GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

What a world we live in, Chicago! Matt Shaw has been the Cubs best hitter, Theo Benedet is a frontrunner for the Bears left tackle job, and the Cubs are throwing more bats than they’re getting hits.

CHICAGO CUBS

L - BLUE JAYS 5 CUBS 1

THROWING BATS AROUND IN TORONTO

• Cubs hitters showed their frustration all night as they only collected 4 hits, went 1-for-9 with RISP, and left 10 runners on base

• Javier Assad returned from injury and gave up 8 hits in 4.0 IP, including a costly 3-R HR in the 4th

W - CUBS 4 BLUE JAYS 1

ACE CADE

• Cade Horton (5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) became the 2nd Cubs pitcher since 1945 to allow 1 ER or less in a 5-start stretch (Ryan Dempster - 2012)

• Michael Busch and Matt Shaw homered as the Cubs’ 6-hit effort was actually enough

• Miguel Amaya sprained his ankle in his 1st game off the IL in a heartbreaking moment. Prayers for a quick recovery 🙏

L - BLUE JAYS 2 CUBS 1

OWEN ONE

• Owen Caissie went 0-for-4 in his MLB debut and was robbed of an extra-base hit in his first at-bat

• Vlad Jr. took Matthew Boyd deep as Max Scherzer (7.0 IP, 1 ER) barely won the pitchers’ duel

• Cubs had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs in the 8th and struck out 3 straight times

L - PIRATES 3 CUBS 2

GIVING THE GAME AWAY

• Weird baseball: pitcher and hitter clock violations for the Cubs, PCA was thrown out trying to stretch out a double, Cubs were gifted an out when a grounder hit an ump, and PCA over slid 2nd base as the potential tying run in the 9th

• Chicagoan Jack Suwinski hit the game-winning HR off of Daniel Palencia

W - CUBS 3 PIRATES 1

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

• Clutch hits!!! Seiya Suzuki broke the 1-1 tie in the 8th with an RBI single, then the Pirates strangely intentionally walked Ian Happ to get to RISP machine Nico Hoerner who drove in another run

• Shota Imanaga has been amazing! Another gem in this one (7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K)

W - CUBS 4 PIRATES 3

SWANSON SAVES THE SERIES

• Dansby Swanson drove in the game-winning run as the Cubs finally won a series for the first time since August 3rd (Orioles)

• Assad had a much better outing this time around (4.0 IP, 1 ER)

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Brad Keller

3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 save

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Matt Shaw jumping catch

Saturday was the first comeback win for the Cubs since July 2nd - 35 games without one was the longest streak in franchise history

Recalled Owen Caissie from AAA

DFA’d Jon Berti, optioned Nate Pearson to AAA, reinstated Javier Assad

• Berti seemed like a good pickup in the offseason as a reserve infielder, but his Cubs tenure was a disappointment. He finished with a .492 OPS in 100 ABs, only 21 total hits, and 2 extra-base hits. He contributed more as a pitcher with a 7.36 ERA in blow outs!

Jameson Taillon was solid in his last rehab start at AAA (5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K) and will join the Cubs rotation this week vs. the Brewers

The Brewers FINALLY lost yesterday after an improbable 14 game winning streak! Just this week: they beat Paul Skenes 14-0, came back from an 8-1 deficit, and won in 11 innings thanks to a pinch-hit 3-R HR by Andruw Monasterio

Next up ➡️ 5-game series against the Brewers at Wrigley. The Cubs are currently 8.0 games back in the division thanks to the Brewers’ historic stretch…

SCHEDULE 📅 M(x2)/T/W/TH/F/SAT/SUN (8 games!)

CHICAGO BEARS

OFFSEASON

PRESEASON: BEARS 38 BILLS 0

The preseason Bears are a juggernaut! This was just their second preseason shutout since 1994 😯

• Caleb Williams and the starters played 2 series and had a 92-yard TD drive. Caleb looked sharp and on time with his passes, going 6/10 for 130 yards and 1 TD!

• Ben Johnson’s offense was ROLLING, even in a preseason environment: 528 total yards, 31 first downs, 9/16 on 3rd down, 4/5 in the red zone

• Tyson Bagent played the majority of the game and was very much in control of the offense (13/22, 196 yards, 1 TD)

• Defensive starters played for one series and quickly got off the field after a 3-and-out

• Amen Ogbongbemiga landed a perfect Peanut Punch to help preserve the shutout

• Terell Smith went down with a potentially severe knee injury

BONUS PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Caleb Williams to Olamide Zaccheaus TD

Friday’s joint practice with the Bills:

• Another strong day for the defense! 3 INTs off of Josh Allen and more against the other QBs

• A long TD from Caleb Williams to Zaccheaus was the highlight on an inconsistent day for the offense. Way too many false starts and operational issues.

• Overall, the Bears went toe-to-toe with a very talented Bills team

The left tackle position is STILL up for grabs. Theo Benedet earned praise from the coaches this week as well as 1st team reps in practices. Since the coaches are saying Ozzy Trapilo looks way more comfortable on the right side, it may be a two-man race between Benedet and Braxton Jones. This was supposed to be decided weeks ago!

OL Coach Dan Roushar also discussed Darnell Wright’s inconsistencies that show up when he is fatigued or loses focus.

Signed RB Brittain Brown, waived/injured DB Ameer Speed

Signed DBs Millard Bradford, Mekhi Garner, Kaleb Hayes, and Mark Perry. Waived WR John Jackson, K Jonathan Kim. Waived/injured DB Major Burns. Placed DB Shaun Wade on Reserve/Injured.

Next up ➡️ Final preseason game @ Kansas City Chiefs - Friday @ 7:20PM

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

OFFSEASON

Jeff Blashill visited Bears camp! Quite the meeting of the minds!

CHICAGO BULLS

OFFSEASON

Check out the Bulls’ schedule release video here! They will only have 3 nationally televised games this year, which makes sense, because who cares about Play-In teams?

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Dansby and Mallory Swanson

On their joint bobblehead day at Wrigley Field, Dansby talked about their Purpose and Calling Foundation. They want to help kids in the Chicago community by providing resources and opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Hear more about their efforts:

MILD TAKE

It’s OK for players and coaches to be even-keeled.

The Cubs offense has been terrible.

In response, the internet has been enraged by the players’ and coaches’ dialogue with the media in recent days.

“We’re not worried.” “This is a good offensive team.” “Don’t get caught up in results.” “I know how good this team is.”

Craig Counsell preaches patience and the importance of approaching every day the same. He says focusing on results is a dangerous way to deal with the ups and downs of baseball.

I know a lot of people would prefer a fiery manager who shows more emotion and yells at a player every once in a while, but he’s saying all the right things. His players are trying - what else is he supposed to do?

The players are all talking about their confidence in the team as a whole and how they aren’t worried. Would anyone actually prefer to hear PCA or Happ or others say that they’re worried they might not be a good team?

They’re all mature baseball players who are handling this professionally. Of course they should believe in the team AND give that same message to the media.

The Cubs have been throwing more bats than usual, so we know the frustration is there. But their overall composure represents a mature team that knows the flip can switch at any point. I’d rather not see my team crumble in despair.

HITTING THE LINKS

Tony Andracki - Pete Crow-Armstrong shares memories of Paul Skenes from Little League days (Marquee Sports Network)

Ben Pope - Blackhawks' biggest X-factor is Spencer Knight, who's preparing for big workload this season (Chicago Sun-Times)

Patrick Mooney - Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong insist everything is fine: ‘Don’t think there’s any worry in the world’ (The Athletic)

Scott Powers - Blackhawks draft pick Václav Nestrašil brings his family’s hockey story full circle (The Athletic)

Chicago Bears - Dialing up intensity at training camp | 1920 Football Drive (YouTube)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

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Thanks for reading! Have a great week. Hopefully the 2025 Preseason Bears can finish undefeated!