Cubs Bats Awaken As They Take 5 Of 6 From The NL East

GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

Sunny days and a 5-game Cubs win streak makes everything feel a little bit better.

We can put the difficult Hawks season behind us, see who the Bears draft to add to Ben Johnson’s program, and watch an exciting Cubs team that relearned how to come back on any given day. We’re floating on top of the world!

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

L - SABRES 5 BLACKHAWKS 1

FRAGILITY STREAK

• Hawks only allowed 1 shot on goal in the first 15 minutes before crumbling

• Ryan Greene gave the Hawks an early 1-0 lead on a shorthanded goal

• Hawks went 0-for-5 on the power play and only managed 16 total shots

W - BLACKHAWKS 5 SHARKS 2

THERE’S BLOOD IN THE WATER

• Hawks scored 5 unanswered goals to give the Sharks their 1st regulation loss of the season when leading after 2 periods

• Louis Crevier scored 2 goals, and Ryan Greene scored a goal in his 3rd straight game

• Hawks showed fight against their (future?) rival and limited the Sharks to only 17 shots

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Louis Crevier

2 goals (2 points)

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Connor Bedard to Louis Crevier goal

🚨 Extended GM Kyle Davidson’s contract 🚨

The architect behind the youth movement, the top-of-the-NHL prospect pool, and the vision for Stanley Cups gets to see his plan through.

This is a great move by the Hawks to extend Kyle from Chicago as they look to turn the corner and become a contending team. For everyone who doesn’t believe there is any hope for this organization, please reevaluate how long a hockey rebuild takes. He’s been on the job for 4 years, and only some of his top draft picks are in the NHL.

Next year, we’ll get to see Frondell and Kantserov join Bedard and Nazar in the Top 6. There’s the potential to add an elite winger using their boatload of assets. This is moving in the right direction, and this group can be special. It made sense to keep the ship on the same route with Davidson.

Florida Panthers finished with the 8th-best lottery odds in this year’s NHL Draft, so their Top 10 Protected 1st round pick will stay with them this season. The Hawks will officially receive their 2027 1st round pick instead.

Oliver Moore will play for Team USA in the World Championships

SCHEDULE 📅 OFFSEASON

CHICAGO BULLS

OFFSEASON

2 first round picks in the NBA Draft! The Portland Trail Blazers won their Play-In game in dramatic fashion to earn the 7th seed in the playoffs, so their lottery protected 1st round pick officially conveyed to the Bulls. More assets for the new front office!!!

Season Prediction - Revisited

Prediction: 45-37
Actual: 31-51

I did not expect that catastrophe…

1) Injuries killed them early in the season after their fluky 5-0 start

2) AK was not going to have a firesale at the trade deadline

3) They were 24-26 when they gutted the roster. The Play-In was firmly in view before the deadline.

CHICAGO CUBS

L - PHILLIES 13 CUBS 7

SCHWARBOMBS AWAY

• Kyle Schwarber hit 2 monster HRs as Javier Assad imploded for 9 ER and 11 H allowed in just 4.1 IP

• Christopher Sanchez stymied Cubs hitters (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)

• Cubs’ offense woke up late in the game and had a 5-run 8th inning

W - CUBS 10 PHILLIES 4

MOVING THE LINE

• Cubs strung rallies together in the 3rd, 5th, and 6th to score 7 runs with 0 HRs

• Riley Martin threw a perfect 1st as an opener before Colin Rea threw a quality “start” of 6 IP, 3 ER

• Alex Bregman went 3-for-5 and had his first 3 RBI game as a Cub

W - CUBS 11 PHILLIES 2

THE WHIFF SHO

• Shota Imanaga struck out 11 Phillies and forced 26 whiffs, which is the most in a game in MLB this season!

• Nico Hoerner went 3-for-5 with 1 HR and 5 RBI

• Matt Shaw went 3-for-4 with 3 doubles

W - CUBS 12 METS 4

TEN SPOT THRICE

• Cubs scored 10+ runs in 3 straight games for the first time since 2019

• Ballesteros, Hoerner, and Happ all homered with the wind blowing out at Wrigley

• Both teams accumulated 14 hits apiece, but Edward Cabrera got key outs in his 6 IP, 3 ER start

W - CUBS 4 METS 2

PINCH HIT KELLY

• Carson Kelly hit a 3-R HR in the 6th pinch-hitting for Ballesteros against a lefty

• Jameson Taillon was on his game with a quality start (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER)

• Happ hit a solo HR off of Freddy Peralta, reminiscent of last season’s NLDS Game 4

W - CUBS 2 METS 1 (F/10)

SAC FLY SWEEP

• Hoerner walked it off against former Cub Craig Kimbrel with a sacrifice fly to right

• Michael Conforto tied the game in the 9th off closer Devin Williams with a pinch-hit RBI double against his former team

• Assad got back on track with a solid 5.2 IP outing (3 H, 1 ER)

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Nico Hoerner

9-for-26 (.346 AVG), 2 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB, walk-off RBI

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Pete Crow-Armstrong diving catch

Pitching Woes 🤕

Matthew Boyd pitched on a rehab assignment and should return this week

Cade Horton had surgery and needed the full Tommy John procedure. The recovery timeline is 15-16 months.

Placed Ethan Roberts on the 15-day IL with a cut on his finger. A vent fell off the wall, and he tried to stop it from landing on his leg. Add this one to the freak injury list that includes Sammy Sosa’s back spasm sneeze and Carlos Boozer tripping over his gym bag!

Placed Daniel Palencia on the 15-day IL with an oblique strain

Porter Hodge will have UCL surgery and miss the remainder of the season

Reportedly interested in free agent starter Lucas Giolito who still hasn’t signed with a team after seeking a 2-year deal this winter. Even though the pitching staff is decimated and Cade Horton is out for the year, I wouldn’t throw money at another innings eater when there is plenty of depth in the organization with Rea, Assad, Brown, Wicks, etc.

SCHEDULE 📅 M/T/W/TH/F/SAT/SUN

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

NFL DRAFT PREVIEW

Current Picks:
Round 1, Pick 25
Round 2, Pick 57
Round 2, Pick 60
Round 3, Pick 89
Round 4, Pick 129
Round 7, Pick 239
Round 7, Pick 241

It’s strange heading into a draft where the Bears aren’t selecting a player in the Top 10. It has been a LONG time. Well, it’s usually Top 10 or no 1st rounder at all because Ryan Pace loved trading away draft capital.

This is unfamiliar territory in a draft that evaluators seem to have varied opinions on. The first round sounds top-heavy, but the 2nd/3rd/4th rounds may be the sweet spot. With 4 picks in the first 90, the Bears are in a great position to add quality talent to their roster.

I will always beat this horse: Ryan Poles drafts best player available with needs in mind.

Most mock drafts have the Bears selecting a defensive end (Zion Young, Keldric Faulk, Akheem Mesidor, TJ Parker, and others). Some have them going with a left tackle (Kadyn Proctor, Caleb Lomu). Some have them grabbing a safety if either of these two guys are still on the board (Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Dillon Thieneman). I’ve also seen a few defensive tackles (Kayden McDonald, Caleb Banks, Peter Woods).

Almost anything is on the table. Ryan Poles tends to move in silence. I think a trade-down is definitely an option to add to their Round 2 and Round 3 options, but I can’t predict that scenario without knowing any team would actually want to move back up into the 1st round.

No matter what they do, this draft is a huge opportunity. The Bears struck gold last year in Ben Johnson’s first draft with the organization. They decided not to send all their assets away in a major trade or acquisition and will continue to focus on drafting and developing. Two straight jackpot drafts could set up this team for a decade.

Predictions:

🔵 Round 1: Cornerback

I think tackle, cornerback, and safety will be at the top of their wish list. Players in the trenches tend to fly off the board earlier than expected, so I don’t anticipate their preferred big guys falling to them. Safety makes sense since they only have 1 solidified starter (Coby Bryant) on the roster, but it’s not a premium position. The defense needs new juice, and the outside corner spot outside of Jaylon Johnson has been subpar over the last couple seasons. This is their chance to really beef up the secondary!

🔵 Rounds 1/2: At least 1 lineman, no defensive ends

The Bears’ desperate need for an end is overblown. Their pass rush production has been abysmal, but they have players under contract the team still believes in. Dayo was hurt all of last season, and Austin Booker improved a ton.

🔵 All Rounds: Safety, Center, make less than 7 picks

It will be difficult to adjust to a new number 2 and number 9 out on the field:

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Connor Bedard

Bedard is always humble and professional when he speaks to the media. After the season concluded, he had the right answer for every single question. He clearly loves his teammates and believes deeply that they have the right brotherhood to get better and become a winner. Watch how he talks about his teammates and the organization:

MILD TAKE

I’m glad the Bears didn’t make a massive free agent or trade splash.

Potential trade target Dexter Lawrence just landed with the Bengals in exchange for the 10th overall pick in this week’s draft.

They stayed away from the $30M/year edge rushers on the open market, found an affordable replacement at center after Drew Dalman retired, and didn’t overpay more aging veterans just looking for a change in scenery.

Ben Johnson knows last year meant nothing as they head into this coming season. He has been here for one singular season, and there is already some major roster turnover from the Matt Eberflus era until now. You can’t build a championship team in a year, and you can’t mortgage the future even if you were a few minutes away from the NFC Championship.

Heading into the draft without a 1st round pick or having no financial wiggle room in 2027 would have really hindered their team building process. I’m excited to see a whole new squad of rookies arriving in Chicago!

HITTING THE LINKS

Scott Powers - The next Kirill Kaprizov? Why Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov is so intriguing (The Athletic)

Scott Powers - Blackhawks’ late-season slide guarantees another top-4 draft pick (The Athletic)

Chicago Bears - Inside the Bears' free agency approach | 1920 Football Drive (YouTube)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

Thanks for reading! And with the 25th pick in the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select…