Today’s Reflections
Well, if you have a burr under your saddle about how a player is doing, send me a note. I’ll write a few paragraphs about how bad they are doing. Then in the next game, he will explode (i.e. PCA, Monday night). You’re welcome.
In the meantime, I’ll work my “magic” on Seiya Suzuki. PCA’s problems were prominent as the lead-off hitter. Suzuki’s troubles were slightly covered up by PCA and Alex Bregman’s successes, but actually are worse.
Suzuki cruised through August, where he hit .303 (33-of-109), 25 R, 10 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 17 BB, 26 K, 2 SB. September has been a totally different story. Suzuki is hitting .170 (8-of-47), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 12 BB, 11 K, 0 SB. My calling on PCA was that he having a lack in power — this is a much better example of that. Eight hits, just three XBH, and a drastic decrease in runs scored or driven in. Come on, Seiya, prove my “lucky” comments does work out for you in the next few games.
The Cubs split two games with the Braves Monday and Tuesday, and had a 50% success percentage while having two excellent starting pitching performances, one marred by the One-Bad-Pitch error. I’m sure that every team has this problem, especially sporadically, or in short bunches. This has been an entire-season event for the Cubs.
If not for PCA’s big game, David Peterson would be the easy winner of Player of the Game Monday — I just might name him so, because it was his biggest performance thus far with the Cubs. Six innings of one-run ball, three hits, three walks and seven strikeouts, with 56 of his 85 pitches for strikes.
Kevin Gausman was on his way to an even better game. He entered the sixth inning Tuesday, having allowed just two hits, no walks and five strikeouts before it became unraveled. After his sixth strikeout, Gausman gave up a single, a two-run homer and an infield single before leaving with a 3-2 lead.
Daniel Palencia did his job, stranding the inherited runner and got the out to end the inning. But Jacob Webb and Edward Cabrera imploded, having each given up a two-run home run to put the game out of reach.
Offensively, outside of PCA’s 4-for-5 night with a double, home run, stolen base and four RBI, there wasn’t much there. The closest to having a good two games this weekend was by Michael Busch, who was 1-for-6 with three walks and three runs scored.
On Monday, Nico Hoerner went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two RS. Michael Conforto and Carson Kelly had RBI hits. Tuesday, Matt Shaw was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Pedro Ramirez had a hit and RBI, and Miguel Amaya had an RBI.
Tuesday, the Cubs didn’t get a runner in scoring position after the fourth inning and managed just five hits in the game.
Peterson, Gausman and PCA were definitely the stars of the two games. They just needed a bit more help on Tuesday.
I appreciate your reading.
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Tuesday’s Game Stories:
- Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ latest bullpen blow-up stark reminder that without reliable relievers ‘we’re not going to survive’. “The Cubs’ relief corps couldn’t deliver once more Tuesday, with Jacob Webb and Edward Cabrera coughing up homers in a loss to the Braves, showing the team might not last long in. the playoffs if it can’t get its pitching issues ironed out.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Bullpen woes resurface for Cubs in heat of Wild Card race. “The Cubs will have to wait another year to try to unseat the rival Brewers as the National League Central champions.”
- Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): 3 Chicago Cubs who need to step up over the final 10 games after a blown lead in a 6-3 loss. “The Cubs managed just five hits in the loss and didn’t put a runner in scoring position after the fourth inning, managing only one base runner (a single) in the final five frames.”
Monday’s Game Stories:
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): PCA joins Hall of Famer Williams with 42nd homer on 4-hit, 4-RBI night. “Dating back to his early days with the Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong always showed a level of respect for the team’s icons when they would visit Spring Training or make a stop by Wrigley Field.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong inches closer to MLB’s 40-40 club with another big night at Wrigley. “Crow-Armstrong put on a show in the Chicago’s 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.”
- Andy Martinez (Chicago Tribune ($): Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong hits another HR — and steals another base — in 7-3 win. “The two-run blast in the sixth was his 42nd, tying Billy Williams’ 1970 campaign for the most home runs hit by a left-handed hitter in a single season in franchise history.”
Assorted Pitching Stories:
- Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Nothing the Cubs Have Tried with Edward Cabrera Has Worked. “When the Cubs acquired Edward Cabrera from the Marlins over the winter, everyone agreed that the team would make some interesting changes to his pitch mix. Unfortunately, none of the ones they’ve implemented have turned out well.”
- Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Injury News: Losing Two More Possible Bullpen Arms, Dansby Swanson Update. “The Chicago Cubs were hoping to get some last-minute help in the bullpen, but they may be stuck working with what they have.”
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Jacob Webb’s Water Needs to Find Level Before Cubs Drown. “If the Cubs had the benefit of an even moderately reliable bullpen, Jacob Webb might have to be worried about finding a red tag in his locker soon.”
- Zoe Grossman (Chicago Cubs on SI): 3 Takeaways After Cubs’ Bullpen Problems On Full Display in Crucial Loss to Braves. “The Cubs looked well on their way to clinching the series win against the Braves before the bullpen imploded.”
- Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Phillies’ Jesus Luzardo injury update could clear Cubs’ path in Wild Card race. “This could change the NL Wild Card conversation.”
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs shut down Shelby Miller’s comeback, taking him out of potential playoff bullpen mix. “Miller attacked his rehab process with an intensity that impressed club officials, putting him in the conversation for a possible promotion from Triple-A Iowa.”
- Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Projecting Cubs’ playoff pitching staff reveals just how concerning bullpen has become. “Mapping out the Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff, considering the questions that exist in both the starting rotation and bullpen.”
Assorted Hitting Stories:
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Swanson’s ‘wild 48 hours’ ends with simulated rehab at Wrigley. “Shortstop on track to return Friday in Cincinnati.”
- Conor Liquori (Sporting News): How Alex Bregman ‘unleashed’ MVP-caliber season for Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong. “”The mentorship he provided Pete Crow-Armstrong early in the year about plate approach and swing decisions helped unleash PCA’s MVP-worthy year,” Castrovince added.”
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): The Cubs’ Farm System Grade is Passing, But Barely. “There are always bright spots and hopefully some longer-term progress, but it’s inarguable that the system, on paper right now, doesn’t look like it’s one of the better ones.”
- Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): Can Pete Crow-Armstrong Resist the Temptation to Try to Save the Cubs? “It’s not selfishness. At this point in the season, it might not even be voluntary. One way or another, though, Pete Crow-Armstrong is back in swing mode, trying to single-handedly win games that must be won, instead, as a team.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Swanson’s rehab pushed back by rainout; Miller to return in 2027. “The specific plan has now been altered a bit due to rainy conditions in Omaha, Neb.”
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): PCA Sets Several New Precedents in Monday’s Win. “He set or tied at least two team records, joined an elite group of franchise superstars, and essentially created a new category for repeated offensive excellence during Monday’s win.”
- Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs see Alex Bregman being himself, rather than his ample playoff experience, as difference-maker in October. “Bregman has played in more playoff games than nearly any player in major-league history. But it’s the kind of player he is, regardless of the month, that makes the Cubs confident he’ll deliver in October.”
Assorted Stories:
- Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs are inconsistent, but ‘still feel like we can absolutely be the last team standing’. “The Cubs have turned inconsistent at the worst time, throwing into question their ability to achieve their championship-level goals, but the team still thinks it’s capable of winning the World Series.”
- Leo Morgenstern, Joey Peterson, Taylor Greenhut (Just Baseball): Who Matches Up Best To Take Down the Dodgers in the Playoffs?. “Simply put, while there are questions surrounding the pitching staff, this is the one team that could get past the Dodgers thanks to its ability to hit better than anybody else.”
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs at make-or-break point of season as Brewers clinch another division title. “Until that postseason spot is clinched and the champagne bottles are popped for the clubhouse celebration, the Cubs are going to have to sweat it out.”
- Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Thrilling Chicago, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Caleb Williams ‘want to give people something to look forward to’. “With Crow-Armstrong in the middle of an MVP run and Williams sparking Super Bowl plans across the area, the duo might just be ushering in a new era in Chicago sports.”
- Sam Caulder (North Side Baseball): The Biggest Winners and Losers in the Cubs’ Farm System in 2026. “From breakout performances to disappointing seasons, there was no shortage of storylines across the Cubs’ farm system this year. With the season nearly in the books, here are some of the biggest winners and losers from 2026.”
- Chicago Tribune {$}: Cubs and White Sox are in the hunt for playoff berths: Tracking the magic numbers for Chicago’s baseball teams, “The Cubs are all but assured of a second-place finish in the National League Central for the fourth consecutive season — with the first-place Milwaukee Brewers headed for their fourth straight division crown.”
- Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs’ magic number offers hope but NL Wild Card race is far from comfortably settled. “Cubs are positioned to make the playoffs, but there’s a lot to be determined.”
Food For Thought:
Since making his debut on CD as a singer/songwriter, John Fusco has proven himself to be as equally as talented a bandleader as he is a screenwriter and movie/TV producer. The filmmaker who gave us Young Guns, Hidalgo, Thunderheart and The Highwayman, he’s a storyteller with few peers as this disc, which delivers a blues-filled saddlebag of what he terms the “Wild West Soul of America” shows.
Raised in Prospect, Conn., Fusco spent his early adulthood in the South as a laborer and blues singer. He delivers a film-noire mix of blues and roots held together by gritty lyrics – in this case, the description of folks who find themselves trapped between past mistakes and an uncertain future. The songs unfold like a film script and are infused with coyote howls, mariachi horns and much, much more. Fusco plays keys throughout. His pleasant, well-worn voice fits perfectly with the theme of his material. Blues takes many forms, and John Fusco has a style that’s truly all his own. Check out this pleaser and I’m sure you’ll agree. It’s a winner on all counts.
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