Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Season Thread Vol: (17-17)

[CP1708]

Need good news on Baez, Rizzo and Heyward tomorrow.

Hoping for a rainout so they can get an off day, if not, need Jake to have a huge game, and Rondon/Pena only two from the pen that will be fresh.

Contreras caught 18 innings, so Montero definitely in.

Schwarber
Bryant
Rizzo
Zobrist
Russell
Montero
Almora
Jay
Arrieta

My guess. If Rizzo is hurt, Bryant could play first, LaStella third.

Tough stretch this week, but we do have Thursday and Monday off, so some rest on the horizon. Need Jake, Lester, Hendricks and Lackey to be solid this week.

 

[CP1708]

X-Rays negative on Rizzo, sounds like he'll play thru it. (Gonna have a nasty knot on his forearm tho)

Now wait for Baez and Heyward updates.

 

[CP1708]

Heyward to the DL for a week, Cubs call up an extra arm for the pen.

Bryant in RF tonight.

So last night was legit, Heyward couldn't bat. Hopefully the week off heals him fully.

 

[CP1708]

Szczur officially traded to the Padres for minor league arm Justin Hancock.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Damn.
Hate see Matt go.
*tips cap*

 

[CP1708]

Jeimer Candelario called up for game 2 of the double header today. (You're allowed a 26th man for DH's)

Also, Happ hit another 3 run homer last night and a 2 run double.

 

[zack54attack]

Happ has been on fire.

 

[eentegra]

damn...did our pitchers forget to actually pitch...all these runs....from the starters. are just awseful. now the offense has to play catch up. .

 

[CP1708]

Pitching February thru November then coming back again in 4 months is a real thing fellas. There's a lot of wear and tear that we aren't used to seeing. We're usually in the offseason during September.

Bottom line, we let Hammel, Fowler and Chapman go, we didn't "go all in" money wise to make one last run, Theo is trying to build us so we can make multiple runs.

The last team to repeat is the 2000 Yankees. There's a reason for that, wear and tear is real.

Be patient. Let the overall process play out.

Theo will have us in the hunt for years, but we aren't going to win it all every year. That's not how MLB works.

 

[CP1708]

And just like that, John Lackey with 7 shutout innings, a HUGE performance. Big help for the pen, now need another from Hendricks tomorrow.

Also, Johnny Cueto's name is being linked to us. Keep an eye out.

Darvish, Cueto, Quintana, Archer, Cole, all out there, we'll see who else comes available into June/July.

 

[CP1708]

W. 17-16

Win the series tomorrow.

 

[CP1708]

Shut out at Coors field.

To be fair, Maddon sat half the team and almost all of the opening day lineup, Heyward, Rizzo, Russell, Zobrist, Contreras all sat, so this is more of a double day off he's trying to give them to get healthy and get right.

Eddie Butler starting tomorrow, need some good innings outta him. Lester and Jake follow. If the Cardinals win the series, I fully expect some Cub fans to melt down.


The sky isn't falling, but the guys do have to start playin better in the next month or so. But as we've seen, they are more than capable of going on a two month+ run of wins so stay healthy, let Theo make some moves, things will come together in time.

Be patient.

 

[sportsjunkie]

Thanks for keeping us mentally sane CP. This pitching been irking me lately. You put things in great perspective though. The wear and tear is real. I'm not worried yet though. I won't get worried until we below .500 in mid June. Lol

 

[eentegra]

CP keepin it real as always...but looking fwd to EB tonight

 

[CP1708]

Believe me, I hate losing games, I want to win them all like last year, and win 100+ and win the World Series and all that, but we all know how hard it is to do that ONCE, much less try and do it back to back.

If you look at 2015, at one point we were like 47-41 or somethin like that and then rampaged our way to 97 wins. So yeah, we won't be winnin 105 games this year or anything, but no reason we can't get it together and get into 95-97 win territory again and in position to do some work in October again. It may cost us Homefield however, but, Cleveland had HF on us and we managed, so the overall goal here is, stay healthy, let Theo tweak the roster to pick up some slack, and let the guys work it out. They've proven they can win games in bunches when they need to.

I said all year last year, we were spoiled, baseball is not that easy, and we drilled everyone into the ground all year. Not gonna be like that every year folks.

 

[jm9312]

Idk why anybody is freaking out. If anything last year felt way more weird than this year. These are the cubbies I'm used to lol

 

[CP1708]

Bryant scratched due to illness.

Rizzo rips a single his first at bat, that's key, he's been really struggling. Hope he starts wakin up.

 

[CP1708]

Willson Contreras with a solo homer in the 2nd.
Willson Contreras with a solo homer in the 4th.

 

[CP1708]

Bottom 7, 3-1, 2 runners on, Rondon throws what would be ball 2 for a 2-0 count and Contreras guns down the runner at first to end the inning.

The runner?

Dexter Fowler.

 

[CP1708]

Eddie Butler, 6 scoreless innings, hitting 97 on the gun.

I swear, if Theo/Bosio fix another one.....

Wade Davis in for the 9th, up 3-1

 

[CP1708]

W. 18-17

The Contreras game.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

The runner?

Dexter Fowler.

Who???

Never heard of him....

 

[CP1708]

Bryant is ill, Russell banged up, and Jon Jay out as well, and with Heyward still out.....the Cubs may be bringing up Ian Happ for a couple games.

(Terrible timing tho vs Cards who I'd love to sweep in their park with our best lineup out there, alas...)

Lester-Arrieta need to come up huge for us.

 

[joaridran23]

Tell me you saw Joe Maddons lips say after that illegal slide challenge? He was yelling "That's fu!##% bulls^/# over and over. On another note that squeeze play hurt us today

 

[CP1708]

Ian Happ