Injuries, injuries, injuries. The winds of health keep changing in Chicago. One second, Ozzy Trapilo is on the verge of a miraculously early comeback from a ruptured patellar tendon. In another, Coby Bryant’s initial recovery timeline is steamrolled by a devastating surgery announcement. At least the Cubs figured out how to win with an entire payroll on the injured list. They added a couple more names to the list in the midst of a minor slump, but they’re built to get right back to their winning ways.
The surging post-deadline Cubs stayed aflame to begin their series in DC. They slugged 7 homers over the first 2 games, and 4 of those came off the bat of Alex Bregman! After the second win, their momentum went off the rails.
Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd, and Edward Cabrera had starts to forget as they lost 3 of their next 4 games. It didn’t help that Cardinals rookie Joshua Baez sent a ball into the bleachers in each of his first 3 big league at-bats. The Cubs couldn’t dig themselves out of early deficits as the offense struggled to put together any rallies. Seiya Suzuki’s 3-R HR salvaged a 3-0 win in the opener against the Cardinals, but the offense looked sheepish in the series. 11 runs and 21 hits over 4 games was a major step back for a lineup that was clicking.
Cabrera and Dansby Swanson left yesterday’s game with injuries and will most likely miss significant time.
Losing a series to the Cardinals in front of the Wrigley faithful is always a tough pill to swallow, but this was just a minor speed bump for a baseball team heading in the right direction. Gausman will find his footing, Cabrera wasn’t being relied upon for starts to close out the year, and the offense still rakes. Pedro Ramirez can slide into an everyday role at 2B with Dansby Swanson missing time, and Michael Conforto can split time at DH with a soon-to-be returning Matt Shaw. Their depth has carried them, and it will shine again in the middle of the playoff push. Even though the Brewers appear undefilable, a 5-game Wild Card lead feels like first class comfort.
The Cubs will seek Crosstown revenge after the young Sox sluggers claimed their stake on the city in May. Imanaga, Gausman, and Holmes should get the rotation back on track despite the White Sox coming in as winners of 6 of their last 8 games.
What do you expect in the Crosstown Classic: Round 2?
34 unanswered points sealed a 34-10 Bears victory in their preseason opener! Position battles aren’t usually fought during preseason games in the modern NFL, so standout performances continue to evolve into less significant developments. Tyson Bagent is already carved in as QB2, and he had a decent outing in the 1st half (13/22, 169 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Salvon Ahmed had the main explosive on offense with a 49-yard screen TD, and Beanie Bishop Jr. (2 INT) and Jamree Kromah (2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 TFL) flew around the field on defense.
The Coby Bryant diagnosis took a turn for the worst. He had surgery and will miss 4-6 months. That puts him on schedule to potentially return for the playoffs…as I mentioned last week, the Bears are relying on coaching to improve this season, and that’s even more true today. Bryant was one of two key free agent signings for a defense that was bullied throughout most of last season. Dillon Thieneman will more or less be on an island out there as a rookie, and the entire secondary looks barren right now.
First preseason game is September 19th!
The 2026-2027 schedule was released! For a team breaking in a new regime, new coach, new play style, and new young players, opening the season with a gauntlet against mostly elite teams will be a struggle.
The defensive line will be the best defensive position group for the Bears this season.
The most questioned unit on the Bears roster over the last 12 months is now fully equipped to put the defense on their back.
Everyone wanted more additions to the line during the offseason, but the Bears had already invested a large amount of draft capital and money into the group. 2025 was a disaster in terms of pass pressure and run defense, but it was their first year in a new system. It sounds like Gervon Dexter fixed his pre-snap stance, Dayo Odeyingbo is healthy, and the other veterans are driven to prove last year was a fluke.
The makings of a terrorizing duo is there with Montez Sweat and Austin Booker coming off the edge. The rest of the rotation has enough talent to turn the page and take control of the line of scrimmage.
The secondary is quickly thinning out due to injuries. Hopefully, the linebacker crew will improve with the addition of Devin Bush, but the unit was mostly absent in this system last year. The Bears may need historically high point totals to win a lot of games (maybe THE most historical - thanks, Ben Johnson), but the defensive line will pull their end of the rope.
Ian Happ
Happ’s foundation hosted their 2nd annual High Spirits With Happ fundraiser. In one night, they raised $400,000 to help support kids in the Chicago area!
