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New York Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Cubs' clubhouse waiting to see what the front office has in store for trade deadline
MILWAUKEE – The message for July 29 was spelled out in black marker on the small, white dry-erase board positioned on Craig Counsell's office desk: If you're worried about something else other than today, today is going to kick your ass. Counsell, the Chicago Cubs manager, attributed the writing to Phil Rozewicz, the longtime visiting clubhouse manager at American Family Field. It still sounded like something Counsell would say in the final hours before Major League Baseball's trade deadline to minimize distractions. Advertisement Now, though, the Cubs can turn their undivided attention to Thursday's 5 p.m. deadline. In beating Freddy Peralta and avoiding a three-game sweep with Wednesday afternoon's 10-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs moved back to one game out of first place, the position they had held for 111 days before recently getting passed by their small-market rival. The National League Central race could get shaken up again with a flurry of deals in a late-breaking market. Armed with a new contract extension, will Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer feel emboldened to maximize the club's World Series odds this year? Or will Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins focus more on incremental improvements and long-term sustainability? 'I know Jed's working really hard, and there's time to go left,' Counsell said. 'You got to be responsible to this team and to the future of the Cubs. 'This team has played well, for sure, and we're excited about what lies ahead. No matter what lies ahead, we're excited to get after it for the next two months.' Pitching remains the club's top priority, both in the form of at least one dependable starting pitcher and at least one reliable late-inning reliever. Amid that search, it was reassuring that Shota Imanaga at least bounced back from one of his worst starts in a Cubs uniform. Shōta Imanaga's 3Ks in the 1st. — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 30, 2025 After a 12-5 loss last weekend on the South Side, the Cubs faced questions about whether the Japanese lefty was injured or tipping pitches against the Chicago White Sox. Though not quite dazzling, Imanaga mostly contained the Brewers in Wednesday's win, allowing three runs in five innings while putting up eight strikeouts against zero walks. 'We've put ourselves in this position to let Jed go do his work,' said Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was acquired for Javier Báez during Hoyer's huge sell-off on July 30, 2021, and has since blossomed into an All-Star center fielder. Advertisement 'That's the best, most confidence-building thing ever, like, 'You know what, man? If we don't do a single thing, I got the same confidence in this team to go play very well in the playoffs and make a really good run.'' The churn already started with Tuesday's decision to designate Chris Flexen for assignment. The Cubs wrung what they could out of Flexen, a swingman who signed a minor-league deal during spring training and did not allow an earned run in his first 12 appearances with the major-league club. A bullpen largely made up of castoffs is due for more regression. The Cubs pressed another button for Wednesday's game, promoting Moisés Ballesteros from Triple-A Iowa and designating Vidal Bruján for assignment. Ballesteros, widely considered a top 100 prospect in the sport, got the big hit with a three-run double off Peralta in the third inning, a highlight that won't exactly stop the speculation that he could be traded for an established pitcher. 'I'm focused on just doing my job,' Ballesteros said through an interpreter. 'I'm not really the type of person who goes on social media to check a lot of those things. I just want to help the team and contribute.' The morning after Tuesday's sloppy 9-3 loss to the Brewers, the Cubs went back to work with playoff probabilities that ranged from 94.6 percent to 98.7 percent to 99.6 percent, according to the respective forecasts by FanGraphs, Baseball Reference and Baseball Prospectus. The Cubs, though, haven't necessarily looked like a postseason lock recently. Especially when All-Star pitcher Matthew Boyd had an off night Monday in Milwaukee and All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker had such a quiet July (.625 OPS before Wednesday's 2-for-3 with two walks). The defensive play has been a little erratic. After the trade deadline, the Cubs and Brewers will play a five-game series at Wrigley Field over four days in August, which will mark the end of their head-to-head competition in the regular season. Advertisement 'The group has handled every part of this year pretty maturely,' Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said, 'and done it with the big picture (in mind) but also staying day-by-day. Yeah, of course, this series means a lot. We're playing the other top team in our division. 'The deadline does sometimes carry some weight. I don't think that's affecting anything on the field right now. But, yeah, it is a unique time in the season. Fortunately, we play these guys again. 'There's plenty of opportunity, but it's on us to seize them.' Shortly after Thursday's deadline, Hoyer is scheduled to meet with the Chicago media on the second floor of the Wrigley Field office building. In trying to manage expectations at a long ago Winter Meetings, it was Hoyer who once said, 'I don't think you have to walk out of here with deer antlers.' But when a team has a chance to play in October, you have to show up with some kind of trophy. 'They're probably on the phone all day today and tomorrow,' Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said. 'Our job is to focus on the game today, the matchup today and doing the best we can to win this baseball game today. Our job isn't to be fortune tellers. 'Jed, Carter and our front office are doing everything they can every day to identify players and put the best product out there.' (Photo of Shota Imanaga: John Fisher / Getty Images)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cubs visit the Brewers to open 3-game series
Chicago Cubs (62-43, first in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (62-43, second in the NL Central) Milwaukee; Monday, 7:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Matthew Boyd (11-3, 2.20 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 108 strikeouts); Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.45 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 40 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -114, Brewers -105; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers host the Chicago Cubs on Monday to start a three-game series. Milwaukee has a 62-43 record overall and a 34-19 record in home games. Brewers pitchers have a collective 3.58 ERA, which ranks fourth in MLB play. Chicago is 62-43 overall and 29-24 on the road. The Cubs have the best team batting average in the NL at .255. The teams match up Monday for the sixth time this season. The Cubs are ahead 3-2 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Jackson Chourio has 29 doubles, three triples and 17 home runs while hitting .276 for the Brewers. Andrew Vaughn is 11 for 35 with four doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games. Kyle Tucker has 18 home runs, 68 walks and 58 RBIs while hitting .274 for the Cubs. Matt Shaw is 12 for 28 with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Brewers: 7-3, .273 batting average, 2.53 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs Cubs: 6-4, .254 batting average, 4.15 ERA, even run differential INJURIES: Brewers: Nick Mears: day-to-day (back), Jake Bauers: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Rhys Hoskins: 10-Day IL (thumb), Garrett Mitchell: 60-Day IL (oblique), Rob Zastryzny: 15-Day IL (ribs), Connor Thomas: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nestor Cortes: 60-Day IL (elbow), Robert Gasser: 60-Day IL (elbow) Cubs: Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. The Associated Press
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Cubs visit the Brewers to open 3-game series
Chicago Cubs (62-43, first in the NL Central) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (62-43, second in the NL Central) Milwaukee; Monday, 7:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Matthew Boyd (11-3, 2.20 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 108 strikeouts); Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.45 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 40 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -114, Brewers -105; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Milwaukee Brewers host the Chicago Cubs on Monday to start a three-game series. Milwaukee has a 62-43 record overall and a 34-19 record in home games. Brewers pitchers have a collective 3.58 ERA, which ranks fourth in MLB play. Chicago is 62-43 overall and 29-24 on the road. The Cubs have the best team batting average in the NL at .255. The teams match up Monday for the sixth time this season. The Cubs are ahead 3-2 in the season series. TOP PERFORMERS: Jackson Chourio has 29 doubles, three triples and 17 home runs while hitting .276 for the Brewers. Andrew Vaughn is 11 for 35 with four doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games. Kyle Tucker has 18 home runs, 68 walks and 58 RBIs while hitting .274 for the Cubs. Matt Shaw is 12 for 28 with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Brewers: 7-3, .273 batting average, 2.53 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs Cubs: 6-4, .254 batting average, 4.15 ERA, even run differential INJURIES: Brewers: Nick Mears: day-to-day (back), Jake Bauers: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Rhys Hoskins: 10-Day IL (thumb), Garrett Mitchell: 60-Day IL (oblique), Rob Zastryzny: 15-Day IL (ribs), Connor Thomas: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nestor Cortes: 60-Day IL (elbow), Robert Gasser: 60-Day IL (elbow) Cubs: Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Astros' Lance McCullers Jr. accepts NL Central woes with ‘daddy' claim
The post Astros' Lance McCullers Jr. accepts NL Central woes with 'daddy' claim appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Houston Astros welcomed back Lance McCullers Jr. on Saturday night after a 17-day absence due to a foot injury, but his return didn't go as hoped. The right-hander struggled in his outing, giving up eight runs over just 3 1/3 innings in a disappointing 12-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. This was McCullers' second difficult start of the season against an NL Central opponent and prompted quite the quip. 'The NL Central is kind of like my daddy right now — the Cincy start [May 10] and now the Cubs start,' he said, per Brian McTaggart of 'Outside of that, I feel like I've thrown the ball well. There's, of course, things here and there throughout the course of the games where you look back and you're like, 'Oh, I probably could have done better, extended my outing a little bit more, this and that,' but overall I was throwing the ball after that Cincinnati game really well. I felt my [putaway] stuff was there, and it kind of just feels like I have to reset a little bit. It doesn't get easier for me.' McCullers allowed seven runs in 1/3 of an inning against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10, his second start back from a two-and-a-half-year injury absence. Between the Cincinnati and Chicago outings, however, he posted a 3.20 ERA across five starts, including two six-inning performances, before a foot sprain temporarily sidelined him again. In Saturday's game, Lance McCullers Jr. gave up seven hits, four walks, and three home runs while throwing 79 pitches, 41 for strikes. He threw 12 consecutive balls during the first inning and walked in a run before recovering to retire Nico Hoerner and start a stretch of eight straight outs. He totaled only 24 pitches in the second and third innings but was chased in the fourth after allowing seven runs. The fourth inning unraveled after McCullers retired the first batter. Michael Busch and Hoerner hit back-to-back homers into the Crawford Boxes. Statcast data showed Busch's homer would've cleared the fence in just one MLB stadium, while Hoerner's would've gone out in 13 parks. McCullers followed with a walk to Matt Shaw and a single to Reese McGuire before Ian Happ drove in another run with a ground-ball single. Kyle Tucker, a former Astro, then crushed a hanging first-pitch slider over the right-field wall for a three-run shot. McCullers admitted that most pitches in that sequence were well-executed, with the slider to Tucker being his one major regret. He generated just one whiff on 28 sliders, a night-and-day difference from his earlier-season 28.8% whiff rate with the pitch. Astros Manager Joe Espada, who had hoped Lance McCullers Jr. could throw 80-85 pitches, said this about the rough start: 'Just to get him back out there and get him pitching, that's a positive to take out of this.' Espada noted McCullers 'had enough in the tank' to escape the fourth but ultimately couldn't finish it. McCullers, who now holds a 6.61 ERA over 32 2/3 innings in this season looks ahead to his next start against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 'I face the Dodgers next [in Los Angeles] and just gotta keep chugging, gotta keep pushing,' he said. Related: MLB rumors: Astros linked to Orioles star trade in 'aggressive' search Related: Astros' Yordan Alvarez continues to progress towards injury return on birthday
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Cubs' taillon, assad nearing returns to depleted staff as trade deadline approaches
The Chicago Cubs line up as one of the prospective buyers especially for pitching as baseball's July 31 trade deadline approaches. In the meantime Chicago – which entered Friday at 60-42 and a game behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central – is inching closer to having some injured pitchers return. On Friday before a game against the White Sox at Rate Field, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said starter Jameson Taillon, out since July 1 with a right calf strain, is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa next week. The big right-hander threw a 47-pitch bullpen session Friday. Taillon is set to toss to live hitters in Milwaukee early next week and then report to the Cubs top affiliate. Taillon is 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA and was mainstay in the Chicago's rotation despite some ups and downs in his ninth major league season. The 33-year-old lost his final three straight games with a 10.66 ERA in that span after winning five in a row. Taillon's injury opened a second gap in a Chicago rotation that already was thinned when ace left-hander Justin Steele made only four starts before needing season-ending elbow surgery. Right-hander Javier Assad also is expected to join Iowa next week. Assad has not pitched this season due to a left oblique strain but was 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA in 29 starts last season. Righty Porter Hodge, out since July 8 with right shoulder impingement, is scheduled to pitch for Iowa on Saturday. Hodge is 2-1 with a 6.85 ERA in 26 relief appearances this season. Catcher Miguel Amaya, recovering from a left oblique strain, also is expected to join Iowa next week. He's batting .280 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 29 games this season but hasn't played since May 24.
