The playoffs are special. Chicago Cubs fans know that playoff appearances should never be taken for granted. On Thursday, the Cubs clinched their 10th playoff appearance since 2000, 13th since their World Series appearance in 1945, and 23rd in their newly celebrated 150 seasons as an organization. Last year’s run ended in disappointment, and after a full year of turbulence, the Cubs are back in an identical Wild Card position. Anything can happen, but history is set up to repeat itself.
Two excruciating losses forced the champagne back into storage as we all waited for the inevitable clinching of a playoff berth. After 2 tight losses to the Marlins that were full of missed opportunities to slam the door, the Cubs hung on for a 2-1 victory to begin the party. Home field advantage in their first playoff series was still on the table as they headed to Boston, but the offense continued to be a no-show in a series loss against the Red Sox. 15 runs in 6 games steered them right into the #5 seed and a road playoff series against the San Diego Padres.
Pete Crow-Armstrong became the 7th player in MLB history to go 40/40. He also tied former Cub Kyle Schwarber for the home run crown with 45. He finished his season with these incredible stats:
162 G | 10.6 fWAR
45 HR | 41 SB | 107 RBI | 119 R
.280 AVG | .372 OBP | .570 SLG | 156 wRC+
This feels all too familiar. My season prediction of a 90-72 Wild Card finish was eerily accurate (read it here). After trading for Edward Cabrera, throwing big money at Alex Bregman, reshaping the entire bullpen, and counting on significant development from a talented core, the Cubs finished 3 games worse than last season. They head into the playoffs with a slumping offense, shaky rotation, and unintimidating bullpen. That recipe fell short against the big brother Brewers before, so why would that change now?
In last year’s Wild Card Series against the Padres, the Cubs scored 6 total runs over the 3 games. Their starting pitchers went 4.o IP and 4.1 IP, respectively, and used an opener before Shota Imanaga’s 4.0 innings. The bullpen showed up, but the defense carried the Cubs across the finish line. Former Padres manager Mike Shildt halfheartedly gave an MVP out after that series: “Dansby Swanson absolutely beat us with his glove this series”.
Defense could carry them past the streaky Padres again. Plus, Pete Crow-Armstrong can put his MVP cape on at any moment. If they move on, the bracket cruelly forces the Cubs to head to Milwaukee for another rivalry series. “This 162-game marathon is on a collision course with Milwaukee”, as I wrote on August 10th. Any team can get hot, any player can have a historic playoff run, and the ball can fly 0.1° differently than expected. The Cubs could make a run. But the franchise record-setting 103-win Brewers have more in their artillery to throw at the Cubs than they did when they celebrated their way off the field last year.
Late-night baseball will be here tomorrow as the October lights shine on the Cubs and Padres for an intense 3-game Wild Card Series in San Diego. Starting pitchers are up in the air, especially after Kevin Gausman hurt his left shoulder on a diving play this week.
How will the Cubs fare in the Wild Card Series?
Case Keenum will likely be thrown into the spotlight as the starter in tonight’s showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury is expected to keep him out for 3-4 weeks, and Tyson Bagent was in concussion protocol for the majority of the week. Keenum will face two Eagles’ coordinators who were also his former head coach (Vic Fangio for 2 months before trading Keenum away) and former teammate (Sean Mannion). The last time he threw a regular season pass was December 24th, 2023, which was before Caleb Williams was drafted by the Bears.
Losing Williams is a gut punch, but shocking the world on Monday Night Football would feel that much sweeter. With the tight ship currently being run at Halas Hall, all of the unforced errors from last week should be fixed. I don’t expect a repeat disaster out of the Ben Johnson Bears. If they get the running game back on track against an Eagles team that they dominated in the trenches last season, they will keep it close until the final whistle.
Slipping in the standings when your franchise quarterback is out is understandable, but the urgency of every single game in a short 17-game season is palpable. The Vikings look like a fraud 3-0 division leader, but they’re already gaining momentum. The Bears need to play at least .500 football without their QB to stay in the division race for the rest of the season.
Tonight’s primetime game against the Eagles will be followed by a Sunday matchup with the Jets. Both teams have been unimpressive to start the season. It’s early, but the Eagles are 1 of only 2 teams on the Bears’ schedule with a winning record until Thanksgiving Day when they play the Lions. Maybe Strength of Schedule won’t be an issue after all…
Bowen Byram’s hat trick in his unofficial Blackhawks debut was the highlight of a mostly uninformative 2-1-1 preseason. Arvid Soderblom looked solid in goal, Roman Kantserov played like the real deal, and the squad will need extra time to find a groove thanks to the shortened training camp.
Oliver Moore signed a 5-year contract extension ($4.25M cap hit). As the Rome Odunze to Connor Bedard, being the 2nd 1st round pick in the franchise player’s draft class, he will continue to grow with the young core. Moore is a fascinating young player who may be the most underrated part of the Blackhawks’ future. His speed is electric, his two-way game as a center is his strength, and he could end up anywhere in the Top 9 over the next few years. He also made it clear how much he loves it here: “I wish I could sign for 15 years”.
The season begins in Vegas tomorrow night!
Buddy Hield was acquired from the Charlotte Hornets for Rob Dillingham. Hield is a respected 10-year veteran who fills an obvious need on the Bulls roster: shooting. He’s a career 39.5% from 3-point territory and can earn an impactful role in the rotation. Although his traits were enticing, Dillingham didn’t earn much playing time after arriving in Chicago via the Ayo Dosunmu trade. The new regime must believe he won’t be a part of the future, so moving on from him for an experienced player was best for the young Bulls.
The Bears will have a winning record in games without Caleb Williams.
Whether their star quarterback misses 1 game or 4 games, the Bears will find ways to win without him. That’s what winning football programs do.
Last week’s loss was as fluky as it gets against a mediocre Vikings team. Multiple red zone mistakes, an abundance of penalties, and ineffective blocking will not be characteristic of the Bears moving forward.
Whoever plays quarterback until QB1 returns will know the system like the back of their hand and will get the ball to their playmakers. There is no world where Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden all go silent for an entire month. Someone will find their groove, and the Bears will score enough points to get by. Plus, if they run the ball for 200+ yards, who needs a quarterback, anyways?
Alex Bregman
Five days after fracturing his face, Bregman returned to the lineup in Boston against his former team. He didn’t let a freak injury stop him from joining his brothers on the baseball field. As soon as humanly possible, after his hospital visit, he was in the clubhouse talking ball and trying to regain his form. He even had to distance himself during the champagne celebration to protect his wounds.
Now he’s ready for the playoffs with a swollen face and a 2-HR game under his belt. It’s his 10th consecutive season in the playoffs, so he knows how to handle this.
