138

The Cubbies keep rolling as they take game one in Boston 7 to 1. We are now tied for first! 

139

Holy cow! The Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Astros with a 3-1 win on Thursday behind a nice start from Javier Assad (5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 K) and a two-run homer from Pete Crow-Armstrong, his first MLB hit!

Hayden Wesneski and Hector Neris combined for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, and Nico Hoerner continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-5 and raising his batting average to .300.

The North Siders head to Boston Friday to kick off a seven-game road trip.

25 games down, 137 to go. Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

140

Hey hey! The Cubs beat the Astros 4-3 at Wrigley on Wednesday behind a nice start from Jameson Taillon (5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) and a three-run homer from Dansby Swanson.

Nico Hoerner continued hitting, going 2-for-4 and raising his season OBP to .374. Alzolay, Little, and Leiter combined for 2.1 innings of scoreless relief and Hector Neris picked up his second save of the season.

The series wraps up on Thursday at the federal landmark before the Men in Blue kick off a seven-game road trip against the BoSox and the Mets on Friday.

24 games down, 138 to go. Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

141

The Cubbies are now only a half game out of first after the Cubs take down the Astros 7-2 and the Pirates sank the Brewers.

Let's go!

143

The Pirates downed the Brewers. The number can drop again tonight!

Greetings from Target Field. 

144

The Cubs split their weekend series with the Marlins, dropping Sunday's finale as Kyle Hendricks continued to struggle despite a 3-for-5, 2 RBI day from Nico Hoerner and a 2-for-4, two-run day from Mike Tauchman.

The North Siders have an off day Monday before the Astros come to Wrigley for a three-game set that kicks off Tuesday.

22 games down, 140 to go. Go Cubs go!

145

Holy cow! The first place Cubs mashed the Marlins 8-3 at Wrigley on Friday behind a nice return from Jameson Taillon (5 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) and an early offensive outburst.

Hoerner, Bellinger, Swanson, and Tauchman each had two hits and an RBI, Amaya drove in two, and Cooper and Madrigal each drove in one. Keegan Thompson had another nice outing (2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 4 K), keeping his season ERA at 0.00.

The series continues Saturday with a doubleheader at the Friendly Confines. 

19 games down, 143 to go. Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

 

146

Hey hey! The Cubs came back to beat the Diamondbacks 5-3 in Phoenix on Wednesday behind a nice start from Wicks (4.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 K), four scoreless relief innings from Wesneski, and a homer from Bellinger.

Bellinger, Swanson, Busch, and Tauchman each tallied two hits on the afternoon, and the win kept the North Siders with a half-game of Milwaukee for the division lead.

The Men in Blue return to Wrigley Thursday to kick off a seven-game homestand -- four games against Miami and three versus Houston.

18 games down, 142 to go. Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

147

The Cubs dropped a tough one at Arizona on Tuesday night, but the Brewers also lost, dropping the CMN.

The series -- and road trip -- wrap up today in Phoenix before the North Siders kick off a seven-game homestand Thursday against the Marlins.

17 games down, 145 to go. Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

147

Tuesday night in the NL Central:  Brewers lose to the Padres, first place Cubs in action against Arizona. Stay tuned...

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

148

The Cubs beat the D-backs 3-2 and just like that, we are only a half game away from first place in the Central! Let's go!

149

Monday in the NL Central - Brewers lose to San Diego, Cubs in action against Arizona. Stay tuned.

Go Cubs go!

 

 

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

150

The Cubbies take their first road series win against the Mariners with a 3-2 finish that end in a pick off call being overturned with a challenge!

153

Holy cow! The Cubs pounded the Padres 5-1 on Tuesday behind a solo shot from Gas Money, a grand slam from Morel, and a nice start from Ben Brown (4.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K).

The North Siders put up a five-spot in the 5th and never looked back. The series wraps up Wednesday night in San Diego before the Men in Blue head to Seattle for a three-game weekend set.

11 games down, 151 to go.  Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

155

Holy cow! The surging Cubs demolished the Dodgers 8-1 on Sunday behind four scoreless innings from Shota Imanaga (2 H, 0 BB, 0.00 season ERA) and three RBI from Michael Busch (.856 OPS). The victory gave the Cubs their second consecutive series win.

The North Siders have won six of their last seven games including five of six on this homestand. They kick off a nine-game road trip Monday and will play three games each in San Diego, Seattle, and Phoenix.

 

9 games down, 153 to go. Go Cubs go!

 

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

 

157

The Cubbies proved they are the real deal by beating the Dodgers 9 to 7! Not a bad way to welcome LA to Wrigley!

We are now just one game back from first. 

158

Holy cow! The Cubs beat the Rockies 9-8 on Wednesday night to sweep the series! Ben Brown tossed four innings of one-run ball to pace the Cubs after Luke Little opened the game with a scoreless first.

Seiya Suzuki continued his early season tear, with a 3-for-5 night (HR, 4 RBI), raising his batting average to .333 (.972 OPS). Michael Busch chipped in with a 3-for-3 night, and Miguel Amaya drove in three.

The North Siders have an off day Thursday before the Dodgers come to town Friday to kick off a three-game series.

Six games down, 156 to go. Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

159

Hey hey! The Bucs lost to the Nats on Wednesday night, dropping the Cubs' magic number. Meanwhile, the North Siders are up on the Rox 5-0 in the 5th at Wrigley. Stay tuned.

Go Cubs go!

 

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

 

160

Hey hey! The Cubs rocked Colorado 12-2 on Tuesday at Wrigley behind a quality start from Assad (6 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 ER) and home runs from Suzuki, Morel, Cooper, and Bellinger.

The win was their third straight. The series wraps up Wednesday in Chicago; the Dodgers head to the Friendly Confines on Friday.

5 games down, 157 to go. Go Cubs go!

161

Hey hey! The Cubs blanked Colorado 5-0 on Monday behind a great start from Shota Imanaga (6 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 9 K) and 2 RBI from Cody Bellinger.

Imanaga held the Rox hitless into the 6th inning in his impressive debut. Chris Morel had a two-hit day and hustled to circle the bases as the Rockies misplayed his RBI single.

The series continues Tuesday at Wrigley.

3 games down, 159 to go. Go Cubs go!

162

Cubs 9 - Rangers 5

Finally! The Cubbies finish the first series of the season with a must needed win. After a back and forth through 8, the Cubbies picked up 4 runs in the 9th! 

The bull pen looked great, and Ian Happ got safely on base 5 times for the second time in his career! 

Time for the first home stand. The Cubs welcome the Rockies to the friendly confines tomorrow.

163

Baseball season's underway! MLB's Korea Series kicked off on March 20th, so while the Cubs are wrapping up Spring Training in Arizona, the MLB regular season schedule has officially begun.

The North Siders start the 2024 campaign on March 28 at Texas. Following that three-game set, the Rockies head to Wrigley for the Cubs' home opener -- day baseball! -- on April 1.

162 games to go. Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

Image Credit:  Marquee Sports Network

24

With the 2024 season just around the corner, here’s our promised look back at the Cubs’ 2023 campaign.

Encouragingly, Justin Steele and Cody Bellinger had fantastic seasons and the Cubs were in the playoff race until the final weekend of the season. Frustratingly, the season was bookended by management pinning their hopes on underperforming veterans for far too long early in the season and an on-field collapse in September.

While several Cubs had gotten off to great starts, including Cody Bellinger (.830 OPS), Justin Steele (6-2), Marcus Stroman (2.39 ERA), and Miguel Amaya (.836 OPS), promising – and productive – players, including Nelson Velázquez, Alexander Canario, Miguel Amaya, and Christopher Morel, got limited playing time in favor of veteran – and unproductive – gambles like Edwin Rios, Eric Hosmer, Trey Mancini, and Tucker Barnhart. 

This approach resulted in a 10-18 May and being 7.5 games out of first place by June 7.

As summer began, the front office finally started jettisoning the underproducing veterans. A dramatic turnaround ensued:  by July 29, the Cubs were two games above .500 and had climbed to within 3.5 games of first.  This prompted the addition of Jeimer Candelario and José Cuas at the trade deadline. While Candelario was a welcome addition, the trade for Cuas cost the Cubs Velázquez’s hot bat.

The wins continued to pile up, as the North Siders went 17-9 in August and had a hot 5-2 start to September. On September 7, the Men in Blue were within 1.5 games of first place.

Then the wheels fell off.

Injuries to several pitchers, including Marcus Stroman and Adbert Alzolay, coupled with the heavy workload on Steele and Justin Merryweather, contributed to a 7-15 record down the stretch.

That collapse left fans wondering what could have been if the Cubs hadn’t stuck with those underperforming veterans for so long:  a few more wins in May would have been the difference between a wild card berth and not making the playoffs.

As of this writing, 2024 is a question mark. Chicago's pitching looks arguably a bit stronger, as the signing of Shota Imanaga is slated to offset Stroman’s departure while bullpen newcomer Hector Neris can take some pressure off of Merryweather.

On the other hand, the offense has taken a big step backward with the loss of Bellinger. Promising prospect Michael Busch has the inside track to the starting first base job, but even if he produces at Bellinger’s 2023 clip – which the odds don't favor – the offense would simply pick up where it left off. 

At January’s Cubs Convention, the Cubs’ front office boasted that their offseason signings were far from finished, but only time will tell. Chicago’s farm system is pretty stacked at this point, so if the front office is willing to give the young guys a shot, and they can continue to perform, 2024 could shape up to be an interesting season.

Go Cubs go!