when they scored 30 runs over three games. Several players had excellent series, but the best performance of the weekend on offense for Chicago came from its designated hitter, Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki's career with the Cubs has been strong, and probably what most expected when he made the transition from Japan to the United States. He's a career .277 hitter, with 69 home runs and an .834 OPS in 430 games played and 1,622 at-bats for the Cubs. After a slow start to the 2025 season, Suzuki has increased his production and cemented himself as the perfect No. 3 hitter in the Chicago lineup. After his three hits and four RBIs Sunday, Suzuki is now the MLB leader with 49 RBIs—one ahead of his teammate, Pete Crow-Armstrong. He had seven total hits and two home runs in the series against the Reds and has gotten himself back on track after a slow start to the month. His ability to do damage in high-leverage situations certainly helps his case to remain in the No. 3 spot, as do the two hitters in front of him in the lineup. Suzuki is usually behind both Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker in the batting order, and both of those players get on base at a healthy rate. Happ currently has a .344 on-base percentage, while Tucker sits at .384, good for 17th in the major leagues. As Suzuki has become incrementally but crucially more aggressive, he's tapped into enough power to be perfectly suited for driving home both table-setters. Suzuki is succeeding not only with runners on base, but especially when those runners are in scoring position. He boasts a slash line of .362/.414/.724 with runners in scoring position this year. That slash line increases to .444/.545/1.074 when there are runners in scoring position and two outs. Those are gaudy numbers and a perfect representation of why Suzuki fits as the No. 3 hitter in the Chicago lineup. His numbers are actually better when batting second, for the simple reason that he does so only against left-handed starters. That small swap figures to continue, as Craig Counsell manages matchups and sets up advantageous situations throughout his batting order based on the opponent, but when there are righties on the bump for the other team, expect to keep seeing Suzuki bat third. With continued production from Suzuki through the remainder of the season, Chicago could have its first major-league RBI leader since Sammy Sosa in 2001. If Suzuki does that, the Cubs could be well on their way to their first division championship and postseason appearance since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In fact, they're well on their way, anyway. View full article

Image courtesy of © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The Chicago Cubs have officially finished up one of the most brutal 41-game schedule stretches in recent memory, and despite closing it on a four-game losing streak, Chicago came out with a record of 23-18, atop the standings in the National League Central division. Just last week, we looked at the Cubs' success in series openers, particularly at home, and discussed why the club is undefeated in such games. Today, we are going to try and figure out exactly why Chicago has played some of its worst baseball on Sundays. The team sits at 1-6 in Sunday games, and that lone win was back on April 13, against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Let's try and figure out exactly what is going wrong for Chicago in series finales. We'll start the same place we did when analyzing what's gone well, and that is the scoring. As noted last week, Chicago is averaging 7.8 runs per game in home series openers. That average cuts in half on Sundays, as the Cubs have scored just 22 runs in seven games. That comes out to a measly 3.1 runs per game. The club scored 17 runs in its first three Sunday games of the season, but have since scored just five over four games. Another thing noted in the article surrounding the success in series openers was how great the starting pitching had been in those games. The Sunday games this season have been the exact opposite, which has brought out something the Cubs have struggled with this year: high-leverage relief work. Only once has a starting pitcher taken the loss in a Sunday game, and that was Shota Imanaga in his most recent start before going on the injured list. Every other game has been lost by a member of a scuffling Cubs bullpen—and although it was Imanaga's run that scored and he got the official loss, it was the bullpen that allowed his bequeathed runners to score after he departed that day. Chicago wasn't particularly great in Sunday games last year, as they finished 15-11. The next several Sunday games will be crucial to the team's season-long success. Four of their next five Sunday games come against the Reds (twice), White Sox and Pirates. If Chicago is a true contender in the NL, it must win all four of those series finales. If the club is able to get back to that this season, it would feel like an absolute miracle. Winning 14 of their last 19 games on Sundays would also more than likely signal that Chicago has won the NL Central and reached the postseason for the first time since 2020. View full article

Completely agree. Gotta be able to win one of those series after taking the opener!

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Being over a month into the season without losing a series opener at home is quite the accomplishment. There are so many things that go into winning a baseball game, and to do that in the opening game of a series in front of your home crowd 100% of the time is utterly impressive. That is exactly what the Chicago Cubs have done, and it is a big reason why they have the biggest division lead in baseball, at 3 games. Obviously, that isn't going to last all season. The Cubs are eventually going to drop a series opener at home. As of now, though, it hasn't happened, and there are several different reasons why. There's been a little bit of luck involved in it, but there's also been a bit of skill. Let's dive into what's been going right for Chicago in these particular games. To start things off, the Cubs' run total in their six series-opening home games are as follows: 3, 7, 13, 11, 4 and 9. That comes out to an average of 7.8 runs per game, well over their already league-leading season average of 5.9. Outperforming themselves in a category that they already lead the league in is 100% a recipe for success. When analyzing it from that perspective, it's easy to see why Chicago has a 6-0 record in those series openers at home. One of the impressive elements of doing this is surviving the rigors of the baseball life, on its strange and demanding weekly cycle. The Cubs have won at home to open series on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Take a look at this awesome post on X, from @DailyRandomCub With a record like Chicago has on days that almost all series begin, it's no surprise that they've had so much success in series openers. The pitchers on the mound for the series-opening wins at home have also been indicative of how the season has gone for the Cubs. The six winning pitchers for the games have been Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Ryan Pressly, Porter Hodge, Colin Rea and Matthew Boyd. That is, arguably, the four best pitchers in the starting rotation (even though two are injured) and two of the best arms in the Cubs bullpen. Not only has the lineup produced, but the starting rotation has lined up in a way that Chicago can send out some of its best arms to get that first win of the series. The Cubs will have a chance to improve their home series-opening record to 7-0 four days from now, on May 12, when they welcome the Miami Marlins for a three-game series. If they want to be serious contenders in the NL, they have to beat up on bad teams like Miami. Look for Chicago to come back home from a quick three-game road trip against the New York Mets and hang a nice, crooked number on the Marlins—and remain undefeated at home in series openers. View full article

Image courtesy of AP Photo/Erin Hooley It was no surprise to hear that Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ was looking to extend his on-base streak in PNC Park headed into Tuesday's opening game of a three-game series between the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. It was, however, a bit shocking to hear that the streak had increased all the way up to 31 games. That is an absurd number for any stretch of the regular season, much less at one ballpark. Happ's streak has now increased to 34 consecutive games and 44 consecutive starts after an excellent series against the Pirates. He went 6-for-13 with two walks and two RBIs in the series and played a big part in Chicago adding insurance runs in the ninth innings of Thursday's 8-3 win. Per the Marquee broadcast, the last time Happ started a game and didn't reach base at PNC Park was Aug. 19, 2018. The streak of 34 straight games at one ballpark is currently an MLB best. Overall, against the Pirates in his career, Happ's numbers are gaudy. He's batting .322 with 18 home runs, 72 RBIs and 69 runs scored in 111 career games played. It's safe to say the 30-year-old from the Pittsburgh area enjoys returning home to play in front of all his family and friends. It's not just the Pirates that Happ enjoys playing against though. The switch-hitting left fielder loves hitting against the entire NL Central division. It's almost like Happ sits down before the season and circles every single game against a divisional opponent and prepares twice as hard for them. He's played 442 career games against divisional opponents and has posted a slash line of .278/.381/.547, good for a .928 OPS against division rivals. Those numbers were showcased Tuesday-Thursday against Pittsburgh and Cub fans hope they'll be shown again over the weekend. Chicago is slated for a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field (aka Miller Park, aka Wrigley North) over the weekend. The Cubs currently sit three games ahead of the third-place Brewers and will lean on not only Happ, but the rest of the scorching hot offense to extend the division lead. [Editor's Note: So far, so good on that front. The Cubs are up 9-0 on the Brewers in the first game of the series, and Happ has reached base in three of his four plate appearances thus far at the time this piece is being scheduled for publication]. While nothing is ever guaranteed, it feels so likely that Happ will produce at a high level over the weekend and help lead Chicago to yet another series victory. He may slow down, but as of now, it's hard not to consider Happ as the Cubs' best player whenever they draw a division rival. View full article

The North Siders' co-ace will miss the rest of the season after undergoing elbow surgery. Ideally, the team will reinforce their rotation with a replacement for him. Who could that be? Image courtesy of © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Justin Steele was placed on the 15-day IL just two days after his start with left elbow tendinitis. Steele said that he hoped it would be a short stay on the shelf, and he planned on being back as soon as possible. That, unfortunately, was not to be. After gathering multiple opinions, Steele was recommended for the scalpel. It is a huge blow to a Cubs rotation that has been surprisingly good in the early going, but will now have to rely on Shota Imanaga and the rest of the staff to carry them through the season. It's a bit optimistic to think that a rotation of Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Ben Brown, Colin Rea, Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad and Cade Horton can carry the Cubs to a division title and postseason appearance. Because of that, here are five players who could be headed to Chicago as a result of Steele's injury. Sandy Alcántara (Miami Marlins) Alcántara is the most obvious of the players on this list, as he is on a bad Marlins team that will certainly look to capitalize off his value if he is putting together another season like the ones he's had in the past. Alcántara has been mentioned in trade rumors in the past, but this feels like the year he could finally be moved. He is owed just $34.6 million over the next two seasons, making his contract an extremely favorable one for a pitcher of his caliber. Alcántara could instantly come in and give the Cubs a top-tier duo in the rotation, along with Imanaga. Pablo López (Minnesota Twins) López was linked to the Cubs in the offseason, and with Minnesota off to one of its worst starts in franchise history, the time may finally be right for the Twins to move him. In 16 2/3 innings so far in 2025, López has pitched to a 1.62 ERA with 14 strikeouts. He's coming off seasons with 234 and 198 strikeouts. The swing-and-miss stuff would be much needed in replacement of Steele, and he could be a very big addition for Chicago. Marcus Stroman (New York Yankees) Yes, Stroman has been awful to start the 2025 season. He is also on the injured list with knee issues, but it is obvious that he does not want to be in New York any longer. Stroman feeds off the big crowds and the energy, and he would most likely be welcome back to Chicago and Wrigley Field with open arms. He had two successful years with the Cubs in 2022 and 2023, and a return to the Cubs could get his career back on track. He could be instrumental down the stretch in a playoff push. Martín Pérez (Pittsburgh Pirates) Pérez is the first left-hander to make the list, and he would be an intriguing fit. While he is not a frontline starter like Alcántara and López, he is a veteran arm who's been around the game a long time and is still capable of putting together solid outings. Even on days when he is not at his best, Pérez is still able to go deeper into a game than expected and can save a Cubs bullpen that has been shaky to start the season. Pérez would likely slot into the No. 4 or No. 5 spot in the Cubs rotation and could be one of the biggest under-the-radar moves of the entire season. Chris Sale (Atlanta Braves) A guy can dream, right? While there is only about a 1% chance that the Braves continue their horrendous play, it's still a higher chance than zero. With his rough start to the season (0-2, 6.63 ERA). Sale could be on the move if Atlanta continues to struggle going into the summer months. Sale won the NL Cy Young in 2024, and that pitcher is still in there somewhere. An acquisition of Sale would shake up the baseball world and give Chicago two pitchers who finished Top-5 in Cy Young voting in 2024. View full article

I was going to do Tuffy, but when diving into it, I realized they lost the game so I didn’t feel like it deserved to be there

The year 2020 was an absolute whirlwind in every aspect of life. The COVID-19 pandemic took away not only sports moments such as the NCAA Tournament and Opening Day of the MLB season, but lives were changed for the worse. The world became an uncertain and scary place for a while. They say nothing brings people together quite like sports do, and that is exactly what happened in the summer of the life-changing year that was 2020. Image courtesy of Justin Casterline/Getty Images The MLB season did not begin until July 24th, 2020, due to the ongoing pandemic. The return of sports to televisions around the world brought folks back together and took our minds off all the negatives around us, even if it was just for a couple of hours. The games did look weird though, as there were no fans in attendance. That, however, gave fans the chance to sit in the comfort of their own home and enjoy the natural sounds of the game. What veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks did that day gave us the best Opening Day in Chicago Cubs history. The Cubs welcomed in the division rival Milwaukee Brewers to Wrigley Field to begin the season. Hendricks was given the nod for Opening Day by first-year manager David Ross. Ross was extremely familiar with Hendricks, as the two were World Series champions together in 2016. Brandon Woodruff was tabbed as the Opening Day starter for Milwaukee by current Cubs manager Craig Counsell. After two-and-a-half scoreless innings, Ian Happ launched a 422-foot blast to center field to give the Cubs an early 2-0 lead. The home run for Happ was the second of his career on Opening Day, with the first coming in Miami in 2018, when he led off not only the Cubs vs. Marlins game, but the entire MLB season with a home run. Happ's blast would give Hendricks more than enough run support and the professor went to work. Hendricks threw a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits, walking none and striking out nine batters. All three hits allowed were singles and Milwaukee never took an at-bat with a runner in scoring position. Outside of his 2016 NLCS Game 6 start and his 81-pitch complete game shutout against the Cardinals, it was the most dominant start of Hendricks' career, and it got Chicago off to an excellent start to begin the season. Chicago would win the game 3-0 and off to the races they went, winning the division before losing a gut-wrenching playoff series to the Miami Marlins. That playoff series, along with that whole pandemic-fueled haze in real life, was extremely forgettable, but one thing many Cubs fans won't forget was the way they all came together that July day to watch one of the best pitchers in franchise history go to work on the mound and carve up a lineup like only he could. So, there you have it. The best Opening Day performances in Cubs history. Did we miss any notable ones? Let us know your thoughts down below! View full article

Number 1 may very well surprise you

The 2003 Chicago Cubs season is one that many fans have completely thrown away out of their minds and vowed never to speak of again. How the season ended for the Cubs was heartbreaking and devastating, to say the least. As bad and agonizing as the last game of the season was, the first game was a thrill and gave fans the hope that they held onto until the final out of Game 7 of the NLCS. The first game of the 2003 season saw the Cubs travel to Shea Stadium in New York for a matchup against the Mets. The pitching matchup was all-world: Kerry Wood vs. Tom Glavine. Two aces going at it in front of over 53,000 in attendance for Opening Day is what baseball is all about. Glavine was undoubtedly the story for the Mets that day, as he was blasted for five runs on eight hits and four walks and did not make it out of the fourth inning. The story for the Cubs, however, was not their starting pitcher. Their starting centerfielder, Corey Patterson, had quite the day. Patterson was making his second career Opening Day start, and it was a tough matchup against the left-hander Glavine. Patterson must've eaten his Wheaties that morning because he had one of the all-time best Opening Day performances for any team or player. He went 4-for-6 at the plate with two home runs, and seven runs driven in. All four of Patterson's hits came against a left-handed pitcher. He had two RBI singles against Glavine, and both homers came against Mets reliever Mike Bacsik. It was the second multi-home run game of Patterson's young career, and he would finish his career with six games with multiple homers, including another one against the Mets in 2005. The seven RBI were the most in any game of his career and it is still currently tied for an MLB record for the most in an Opening Day game. Patterson's career with the Cubs did not go quite the way many would've hoped, but we will always be able to look back on and remember the performance he had that day at Shea Stadium. View full article

The Cubs headed into the 2018 season with the sting of a 4-1 series loss to the Dodgers in the 2017 National League Championship Series fresh on their minds. In need of a true leadoff hitter for the season, manager Joe Maddon put Ian Happ in that role in spring training and Happ excelled, hitting seven home runs and taking the job and running away with it. Ian Happ stepped into the box against the Miami Marlins on Opening Day for not only both teams, but the entire MLB as a whole. At the time, Cubs-Marlins was the only game underway, and all baseball eyes were on it. What happened on the first pitch of the game sent excitement throughout the Marlins stadium (which was taken over by Cubs fans) and got the Cubs out to an early lead. A leadoff home run on the first pitch of the season was exactly what Chicago needed to wash off the bad mojo from the 2017 season and it got the team off and running. The most incredible part of it all may have been Cubs commentator Jim Deshaies calling Happ's homer, as you can hear in the video. Happ wasn't the only Cub to homer in the game, as Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber both added an Opening Day home run of their own. Rizzo's was especially special, as it came just months after the shooting at his high school alma matter, Stoneman Douglas High School. Rizzo dedicated the home run to the victims of the unfortunate tragedy. The Cubs jumped out to an early 4-1 lead after two innings but allowed Miami to tie it at 4-4 after the third inning. An RBI double from Willson Contreras gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead, Schwarber's homer made it 6-4, and a pinch-hit double from Tommy La Stella drove in two runs and gave Chicago an 8-4 cushion, with that ultimately being the final score. Happ in the leadoff position did not work out much after Opening Day, as his season average finished at .233, but he did give Cubs fans an Opening Day memory worth cherishing. Perhaps he can do the same in Tokyo this season? View full article

Opening Day games always have the potential to be a pitcher's duel between some of the game's best pitchers. Just listen to some of the matchups this season. Shota Imanaga vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Logan Webb vs. Hunter Greene, Paul Skenes vs. Sandy Alcantara and more. The potential for 1-0 or 2-1 games is very much there. That was the case on Opening Day in 1971 when Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Fergie Jenkins toed the rubber against each other. Cubs' right fielder Johnny Callison opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning with a double, driving in Hall of Fame third baseman Ron Santo. Eventual Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre would knot the game up at one in the seventh inning with a solo home run off Jenkins. Both teams would remain scoreless until the bottom of the 10th inning. That's when "slamming Billy Williams" stepped into the box and sent Cubs fans home happy on Opening Day. Williams hammered a home run into the right field bleachers for a walk-off winner on Opening Day for Chicago. It was a home run that got Williams closer to his 2,000th hit, 300th homer and 1,000th RBI, all of which he accomplished in that 1971 season. He and Joey Votto are the only two players in MLB history to accomplish those feats in the same season. While a 2-1 game doesn't seem like it is all that out of the ordinary, the wild part is that both starting pitchers went the entirety of the game. Jenkins went 10 innings, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out seven. Gibson went 9 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out five. Jenkins is one of just three pitchers in Cubs history to have those stats on the mound in a game when pitching at least 10 innings. Another little nugget, the time of the game was just one hour and 58 minutes. The 71' season would unfortunately end in a missed postseason for the Cubs, but the thrill of a pitcher's duel and walk-off home run on Opening Day made for a special start to the season. View full article

Drink it in, folks. Spring training baseball doesn't get any better than this. Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images The early spring struggles of Kyle Tucker were starting to become a bit of a worry for some Cubs fans. Our very own Matt Trueblood dove deep into those struggles and found out that Tucker is usually quite good in Spring Training in his career and that has not yet been the case this year. Tucker, however, being the superstar he is, broke out of his slump in a mighty way on Sunday afternoon. Headed into Sunday, Kyle Tucker was 0-for-19 so far in the spring, He had made quite a few loud outs and sent balls to the warning track but hadn't quite gotten one to fall yet. That changed Sunday, in the Cubs game against the San Francisco Giants. Tucker got a 2-1 fastball, and he didn't miss it. Tucker launched both his first hit and home run in a Cubs uniform, much to the delight of Cubs fans. It was a much-needed swing for not only the fans, but also for the guy who was 0-for-20 in his first (pre)season with a new team. It surely lifted a huge weight off the shoulders of the superstar right fielder, even if he'll never say so, and it will now allow him to play freely for the rest of the spring, knowing he got that first hit out of the way. The homer would be Tucker's last at-bat of the game, as he was replaced by Kevin Alcántara. While we certainly can't be sure that Tucker is fully out of his mini-slump, the hope is that he will now really turn it on and perform like the MVP-caliber player he is. With the Tokyo Series just nine days away, Tucker and the rest of the team will certainly look to get and stay hot heading into the season opener. View full article