As he stood in the on deck circle of the sports calendar, Caleb Williams showed up alongside Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson to cheer on Pete Crow-Armstrong at Wrigley Field. The primetime entertainment show is still hosted at the Friendly Confines while the Bears lie in wait to take the city by storm for a second consecutive year. The city connection helped the Cubs salvage a series split against the big brother Brewers as their playoff chase continues to oscillate on choppy waters.
The Brewers rivalry series mirrored the Cubs season as a whole with the highest of highs and lowest of lows. 9 home runs in a Bears-esque 17-3 win started off the series with a bang before the pitching staff allowed 9 runs in each of the next two games. They even scored 5 runs against Jacob Misiorowski and couldn’t scratch out a win. After PCA’s HR willed them to a taxing series split, the Cubs won 2 of 3 in Miami thanks to consistent production from the entire lineup.
Unpredictable pitching woes continued. Clay Holmes had a brilliant start (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 8 K) paired with a complete dud (4.1 IP, 8 ER). Kevin Gausman and Shota Imanaga bounced back with great outings, but Javier Assad and David Peterson struggled. Nobody can be trusted in the bullpen, especially after all four relievers allowed runs in a 9-4 loss to the Brewers.
The Cubs can still slug their way out of a pit. With a fluctuating starting rotation and mostly incompetent bullpen, there is no predictability in the run prevention department outside of the elite defense. This week felt like a disaster before it turned into a 4-3 sigh of relief and a slight bump in the standings.
This lineup set a National League record for home runs in a month (62 in August), a franchise record for home runs in a game (9), and featured 2 players with 12+ home runs in a month (Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong) for the 3rd time in MLB history. PCA became the 2nd lefty in Cubs history to hit 40+ home runs (Billy Williams). Bregman, PCA, and Seiya Suzuki are all Top 10 in MLB in fWAR and wRC+ in the second half. They’re on a tear and preventing season-ending ruts!
An 8-run lead may be necessary to win on any given night, but no deficit will be too large. The Cubs’ position player group keeps setting themselves apart from the rest of the league. In the second half, they rank:
1st in fWAR: 14.1 (2nd: 9.4)
1st in wRC+: 127 (2nd: 115)
1st in HR: 79 (2nd: 72)
1st in OBP: .347 (2nd: .343)
1st in SLG: .473 (2nd: .441)
Amidst pitching uncertainties, they reclaimed the top Wild Card spot by 0.5 game and are 7 games back in the division. They’re still standing in the ring.
DING DING! Brewers Round 2! The Cubs head to Milwaukee for the final 3 games between these two teams…until the playoffs (?). They fared well against Robert Gasser and Misiorowski last week and proved they can hang with big brother. They need to come away with a second straight series win to carry momentum into the final stretch of the season.
What will happen in Cubs/Brewers Round 2?
The season opener is Sunday against the Panthers! It sounds like Luther Burden will suit up along with most of the players who suffered minor injuries in recent weeks. As a sneaky 2025 division winner at 8-9, the Panthers won’t be a pushover, but they shouldn’t intimidate the Bears. It’s about time for a statement win in Week 1; I’m tired of major letdowns after exciting offseasons.
I’m sticking with a 12-5 season prediction. Caleb Williams is a star. Ben Johnson is the real deal. The offense should be lightyears ahead of last season, and the defense…well, hopefully longevity in the system sparks surprising production. Regression from their miracle comebacks will be inconsequential because the team will be in a much better place. Roster margins aren’t directly responsible for your record when you have an elite quarterback.
The Prospect Showcase will be on September 14th and 15th! Marek Vanacker, Ryan Roobroeck, AJ Spellacy, and other intriguing prospects are on the roster.
First preseason game is October 7th!
Tyrone Taylor will contribute in every game in a Cubs playoff series win.
A revenge series against his former Brewers team that featured 6 hits and 6 RBI proved Taylor’s importance to the Cubs for the rest of the season.
This was a brilliant trade deadline acquisition by Jed Hoyer. Since joining the Cubs, Taylor has put up incredible stats:
20-for-49 (.408 AVG), 1.006 OPS, 4 BB to 6 K, 181 wRC+
He was raking with the Mets prior to the deadline, and his production didn’t waver after transitioning to a new city and organization. Even in a role that only leads to spot starts and selective appearances, the production has remained consistent.
As a lefty killer, Taylor will already be penciled into the lineup in a Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies and their two elite lefties: Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo. Against righties, he’ll quickly see the field when the bullpen gets involved. Taylor will be a major contributor throughout the playoffs.
Daniel Palencia
“I want the ball tomorrow. I want to be ready.”
Matthew Boyd left a 3-1 lead in Palencia’s hands in a pivotal game. After a balk, double, and home run allowed, the game quickly turned into a blowout win for the Brewers. It was Palencia’s 3rd straight outing allowing runs, and he hadn’t looked right on the mound since returning from injury on August 21st. After the game, he simply admitted to not executing his pitches well. He still wanted the ball the next day to help the team win. Nothing has gone his way, but he owned up to his mistakes and stayed true to his tough mentality.
