Cubs DFA Hernan Perez and Ian Miller

 With the acquisition of Andrew Chafin, Josh Osich, and Cameron Maybin today the Cubs had to do some 60-man roster managing to fit them on the roster, and they did just that by designating utility infielder Hernan Perez and outfielder Ian Miller for assignment.

Perez, signed to a minor league deal in December and appeared in just three games for the Cubs going 1-6 with two strikeouts. Perez never really stood out at anything with the Cubs, and his spot is easily replaceable.

It's a bit of a surprise to see Miller DFA'd, but his only real asset to the Cubs was his speed and defense and the Cubs already have a lot of outfield depth and just added two more pieces that can contribute right now.

Perez is ultimately replaceable, but it would be nice if they are able to stash Miller. His speed and defense could be a real weapon for the Cubs if needed in a pinch, even if his bat isn't good.

Cubs acquire Cameron Maybin

 In a last minute deal before the deadline the Chicago Cubs have acquired righty outfielder Cameron Maybin from the Detroit Tigers according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Maybin has made 45 plate appearances for the Tigers this season hitting .244/.311/.415 with a home run and four doubles. The 33-year old saw a bit of a career resurgence last season posting a .858 OPS and 127 OPS+ in 269 plate appearances for the Yankees.

Although Maybin is a right handed batter he is actually a reverse platoon guy as he has posted a .714 OPS against same handed pitchers, compared to .670 against lefties throughout his career. He is a roughly league average defensive outfielder. with a DRS of -1 in 96 innings in right field.

Despite that, he is definitely a significant upgrade over Albert Almora Jr, who has become completely unplayable with the bat thanks to his very high ground ball rate and inability to hit the ball hard.

Update: In return the Cubs are sending 25-year old shortstop Zack Short to the Tigers. Short made it up to AAA in 2019 and managed to post a .338 OBP in 160 plate appearances. In .371 minor league games he has hit .241/.377/.405 in 1588 plate appearances. He shows decent pop for his size along with good plate discipline, but he profiles as more of an organization depth guy.

Cubs trade for Josh Osich

 Just 30 minutes after acquiring Andrew Chafin from the Arizona Diamondbacks the Chicago Cubs have acquired another lefty reliever in Josh Osich from the Boston Red Sox. According to Jon Heyman the Cubs will be sending a player to be named later for Osich.

Osich, 32 in three days, has really struggled in 2020. He has posted a 5.74 ERA in 13 appearances and 15.2 innings pitched. He has given up an obscene six home runs while striking out 20 and walking five. Osich has been fairly effective against lefties as they have hit .231/.286/.462 in 28 plate appearances.

The lefty primarily relies on an 87 MPH cutter that he has thrown 47.6 percent of the time in 2020. Hitters have batter .229 off the pitch, but five of their hits off of it have been home runs.  It's worth noting that the velocity has dropped over two MPH from where the pitch was in 2019, and that could be a reason for the amount of slugging off the pitch. 

Osich is a guy that should have his exposure to right handed hitters to a minimum. He has held lefties to a .665 OPS throughout his career, but righties have destroyed him to the tune of a .892 OPS along with a significant decline in both his strikeout and walks numbers.

Overall it's a fairly disappointing deadline for the Cubs, but that was to be expected. Although they are in first place in their division, they ultimately face a very challenging path to the World Series as they would have to get through the Dodgers just to reach the Fall Classic.

Cubs working on acquiring Andrew Chafin

 The Cubs went into the trade deadline with needs for a lefty-masher and a lefty reliever. On Sunday they acquired the lefty-masher in Jose Martinez, and now it appears they could be landing the lefty reliever in Andrew Chafin. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post the Cubs are working on acquiring the reliever.

Chafin has appeared in 11 games in the 2019 season allowing six runs over six and two-thirds innings pitched, he has flashed good stuff with 10 strikeouts, but four walks and nine hits allowed have taken away from the good strikeout numbers. Chafin has been on the injured list since August 19 with a left finger sprain.

Although his numbers this year are rough, he had been a very good reliever for the Diamondbacks in years past with a 3.46 ERA in 225 appearances from 2017-19. Most notably he struck out 182 while walking 64 in 153.2 innings pitched.

He has traditionally been much better against lefties as they have hit just .230/.307/.310 in 541 plate appearances over his career. He is a nice addition to Kyle Ryan and the bullpen could be getting an even bigger boost when Brad Wieck comes back.

Chafin has significantly increased his four-seam fastball usage this season to very poor results as opposing batters have slugged .571 with an average exit velocity of 96 MPH. This came at the expense of his slider which had been his best pitch holding hitters to a .286 slugging percentage this year and .294 the year before.

The return of this deal is currently unknown, and frankly it's a slightly confusing deal for the Cubs. Chafin is currently injured with no timetable for his return. The Cubs needs guys that can contribute as soon as tomorrow, not someone that is currently hurt and has struggled when he is healthy. There is definitely upside to this move, especially if he can come back and be what he has been in the past, but it's just a strange move to make right now.

Cubs acquire Jose Martinez from Rays

 In what could be the first of a few trades prior to Mondays trade deadline the Chicago Cubs have acquired Jose Martinez from the Tampa Bay Rays for a couple players to be named later according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Although Martinez has just a .239/.329.3888 overall split this year, he has a tremendous amount of success against lefties, he has traditionally been known as a lefty masher with a lifetime .319/.392/.554 line in 336 plate appearances against southpaws throughout his career.

Getting his bat against lefties is a huge benefit to a team that has been very sad against lefties, the Cubs as a team are hitting just .208/.325/.333 against them.

Martinez, 32, was acquired by the Rays from the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason. He is owed a pro-rated $2.125 million this year and is under team control through the 2022 season.

His position is listed as an OF/1B, but he likely receive the most of his playing time in the designated hitter spot as his defense is considered absolutely terrible.

In a corresponding move the Cubs have designated catcher Josh Phegley for assignment. Phegley had been a star of summer camp, but went just 1-16 with a home run and three strikeouts in the regular season.

Late rally falters as Cubs fall to Tigers

 Before I start this game recap I want to give a shout out to Jason Heyward, who sat out of tonights game most likely in protest of the horrific shooting of Jacob Black. He joins the entire NBA, and several MLB teams who chose not to play tonight. Black Lives Matter and all lives can't matter until black lives do too. I am white, so I do not know the struggle of being black in America, but I am in full support of the movement.

If you want to make a donation, here is a link to some causes.

The Cubs dropped the rubber match 7-6 to the Tigers tonight to drop their record to 18-12.

Jon Lester was solid through five innings giving up one run on eight hits while striking out five and walking one. He was giving up contact, but did a good job to limit the damage.

Most of the damage came off of Rowan Wick (two) and Ryan Tepera (three) who gave up five runs in the sixth. It was an especially disappointing outing for Tepera who had been dominant since being brought up to the active roster.

The Cubs got the scoring started early in the third when they put runners on the corners with one out and Anthony Rizzo drove in a run with an RBI single and Javier Baez followed up with a sacrifice fly to put the Cubs up 2-0.

Kyle Schwarber would hit an opposite field home run for his sixth of the season, but that would be it for the Cubs offense until the ninth inning.

In the ninth the Cubs got four straight hits to start the inning off of Kyle Farmer including an RBI single by Nico Hoerner and RBI double by Albert Almora Jr. Rizzo would come up with a chance to give the Cubs the lead and he absolutely smashed a ball to center, but the deep center field in Comerica made it just a sacrifice fly. Baez would then hit a deep fly ball to left that was caught, and Schwarber would line out right to the pitcher to end the rally and the game.

The Cubs are off tomorrow, but go to Cincinnati to start a four game set against that includes a doubleheader. Kyle Hendricks will take the mound against Anthony DeSclafani.

Tigers stomp Cubs

 Tyler Chatwood looked extremely rusty in his first start back from the IL and Tigers broke the game open late against the Cubs bullpen to win the game 7-1.

Chatwood lasted just an inning and a third giving up two runs on two hits while walking five and striking out two. He threw only 27 of his 55 pitches for strikes and left with the bases loaded, though no runs ended up scoring.

Jose Quintana made his season debut in the third and was good for his first three innings, but things fell apart for him in the sixth when he gave up a lead off single that was followed by an RBI double and he was pulled after a walk. Overall it was a fine season debut for Quintana, he was good early on and just seemed to run out of gas in the sixth.

After Quintana, Casey Sadler would come in and allow the Tigers to put the game out of reach. After a walk and a ground out he gave up a grand slam to Jonathan Schoop to make the score 7-0.

Kyle Ryan and Dan Winkler would both pitch scoreless innings. For Ryan it was nice to see as he has really struggled this year after being one of the most important pieces of the Cubs bullpen in 2019.

The Cubs got their only offense in the ninth when Willson Contreras ripped a solo home run in the ninth.

The series concludes tomorrow as Jon Lester will look to bounce back from his atrocious outing against the White Sox. Michael Fulmer will take the mound for the Tigers.

Cubs make roster moves for Chatwood, Quintana

 As expected the Chicago Cubs have activated Tyler Chatwood and Jose Quintana from the injured list. Chatwood will start tonight against the Tigers, while Quintana will move to the bullpen as I discussed before.

It is not sure if Chatwood, who is coming back from a back injury, will be limited tonight.

In corresponding moves the Cubs have optioned RHP Jason Adam and OF Ian Miller to the South Bend roster.

Adam appeared in three games for the Cubs allowing three runs in three and two thirds innings. He showed good stuff with an impressive nine strikeouts, but five hits including a home run and two walks really took away from his numbers.

Miller appeared in one game as a pinch runner. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him back on the active roster this season.

What to expect from Jose Quintana out of the 'pen

 The Cubs are expected to activate Jose Quintana from the injured list today and instead of being inserted into the rotation he will be moved to the bullpen.

Obviously it's very disappointing for the Cubs who gave up a lot to acquire him from the White Sox in 2017. Quintana hasn't turned into the pitcher they expected him to be, but he still has the potential to be an asset for the Cubs out of the bullpen.

Quintana has made two appearances out of the 'pen for the Cubs in previous years. The first was in Game Five of the NLDS against the Washngton Nationals in 2017, but he went just two thirds of an inning giving up a hit and a walk so there isn't much to take from that. The other appearance was during the second game of the 2019 season where he went four innings against the Texas Rangers giving up two unearned runs on five hits while striking out eight.

Looking at the splits Quintana is significantly more effective the first time through the order than he is the second or third time through. Hitters posted just a .275 wOBA the first time through the order, compared to .364 the second time through and .326 the third time through. His strikeout numbers jumped significantly as well as he struck out 22.9 percent of hitters compared to 17.5 and 18.8 percent the subsequent times.

Quintana has also seen his velocity trend slightly downward during his time with the Cubs, so a move to a reliever could potentially help him try and bring his velocity up as he would be able to give maximum effort on each pitch instead of trying to conserve himself to go deeper into the game.

The move gives the Cubs a much needed lefty for the bullpen as well. Brad Wieck is still injured, and Kyle Ryan hasn't been effective to say the least with a 7.04 ERA in nine appearances along with his still significantly diminished velocity and horrible underlying numbers. Quintana is at his best against lefties as they posted a 2.42 FIP and a .265 wOBA in a 162 plate appearance sample in 2019.

The Cubs will still be looking to add to the bullpen prior to Mondays trade deadline, but adding Quintana could give the Cubs a much needed boost to a bullpen that could definitely use the help.

Javy Baez breaks out as Cubs top Tigers

 It had been frustrating to watch Javier Baez lately as he had really been expanding the zone and was in probably the biggest slump of his career, but he broke out in a big way collecting three hits and two home runs leading the Cubs to a 9-3 victory and the 11,000th victory in franchise history.

Alec Mills rebounded after his rough outing last week to go seven strong innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out seven. It was really nice to see him go deep in the game and give the bullpen a bit of a rest.

The Cubs got going early off highly touted prospect Casey Mize as they put a runner on second with two outs in the second and then a hit by pitch set up back to back RBI singles by David Bote and Nico Hoerner.

After the Tigers got a run back in the third Bote would lead off the fourth inning with an absolute bomb to left. An error by the Tigers allowed Hoerner to reach base and two batters later after chasing Mize Anthony Rizzo would drive in the run with an RBI single. Baez would follow with his first home run of the game, a two-run blast to right center.

The bats would remain quiet until the ninth when Baez led off the ninth with his second home run and then after loading the bases Bote would drive in two more with a two-run single that  sneaked by two Tigers infielders.

Although Bote has really struggled to start the season his line is up to .222/.300/.429 after his monster game tonight boosting his wRC+ to 96. He still needs to reduce his 30 percent strike out rate, but it's a really positive game for the infielder.

Ryan Tepera continues to look excellent out of the bullpen striking out two in his inning of work and Colin Rea shut the door with a 1-2-3 ninth improving the Cubs record to 18-10.

The series continues tomorrow as Tyler Chatwood will make his return off the injured list facing off against Spencer Turnbull in a game that starts at 6:10 PM.

Cubs beat Sox in nailbiter

 After the pitching getting obliterated back to back nights Yu Darvish was able to dominate the Sox white hot lineup to avoid the sweep.

Darvish threw seven dominant innings giving up just one run on six while striking out ten and walking one. The outing dropped his season ERA to 1.70 and he has become a leading contender for the NL Cy Young award.

The Sox got their only offense in the second when Jose Abreu (of course) hit his sixth home run of the three game series. He has just feasted on Cubs pitching day in and day out throughout the series.

In the sixth Javier Baez would hit a one out double and the Kyle Schwarber would follow with a two-run home run off former Cubs prospect Dylan Cease to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead.

It was a frustrating day overall for the bats, in the fourth they had first and third with one out and didn't score a run. They managed to top that in the fifth when they loaded the bases with no outs but a strikeout and a double play ended their chance.

Craig Kimbrel would come in for the eight and strike out Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada before walking Yasmani Grandal and Jose Abreu before David Ross would pull Kimbrel and bring in Jeremy Jeffress.

Jeffress would get Eloy Jimenez to line out and in the ninth he would get two quick outs, but an infield single and two walks would load the bases with Anderson at the dish and the tying run at third. However, Anderson would ground out to secure the 2-1 victory.

The Cubs travel to Detroit and take on the Tigers in a three game set. Alec Mills will look to rebound opposing Tigers top prospect Casey Mize.

Cubs add Ian Miller

 Prior to Sundays game the Cubs made a roster move adding speedy outfielder Ian Miller to the roster, in a corresponding move the team transferred RHP James Norwood to the 45-day injured list.

Miller was signed to a minor league contract and was having an excellent Spring Training before the COVID-19 shut down really ruined his chance of making the opening day roster. He will take Kris Bryants spot on the roster. 

The 27-year old made his major league debut in 2019 for the Minnesota and went just 3-17 with a double. He was very good in AAA split between the Seattle Mariners and Twins organizations hitting .264/.346/.431 with 11 home runs while stealing 35 bases in 42 attempts.

Miller will most likely see most of his playing time as a defensive replacement/pinch runner as he is very fast and is considered a very good defensive outfielder. If he plays well he could potentially put Albert Almora Jr on notice.

Although he is primarily a speed and defense guy he does provide the Cubs with some contact skills that they have been lacking lately. He struck out just 89 times in 514 AAA plate appearances, he doesn't hit for a ton of power, but a .167 ISO is certainly respectable

Norwood hasn't appeared in a game since July 29 and has been on the injured list since August 2nd with right shoulder inflammation. 

Cubs split another doubleheader

The Cubs repeated the pattern they set Monday losing the first game 9-3, but taking a late lead to win the second game 4-2. Overall they won the series taking three of five and improve their record to 16-8.

Alec Mills simply did not have it in the first game lasting only three and two thirds innings allowing six runs on seven hits walking two while striking out just one. The big blow came in the first inning when he gave up a grand slam to Matt Carpenter. It was a disappointing outing for Mills who had gotten off to a very good start.

The Cubs offense was mostly lifeless in the first game managing just three runs on two hits, a lead off home run by Ian Happ and a two-run home run by Josh Phegley. The struggles came despite forcing Jack Flaherty to depart after an inning and two thirds with the bases loaded.

In the second game the Cubs gave the ball to promising right hander Adbert Alzolay and he delivered going five innings of one run ball on two hits while striking out six and walking one. His command was a little shaky at times but he did an excellent job of shutting down the Cardinals lineup.

The offense got started early as the "road" team as Victor Caratini hit a two-run single with one out that scored Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras who had both walked.

The Cardinals would get a run in the fifth after a throwing error by David Bote (though Anthony Rizzo probably should've had it). In the sixth they would tie it on a new Cub killer Brad Miller opposite field single.

David Bote would redeem himself however in the seventh inning when he batted with the bases loaded and one out and delivered with a two-run single off of Giovanni Gallegos. He has consistently been one of the Cubs top performers in the clutch and he delivered once again.

To close the game out the Cubs would turn to Craig Kimbrel for his first save opportunity since his near meltdown against the Royals. He looked excellent striking out three while hitting a batter. His fastball touched 99 MPH and he was getting swings on his pitches.

The Cubs are off tomorrow, but will start a three game series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Jon Lester will take on Dallas Keuchel.

Cubs outlast Cardinals

 In a game that seemed to drag on forever the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 thanks to an excellent start from Yu Darvish.

Darvish went six strong innings allowing one run on eight hits along with seven strikeouts.He did a good job of limiting the damage including getting out of a bases loaded no outs jam without allowing a run.

The Cubs got the scoring started in the third when Ian Happ hit a solo home run for his fifth home run, he continues to be a huge part of the Cubs offense this season. Batting lead off he went 2-3 with a home run and a walk improving his line to .313/.439/.627 and a 183 wRC+.

In the fourth Jason Heyward would extend the lead with an RBI triple, but the Cubs would waste a huge chance later in the frame as they had bases loaded and one out but managed to not score a run.

The next inning Javier Baez would rip a 111.9 MPH double and Kyle Schwarber followed with a 113.1 MPH two-run home run to make the game 4-1. The Cubs concluded the scoring on a Victor Caratini RBI double and a Jason Kipnis sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Casey Sadler looked good in his first inning of work, but quickly fell apart in the eight walking his first two batter before being pulled for Dan Winkler. Winkler would give up an RBI single, but then got a double play with the bases loaded.

After Winkler hit Dexter Fowler David Ross would signal for Rowan Wick who would strike out Andrew Knizer as the tying run. In the ninth he worked around a one out walk to secure the victory.

The Cubs conclude the series with another double header tomorrow. Alec Mills will take the mound opposing Jack Flaherty, while the starters for game two are unknown. The first game begins at 1:20 PM 

Cubs split double header against Cardinals

 The Chicago Cubs dropped the first game of their doubleheader 3-1, but rallied in the second game to pull of a 6-5 victory.

Kyle Hendricks got the ball in Game 1 and mostly did his thing, but he ran out of gas in the seventh and final inning and it cost the Cubs. He went six and a third allowing three runs on three hits with five strikeouts and a walk.

The only scoring for the Cubs came via an Ian Happ solo home run.

In the seventh the Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs and although they would get a force at home for the first out Rowan Wick would come in and give up a two-run double to give the Cardinals a lead they would not relinquish.

The second game would feature something very unusual. The Cubs were the road team at their own ballpark, this was due to the second game being a make up game for one the games in St. Louis that was postponed.

Tyson Miller would make his major league debut as the starter for the second game and didn't make much of an impression. He went just two innings allowing two runs on a hit with three walks and no strikeouts. The Cardinals seemed to have a good read on him and Miller didn't help himself with his command throwing 23 of his 42 pitches for strikes. The two runs he allowed came off a Brad Miller two run home run.

Aside from a run on a passed ball the Cubs offense would be completely shut down until the sixth. They collected their first hit on an RBI double by Willson Contreras and three batters later David Bote would pinch hit for Victor Caratini and deliver in the clutch with a go-ahead three run home run off Tyler Webb.

Overall the bullpen was really impressive in the second game. Ryan Tepera continues to grow as he struck out the side in his inning of work. Duane Underwood Jr. looked good. Kyle Ryan would struggle, however, as he allowed back to back home runs to Miller and rookie Max Schrock.

Dan Winkler would walk one, but escape his inning unscathed and Jeremy Jeffress would pitch a clean bottom of the seventh to lock up the game.

The series continues tomorrow at 7:15 as Yu Darvish will go against Daniel Ponce De Leon.

Brewers take series

The Cubs fell to the Brewers 6-5 in what was yet another one run loss for the Cubs. The Brewers leave the north side having taken three of four from the Cubs.

Jon Lester had two bad innings but was otherwise fine. He gave up a frustrating three-run home run to Keston Hiura just a few innings after the Cubs had jumped up 3-0. In the fifth he would give up a two-run home run to #9 hitter Orlando Arcia to put the Brewers up 5-3. Overall Lester went six giving up five runs with five strikeouts.

The Cubs jumped on Josh Lindblom in the first inning when Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras drew back-to-back one out walks that led to a RBI single by Kyle Schwarber and then a two-run double by Steven Souza Jr.

In the sixth inning the Cubs would tie the game on a two-run single by Jason Kipnis. The Northbrook native has been incredible for the Cubs with a .355/.444/.710 line in 36 plate appearances. His 206 wRC+ is definitely boosted by his .500 BABIP.

Jason Adam would make his Cubs debut in the seventh and immediately give up a triple to Orlando Arcia thanks to a poor route ran by Ian Happ and Ryan Braun would follow up with an RBI single.

Craig Kimbrel came in for the eighth and looked excellent. He struck out the first two hitters looking and then got Manny Pina to pop out to retire the side. He threw 11 of his 15 pitches for strikes and was locating his fastball very effectively.

Josh Hader would shut the door on the Cubs in the ninth with the help of some questionable calls. Nico Hoerner worked a 13-pitch at bat with two outs but it ended with a soft fly out to center.

The Cardinals come into town for a five-game set that will feature two double headers including one tomorrow. Tomorrows game one starts at 4:15 CST and will feature Kyle Hendricks against Kwang-Hyun Kim. The starters for game two have yet to be determined.

Chatwood placed on IL, Cubs call up Jason Adam

 After being scratched from his start Friday with a mid-back strain he has now been placed on the 10-day injured list. To fill his place they have brought up RHP Jason Adam from the South Bend squad. To fit Adam on the 40-man roster the team designated RHP Jharel Cotton for assignment.

It's a disappointing turn for Chatwood to say the least. Aside from being roughed up against the Kansas City Royals he had been phenomenal in his first two starts with 23 strikeouts to only four walks in 15 innings pitched. He seemed to finally figure out the control issues that had plagued him. There is currently no timetable for his return.

The Cubs signed Adam to a minor league deal in January after spending 2019 with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. The 29-year old made 23 appearances out of the bullpen for the Jays giving up 15 hits in 21.2 innings pitched striking out 18 while walking 10.

Adam throws hard with a four-seam fastball that averages 94.4 MPH, he generates a ton of spin with it as his 2580 RPM ranked 13th in all of baseball last season. Hitters went just 9-55 with 16 strikeouts off the pitch.

He also features a curveball that he will drop in at 77.7 MPH and a change up that he throws just 11 percent of the time. He is a fly ball pitcher with a 30 percent fly ball average that was well above the major league average of 22 percent, he rarely induces ground balls as his 26.7 ground ball percent was well below the major league average of 45 percent. He induces a ton of pop ups as his 18.3 percent rate is significantly better than the major league average of seven percent.

Cotton was purchased by the Cubs from the A's in the offseason and has just never gotten a chance to  really show what he's got. The 28-year old last pitched in the big leagues in 2017 and wasn't particularly impressive when he did. The Cubs have 10 days to release, trade, or waive Cotton.

Cubs fall to Brewers

 Alec Mills was solid up until the sixth inning and the Brewers managed to squeak by the Cubs 4-3 to drop the northsiders to 13-4.

Mills spot started for an injured Tyler Chatwood and took a perfect game into the fifth but gave up a run in the fifth and then a back-breaking three-run home run to Christian Yelich. Overall he threw six innings of four run ball giving up five hits while striking out seven and walking one.

The Cubs got all of their runs in the fifth when they chased Brewers ace Brandon Woodruff after a Jason Kipnis RBI single, an Ian Happ RBI walk, and an Anthony Rizzo RBI single. Thy missed a huge chance to add on when Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber struck out against Freddy Peralta with the bases loaded.

The bullpen was excellent once again. Ryan Tepera was excellent over an inning and two thirds striking out two, Kyle Ryan struck out Yelich to end the eighth.

Craig Kimbrel would come in for the ninth and looked like a completely different pitcher. His fastball was topping out at 98 MPH and he seemed to be locating it much better. The command was still very spotty at times, but he was finally generating some swings and misses on both his fastball and curveball.

The Cubs put the tying run on in the eighth and Josh Hader would come in and load the bases with two outs, but Josh Phegley would strike out on a high pitch to end the threat. Kris Bryant was not available off the bench due to a wrist injury

In the bottom of the ninth Rizzo walked with two outs, but Baez would strike out against Hader to end the game.

The series continues tomorrow at 2:20 as the Cubs will send a to be determined starter to the mound against Adrian Houser.

Darvish dominates Brewers

 Yu Darvish took a no-hitter into the seventh in an excellent outing against the MIlwaukee Brewers helping the Cubs improve their record to 13-3.

Darvish threw seven innings of one run and one hit ball, he struck out a season high 11 while walking two.The only hit he allowed was a solo home run off the bat of Justin Smoak.

The Cubs got going fast as Nico Hoerner hit the first pitch of the game for a double and then scored on back to back ground outs by Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez.

Kyle Schwarber would lead off the second inning with his third home run of the season. Despite a career worst .212 ISO Schwarber has been hitting the ball at the hardest rate of his career with a 94.2 MPH average exit velocity going into tonights game which ranks 10th in all of baseball (and third on his own team!)

Ian Happ would add on in the sixth with an RBI double that scored Willson Contreras from first and then David Bote would make it 4-0 with a single to left.

Casey Sadler would get the eighth and would give up a hit, but no runs. He got off to a bit of a rocky start, but has been good in three and a third August innings so far.

Rowan Wick would get the ninth and after getting two quick outs gave up a single and then an RBI double to Smoak, but would get Omar Narvaez to fly out and secured the 4-2 victory and earned his third save of the season.

The Cubs continue the series tomorrow at 7:15 as Tyler Chatwood looks to bounce back from his rough outing against the Royals. Brandon Woodruff will take the mound for the Brewers.

Hendricks in command as Cubs top Indians

 The Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2 tonight completing a two game sweep and improving their record to a Major League Baseball best 12-3.

Kyle Hendricks continued his excellent season with six innings of one run ball giving up seven hits while striking out five. His curveball and change up were excellent tonight and he allowed very few hard hit balls.

The Cubs did a very impressive job making Carlos Carrasco work as he walked five in his four and a third innings pitched while allowing three runs on top of four hits. He only threw 57 of his 103 pitches for strikes and never seemed to get fully comfortable out there.

The offense got the scoring started in the third inning when Anthony Rizzo connected for a solo home run that had an exit velocity of 108.4 MPH.

In the fifth the Cubs would load the bases with one out which led to a Jason Heyward sacrifice fly and then a David Bote two-run single (he seems to like August 12th).

Prior to the runs scored the Cubs would lose catcher Willson Contreras after he was ejected slamming his bat while arguing a swinging strike. It would result in an interesting decision for the Cubs as they placed Victor Caratini at catcher which caused them to lose the designated hitter spot and moved Kyle Hendricks to the fourth spot in the line up. He would not take an at bat though as he would be pinch hit for by Steven Souza Jr.

The Cubs would add on to the lead in the 6th on a Kris Bryant 430 foot bomb. Jason Kipnis continued his revenge series with an RBI double and Jason Heyward would conclude the scoring with another RBI double to make it 7-2.

Heyward continues to heat up and has now gotten his season line up to .256/.313/.419 which puts his wRC+ at en even 100. His .163 ISO and 89.1 MPH exit velocity along with a .265 BABIP suggest that he could continue to improve over the next upcoming games.

Dan Winkler struggled out of the bullpen throwing 10 of his 22 pitches for strikes while walking two and striking out one. Rowan Wick would come in and allow a run that would be charged to Winkler, but struck out three in his inning and a third.

Jeremy Jeffress would come in for the ninth and induce a double play after a hit batter to secure the victory.

The Cubs start a four game set against the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow at 6:15. Yu Darvish will take the mound opposing Chase Anderson in a game that is exclusive on FOX.

Royals smack Cubs

The Royals dominated the Cubs 13-2 today ending the Cubs six-game winning streak and bringing their record down to 10-3.

The Cubs simply did not have an answer for Brad Keller today he threw five shutout innings giving up just three hits along with two walks while striking out seven.

Meanwhile the Royals bats were absolutely all over Tyler Chatwood today as he gave up an incredibly 11 hits in two and a third innings with two of those leaving the yard while striking out four. He just simply did not have it today and knocked the Cubs out of the game early.

Duane Underwood Jr. got roughed up in his outing as well allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in two and a third innings. He continues to struggle to establish himself as a quality big league reliever.

Ryan Tepera was the one bright spot for the Cubs pitching pitching a clean inning and a third with a two punchouts. He has the potential to establish himself as legit bullpen arm if he can continue to show swing and miss stuff like he has even if the results haven't been there.

Craig Kimbrel would throw the final half inning with the Cubs and it didn't start pretty with a hard-hit triple followed by a walk and an RBI single, but Kimbrel did bounce back to get two ground balls and a strikeout to end the threat. He finally got some swing and misses on his curveball, but overall it still was not a positive outing.

The Cubs got their runs when Victor Caratini and Nico Hoerner hit back-to-back RBI singles to give the Cubs some late offense.

The North Siders travel to St. Louis tomorrow to start a three game set. This will be the Cardinals first games since their Coronavirus outbreak. The Cardinals will send Daniel Ponce De Leon to the mound while the Cubs will start Jon Lester in a 7:15 PM start time.

Cubs trim roster to 28

Teams were required to bring their active roster down to 28 players today and the Cubs did so by sending both lefties Rex Brothers and Justin Steele to South Bend.

There was a late push by the Players Association to keep the roster at 30 for the season, but instead they agreed that the roster would stick at 28 for the rest of the season instead of dropping to 26 like originally planned.

Steele did not get into a game for the Cubs, but Brothers made only two appearances and was disastrous in the second one giving up two home runs along with two walks and three strikeouts in an inning and a third against the Reds.

The move also leaves Kyle Ryan as the only lefty in the bullpen, which is slightly concerning considering his struggles this year combined with his very noticeable velocity loss.

They will likely return to two lefties once Brad Wieck comes off the injured list, but there is currently no timetable for his return.

Cubs take down Royals

The Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 extending their win steak to six and tying the Minnesota Twins for the best record in the MLB at 10-2.

The Royals struck first when they put runners on first and third with nobody out, but Raul Mondesi Jr. would ground into a double play which brought home a lot but also helped limit the damage.

The Cubs would strike back in the next half inning when Kris Bryant singled and Anthony Rizzo walked to set up first and second with nobody out. Javier Baez would follow with a game-tying RBI single, but Willson Contreras would ground into a double play bringing in a run, but also practically eliminating any chance for a bigger inning.

Yu Darvish was excellent once again for the Cubs going seven strong innings giving up just the one run on five hits with four strikeouts while walking just one. He was incredibly efficient tonight throwing 58 of his 93 pitches for strikes.

The Cubs would add on in the eighth when Baez had his second RBI single of the day and Willson Contrereas followed that with an RBI single to make it 4-1.

They would add two more in the ninth when Victor Caratini drove in Ian Happ with an RBI single and Kris Bryant would add an RBI single that scored Caratini from first.

The bullpen was excellent once again today. Jeremy Jeffress threw a clean inning with a strikeout. Colin Rea would make his Cubs debut in the ninth and flashed a 95 MPH fastball along with a cutter with some excellent movement. He would strikeout two batters in his inning of work to close the game out.

The Cubs conclude the series against the Royals tomorrow with Tyler Chatwood taking on Brad Keller in a game that starts at 6:07 tomorrow.

Offense powers Cubs to victory

Kyle Hendricks rebounded after a rough start last week and the Cubs won their fifth game in a row beating the Royals 5-4 and improving their record to an NL-best 9-2.

Hendricks threw seven strong innings giving up two earned runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking none. 

The Royals struck first when Raul Mondesi Jr blooped a hit into left to score Salvador Perez. The Cubs would strike back the next half inning when Jason Heyward followed a Willson Contreras single with a two-run home run off of Brady Singer to give the Cubs the lead.

Jason Kipnis would extend the lead for the Cubs with a two-run home run in the fifth inning that would make the game 4-1. Kipnis has been extremely productive thus far this season. The home run was his fourth extra base hit in 16 plate appearances.

Besides the two home runs Royals rookie righty Brady Singer looked pretty impressive for the Royals. He gave up five hits in total plus two walks but managed to strike out eight over five innings.

Jeremy Jeffress got the eight for the Cubs and was impressive in a 1-2-3 inning. He has yet to allow a run and has been one of the Cubs most reliable relief arms.

Willson Contreras would add some insurance in the eight with a long home run off of former Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal.

Craig Kimbrel would enter in the ninth with a chance to show some growth, but he gave up two hits including a ringing double and was pulled for Kyle Ryan who had never gotten a save before. Ryan would give up a RBI ground out and an RBI single before a great play by Kris Bryant would preserve the 5-4 victory for the Cubs.

Yu Darvish takes the mound in Kansas City against Kris Bubic who is making his second big league start. Bubic allowed two runs over four innings against the Chicago White Sox in his first start.

Cubs walk off on Pirates

The Cubs concluded a three game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates today with a 2-1 11 inning victory.

Jon Lester got off to a rough start giving up a first inning home run to Kevin Newman, but would settle down and end up throwing six solid innings scattering four hits while striking out four.

Steven Brault shut down the Cubs early throwing three perfect innings before being pulled for Chad Kuhl.

Kuhl would be pulled for injury in the fifth but not before allowing back to back doubles to Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber to tie the game.

In a nice change of pace the Cubs bullpen was excellent today. Casey Sadler started off by striking out two in his first inning of work. Although he got in trouble in the eighth Dan Winkler would bail him out by striking out Colin Moran on three pitches.

Winkler would get out of a runner on second and one out jam in the second, but the game would be put in an hour and four minute rain delay. The Cubs would do nothing aside from a two out walk sending the game to extras and the first time the Cubs were faced with the free runner rule.

Josh Bell would lead off the tenth with a single and Joey Cora sent the Pirates free runner Jacob Stallings home, but Kyle Schwarber would throw him out at the plate.

The Pirates wouldn't score, and the Cubs would put themselves in great position to win with runners on second and third with one out. The Cubs wasted the chance when Albert Almora Jr. struck out and David Bote popped out.

The Cubs would get the Pirates free runner out again in the eleventh, and in the bottom of the eleventh Anthony Rizzo would fly out advancing David Bote and Javier Baez would send em home with a walk off RBI single.

The Cubs welcome the Royals into town for what is essentially a four game series with two games in each ballpark. Alec Mills will look to follow up a great first start against veteran Royals lefty Danny Duffy in a game that starts at 7:15.

Cubs recall prospect Justin Steele, place James Norwood on IL

The Cubs made a roster move prior to Sundays game bring up lefty pitching prospect Justin Steele and in a corresponding move placed RHP James Norwood on the injured list with some right shoulder inflammation retroactive to Thursday.

Steele, 25, was a fifth round pick of the Cubs in 2014 out of high school. In 2019 he finally made it to Double-A and although he struggled 5.59 ERA in 38.2 innings, his 42 strikeouts suggests there is at least something there. 

Baseball Savant describes Steeles repertoire as "His four-seam fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 with high spin rates and good life up in the strike zone. He possesses one of the best curveballs in the system, combining power and true downer action when it's on".

Bryan Smith of Bleacher Nation also mentions his hard work to add a "2700-3300 rpm slider" that could potentially be a game changer.

Steele could possibly stake a claim as the Cubs best lefty reliever right now. Rex Brothers was an absolute disaster despite the good stuff, and Kyle Ryan has seen his velocity down significantly and it clearly affected him last night.

Norwood has only thrown an inning and two thirds but has allowed three runs on four hits with a walk and zero strikeouts. Although the results haven't been good, he throws hard enough that he deserves an extended look to see what he can do at the big league level.

Cubs bullpen barely hangs on

The Cubs barely hung on tonight beating the Pirates 4-3 and improving their record to 6-2 and securing a full two game lead over the Brewers.

Tyler Chatwood was absolutely brilliant in his start, he threw six and two thirds shutout innings giving up just three hits while walking two and striking out 11. His fastball was absolutely filthy tonight, and not only was it his best start as a Cubs, but one of the best in his career..

The Cubs got the scoring started when Ian Happ (who filled in at lead off for an ill Kris Bryant) hit a solo shot to center that put the Cubs up 1-0, after Anthony Rizzo flew out, Javier Baez would hit a 448 foot moonshot to extend the lead to 2-0.

In the eighth the Cubs would extend their lead to 4-0 in the eighth inning when Kyle Schwarber hit an opposite field two-run home run and it seemed like the Cubs were gonna cruise to an easy weapon.

After Jeremy Jeffress got out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh created by Chatwood he would pitch a shutdown eight and in came Kyle Ryan to shut things down.

However his velocity seemed to be way down in the mid-80s and after a single and a strikeout to start the inning he would give up a two-run home run to Colin Moran. He was pulled for Rowan Wick, who after giving up an RBI ground out followed by a walk would get Jose Osuna to ground into a fielders choice to end it.

Jon Lester will take the mound at 1:20 tomorrow looking to complete a sweep, Steven Brault will take the mound opposing him.