GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

Phew, what a roller coaster week for the Cubs. Heartache, excitement, and frustration all wrapped into one. RIP Ryne Sandberg 🙏 Hold your family close this week!

CHICAGO CUBS

L - BREWERS 8 CUBS 4

MIS-ED OPPORTUNITY

• Jacob Misiorowski was forced to throw 40 pitches in the 1st inning, threw the ball away to let in a run, and only survived 4 innings (2 ER)

• Matthew Boyd lost his command and had a brutal outing (5.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 BB)

L - BREWERS 9 CUBS 3

AGAINST ALL ODDS

• Andrew Vaughn magic continues - the former White Sox went 3-for-4 with a grand slam and 6 RBI

• Cubs were 1-for-12 with RISP and left runners at 3rd base all game long

W - CUBS 10 BREWERS 3

RETURN OF THE BALLESTEROS

• Moises Ballesteros returned to the majors for 1 game on 3 hours of sleep and had a huge bases-clearing double in the 3rd

• Kyle Tucker reached base 4 times and Pete Crow-Armstrong went 3-for-4

W - CUBS 1 ORIOLES 0

RAPID WIN FOR RYNO

• Ryno was honored before the game, and the Cubs held on for the shutout in just 1 hour and 49 minutes

• Cade Horton had another scoreless start (5.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K) and hasn’t given up a run since July 9th

• The wind held in 4 potential HRs and Trevor Rogers threw a complete game for the Orioles

L - ORIOLES 4 CUBS 3

BULLPEN BLOWUP

• A 4-run 8th inning for Ryan Brasier and Caleb Thielbar ruined Boyd’s 7 inning gem (0 ER, 8 K)

• Nico Hoerner is still on fire with RISP going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI

W - CUBS 5 ORIOLES 3

JUSTIN TURNER SAVES THE DAY

• Turner hit a pinch-hit walk-off HR after Daniel Palencia blew the save

• Colin Rea survived 4.2 IP before Pomeranz/Kittredge/Keller kept the lead with 5 Ks in 3.1 IP

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Nico Hoerner

9-for-23 (.391 AVG), 3 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Justin Turner walk-off HR

Trade Deadline

Acquired RP Andrew Kittredge from the Baltimore Orioles for SS Wilfri De La Cruz

• Kittredge is a 35-year old, reliable right-hander with good command and a 9.2 K/9 this season

• De La Cruz just joined the Cubs as a 17-year old prospect on international signing day in January

Acquired SP/RP Mike Soroka from the Washington Nationals for OF Christian Franklin and INF Ronny Cruz

• Soroka was courted by the Cubs over the winter, can fill in as a starter, and actually excelled out of the pen last season for the White Sox

• Franklin and Cruz were the #13 and #14 prospects in the Cubs system

Acquired UTIL Willi Castro from the Minnesota Twins for RHP Ryan Gallagher and RHP Sam Armstrong

• Castro makes a TON of sense for this team to help out a disastrous bench. He hits lefties well (.837 OPS this season), plays everywhere around the diamond, and can give guys a break down the stretch

• Gallagher and Armstrong were both promising AA starters. Gallagher was their #8 prospect and has good stuff!

Acquired RP Taylor Rogers from the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Ivan Brethowr

• Rogers is a veteran lefty with a 2.45 ERA this season and provides another stable option for this shaky bullpen

• I’m sad to see Brethowr go - he’s an Aaron Judge doppelganger!

Overall, the Cubs improved but didn’t do enough. The market for controllable starters like Joe Ryan and MacKenzie Gore was reportedly astronomical, so I understand sitting out from those deals. However, a ton of high leverage relievers were traded, other starters were available, and the Cubs didn’t get any of them. Trusting this current group of starters as we head towards October is a mistake.

NL Central Acquisitions

Brewers: C Danny Jansen, RHP Shelby Miller, LHP Jordan Montgomery

Reds: 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes, RHP Zack Littell

🚨 Signed President Jed Hoyer to a multi-year contract extension 🚨

I think a lot of fans are anti-Jed, but I’m glad he gets to stick around and see things through. He failed when trying to rebuild and compete simultaneously, but this year’s team is soaring. Read more about why I like this extension:

Wrigley Field will officially host the All-Star Game in 2027 ⭐

Assad, Taillon, and Amaya are rehabbing at AAA and should be up soon! Reinforcements are on the way!

DFA’d Vidal Brujan and Brooks Kriske, activated Porter Hodge from the 15-day IL and optioned him to AAA, Kenta Maeda opted out of his contract

DFA’d Chris Flexen and Ryan Pressly

Flexen’s Superman run is over 🥺 He helped the Cubs win a ton of games this year after signing a minor league deal in February. Flexen and Drew Pomeranz had matching flawless ERA streaks that helped carry the Cubs through other pitching struggles. Flexen had a 0.00 ERA after 21.1 IP! Unfortunately, he had a 7.47 ERA in July and was no longer effective.

The Ryan Pressly trade went down the drain. They didn’t have to give up much for him (Juan Bello) because they were eating a good portion of his contract, but he was acquired to be the closer. It never worked out. Despite his struggles and poor underlying metrics, Pressly had two separate scoreless streaks of 10.0 IP and 15.0 IP. He only gave up earned runs in one May appearance and one June appearance and had a scoreless April.

SCHEDULE 📅 M/T/W/F/SAT/SUN

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

Training Camp

• 1st round pick Colston Loveland is standing out! He looks athletic, smooth in his routes, and has been frequently targeted

• Luther Burden returned from injury, made impressive catches, and also got called out by Ben Johnson for being incorrectly aligned. His practice on Thursday was ELITE - all the beat reporters were raving about his performance.

• Ben Johnson talked about Caleb Williams’ development and how much he has improved! It sounds like the offense has actually come together and is starting to look like a legitimate unit.

• Fan Fest at Soldier Field was yesterday, and the Bears had way too sloppy of a practice for Ben Johnson’s liking

• Dennis Allen RAVED about his defense and how much they grew since the spring. Ben Johnson also gave Allen credit for attacking the offense with such a complex and stingy scheme so far.

• Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker will be moved around the defense and utilized at different positions at times 👀

• For all the talk about the left tackle competition, the 2nd corner spot is wide open opposite of Jaylon Johnson!

• Rookie DT Shemar Turner may miss 4 weeks with a sprained ankle

• Kiran Amegadjie and Jonah Jackson have been battling nagging injuries

First Preseason Game ➡️ Sunday, August 10th

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

OFFSEASON

Connor Bedard was invited to orientation camp for Team Canada for the 2026 Olympics

CHICAGO BULLS

OFFSEASON

Ayo Dosunmu hosted his 4th annual Block Party for youth in Chicago 👏

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Ryne Sandberg

Chicago remembers Ryne Sandberg with great admiration and love.

Everyone speaks about Ryno in the highest regard. By all accounts, he was the best person, most selfless teammate, and a respected family man. He achieved great heights on the baseball field, including an MVP and 9 Gold Gloves, but he left his legacy outside the limits of a 9 inning game.

Past teammates count him as a brother. Current Cubs recognize that he embodies what it means to be a Cub. Everyone around the game of baseball understands his humble but great character as someone who made the sport better for all.

I’m sure many of you loved watching him play, and there are millions of Cubs fans around the world who became Cubs fans because of him. He’s a hero to many, and he fought hard against such an awful disease.

Let me know if you have any great memories of Ryne Sandberg!

MILD TAKE

Bears wide receivers will excel this year.

DJ Moore has lost a ton of support over the last 10 months. Rome Odunze was overlooked in his rookie season because of the team’s dysfunction. Luther Burden was ridiculed this offseason when he was dealing with injuries and signed a fully guaranteed contract.

I think most people will underrate this group heading into the season.

DJ Moore can still be an elite receiver in this league. He excels at route running, has running back-like agility and quickness, and he can go up and get it. Everyone was upset about his body language last year, but let’s be honest, he’s been through the gauntlet in Carolina and Chicago. It’s about time we see him flourish in a real NFL offense.

Rome Odunze could go off in his 2nd year. He slides into the big-bodied, outside, X receiver role in Ben Johnson’s offense and may get a lot of 50/50 balls thrown his way. He’s only one year removed from being one of the most productive receivers in college football, and he and Caleb Williams will continue to develop their great chemistry that started on the plane to the NFL Draft.

Burden is an exciting prospect whose game speed looks legit in training camp, Olamide Zaccheaus is fast and sure-handed, and Devin Duvernay provides another veteran presence.

If Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die, even more receivers have dug a grave here. Having a real offensive coach in town will work wonders for this position group, and I think the Bears have a legitimate unit in place.

HITTING THE LINKS

Jesse Rogers - Chicago Cubs teammates, opponents remember Ryne Sandberg (ESPN)

Jon Greenberg - Ryne Sandberg, the MVP of the ’84 Cubs, will live forever at Wrigley Field (The Athletic)

Julia Poe - Chicago Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu is back on the court — and giving back — nearly 5 months after shoulder surgery (Chicago Tribune)

Scott Wheeler - Why Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker has ‘a lot of untapped potential’ (The Athletic)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

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Thanks for reading! Have a great week, and enjoy the (early) start of the football (presesason) season. We made it!