Cubs Steal A Crosstown Classic Sweep

Good morning Chicago fans! The coffee is flowing on Sunday night as I write this intro. I spent the weekend in Madison visiting family and expected to spend time writing while my baby slept. Turns out I couldn’t connect to the hotel wi-fi. How does a hotel have internet problems in the year 2024?

Internet should be functional and accessible everywhere. Chicago baseball should be entertaining all summer long. The White Sox shouldn’t lose 14 straight games. And the Cubs should be leading their division since they spend the most money. But here we are 🙄

TROPHY TRACKER

1-2-3-4-5-❌-7-8-9-🏆

Results:

W - Cubs 7, White Sox 6

Another rain delay that helped out the Cubs? The offense came alive after the delay and completed two different comebacks to start the Crosstown Classic!

• Shōta Imanaga gave up 5 runs in the 4th inning (partly due to a Christopher Morel error) and was removed after the rain delay

• Morel and Patrick Wisdom each hit a 2-run HR, and Ian Happ hit the game-winning 2-run double in the 8th

• It’s a pretty good night when the 1/2/3 hitters go a combined 0-for-10 but you still score 7 runs!

W - Cubs 7, White Sox 6

Two straight comebacks, two straight 7-6 games, and a two game series sweep! 🧹🧹

• Jameson Taillon gave up 10 hits and 5 earned runs over 5.0 IP as the Cubs found themselves behind again

• The Cubs had a 3-run 7th inning with only 1 hit (3 BB, 1 HBP) to take a 6-5 lead

• Mike Tauchman was the hero as he hit an opposite field walk-off HR on the 2nd pitch of the 9th inning against Michael Kopech!

L - Reds 8, Cubs 4

The Reds picked up where they left off last week as Cubs starters continued their struggles.

• Javier Assad gave up 5 earned runs in 5.2 IP, and Luke Little and Porter Hodge were ineffective in relief

• Cubs hitters combined for 13 strikeouts and only 5 hits - Morel and Seiya Suzuki each hit a 2-run HR

L - Reds 3, Cubs 2

A pitchers’ duel went the Reds’ way as they scratched across a few runs.

• Justin Steele put the starting rotation back on track (7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K)

• Dansby Swanson wanted to switch up his mojo, so he went with long pants instead of pants up at the knees. It must have worked 💪 his solo HR was the only source of offense prior to the 9th inning.

L - Reds 4, Cubs 3

Another one run loss to an inferior division opponent gave the Reds an early series win and a 7-game winning streak.

• Ben Brown and the recently activated Jordan Wicks kept the Cubs in the game with a combined 4 earned runs allowed over 7.1 IP

• Patrick Wisdom was the leadoff hitter, went 0-for-5, struck out 3 times, and had a costly error at 3B

W - Cubs 4, Reds 2

Shōta Imanaga righted the ship as the Cubs salvaged one game in Cincinnati.

• Ian Happ dominates every time he plays at Great American Ball Park, but he was stuck in an 0-for-11 rut before his bases clearing 3-run double in the 1st inning

• The Cubs had 11 hits but were an ugly 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position 🤢

Week Record: 3-3

Season Record: 32-34 (T/2nd place - 6.5 GB)

Star of the Week: Dansby Swanson

Dansby caught fire this week at the plate! Must be the new attire 👖

9-for-23 (.391), 3 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Play of the Week: Mike Tauchman Walk-Off Home Run

Roster Moves:

• Monday: Activated RHP Daniel Palencia from the IL and optioned him to AAA

• Friday: Activated LHP Jordan Wicks from the IL and optioned RHP Porter Hodge to AAA

• Friday: Activated RHP Keegan Thompson from the IL and optioned him to AAA

News & Notes:

• Seiya Suzuki was hit in the back during a stolen base attempt on Friday. He left the game early and only missed Saturday’s game before returning to the lineup.

• Nico Hoerner was hit in the hand with a pitch on Thursday and has a fracture. He has not returned to the lineup yet, but the Cubs are hopeful he can play through the pain once the swelling recedes. This feels like deja vu - might be another extended absence without using an IL spot, for some strange reason…

• Nick Madrigal was hit in the hand with a pitch on Thursday in AAA and also has a fracture

• Prospect RHP Cade Horton will be shut down from throwing for 3-4 weeks after being diagnosed with a subscapular strain

• In honor of the Crosstown Classic, Jon Greenberg wrote about Jed Hoyer and Chris Getz’s friendship that has grown since Getz took over as White Sox GM. Let’s just say they were probably not speaking on Tuesday or Wednesday 🤷‍♂️

• I enjoyed Tony Andracki’s article on Ben Brown's ascension to becoming a key pitcher on this year’s Cubs team

• Baseball writers at The Athletic collaborated on a deep dive into Shōta Imanaga’s rise to stardom and why he surprised the baseball world

TROPHY TRACKER

1-2-3-4-5-❌-7-8-9-🏆

News & Notes:

• Mandatory minicamp was held Tuesday through Thursday

  • After years of Bears beat reporters sharing firsthand accounts of struggling offenses and quarterbacks who don’t seem to get it, it was refreshing to hear that Caleb Williams looks the part 🔥

    • There were a couple interceptions and extra hitches, but the offense had a lot of good moments in practice

    • Caleb is focused on learning the cadence of the offense since he hasn’t used a vocal cadence in 4 years

  • Kyler Gordon said the defense’s goal is 20 and 20 (interceptions and forced fumbles)

  • Teven Jenkins said his agent has approached the Bears regarding a potential contract extension, but nothing is in the works at this point

  • Jaylon Johnson wants to make sure reporting is accurate in the offseason and gives the defense its due 😂 I love this:

• TE Marcedes Lewis is expected to re-sign with the Bears

• Hired and promoted members of their personnel and sports science departments

  • DJ Hord joins the Bears as the director of pro scouting after spending 7 years in the Seahawks organization

  • See the entire list of changes here

• Vikings WR Justin Jefferson received a 4-year, $140M contract extension 💰

  • This deal makes him the highest paid non-QB in the NFL!

  • Well deserved for Jefferson who is clearly one of the top receivers in the league and will continue to be a star for the Vikings - the question is if JJ McCarthy can get him the ball

  • Stats can tell whatever story you want…but I did find it interesting comparing the 1st round WRs taken in the 2020 NFL Draft:

• Six coaches will join the Bears this offseason as part of the Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program: Michael Bellamy II, Stefon Wheeler, Angela Rowe, Michael Bearden, Yosef Fares, Anthony Blevins

  • Wheeler was 3rd round pick Kiran Amegadjie’s coach at Yale

TROPHY TRACKER

1-❌-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-🏆

News & Notes:

• 🚨 RICK BALL IS THE NEW TV PLAY-BY-PLAY VOICE 🚨

  • Unexpectedly, the Blackhawks made the decision to replace Chris Vosters after his 2 seasons in the booth

  • Ball was the Calgary Flames’ play-by-play voice for the last 10 years and was also a national broadcaster on Hockey Night in Canada

  • I am not familiar with Ball, but I watched a few clips of Flames hockey and got excited for the future of Blackhawks broadcasts!!

• Elliotte Friedman speculated the Blackhawks may be interested in signing F Jake Guentzel in free agency

  • This is the first legitimate rumor connecting the Hawks to a big name who would command a long-term contract. Signing Guentzel would be a step away from what Kyle Davidson verbalized as his plan - not committing to any large contracts until the organization evaluates their own young talent - but I’m intrigued by the possibility.

  • Guentzel (30 goals, 47 assists in 2023-2024) would be an elite left wing option next to Connor Bedard

• The NHL Scouting Combine was last week! The Blackhawks were the only team to take D Artyom Levshunov out to dinner 👀

• Kyle Davidson said they may “stray” from their past approach with their later round draft picks - I’m wondering if this means valuing size instead of skating ability. Do targeted traits only apply to a certain percentage of a team’s roster? The team building philosophies here are fascinating to me.

• Kyle Davidson shot down the possibility of a Patrick Kane reunion 😭

TROPHY TRACKER

❌-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-🏆

News & Notes:

• Hired Billy Donovan III (Billy Donovan’s son) as the head coach for the Windy City Bulls (G League)

  • Former head coach Henry Domercant may end up on the NBA coaching staff, per reports

• Darnell Mayberry released a LOT of intel on the state of the Bulls in this article

  • GM Marc Eversley reportedly signed a 3-year contract extension 🤔

  • A DeMar DeRozan contract extension would likely surpass $40M/year

  • The Oklahoma City Thunder are interested in Patrick Williams and could be a candidate to acquire him in a sign-and-trade if the Bulls decide not to keep him

• Bulls legend Chet Walker passed away at the age of 84

• 🚨 BULLS, BLACKHAWKS, AND WHITE SOX TV NETWORK NEWS 🚨

  • CHICAGO SPORTS NETWORK (CHSN)

  • We finally have OFFICIAL news regarding the new TV home for these 3 teams. The network will launch in October and will broadcast all live games moving forward.

  • The status of the on-air talent from NBC Sports Chicago is unknown at this point. Hopefully, CHSN understands how good we have it with our broadcast situations here in Chicago and keeps the majority of them on board.

  • Reports state that the network will be widely available, so hopefully all of your TV providers will carry it without any hiccups or delays in the process. Here is an article from The Athletic with the rest of the details as they stand today.

  • I have now gone from FSN ➡ CSN ➡ NBCSN ➡ CHSN as a Chicago sports fan 😮 

Chris Vosters

This honor is not the result of anything Chris Vosters said or did this week.

When you are faced with a difficulty and nearly everyone responds with overwhelming love and admiration towards you, you are clearly a Good One.

As you read earlier, Vosters was let go as the play-by-play voice of the Blackhawks. Despite a report that there was tension with analyst Darren Pang, and despite Vosters never fully clicking with the Blackhawks fan base after Pat Foley retired, people who know him and worked with them raved about his character and his bright future once the news was released.

You can lump me in with the majority of Hawks fans. The broadcasts never seemed fully right. It’s tough to blame that on a guy who is thrown into the fire after a legend retires. This may be a good change for the team, and I hope it works out for Vosters, too.

Here is a peek at what others said about him this week:

The Bears currently have the best roster in Chicago.

I know, I know. That’s not saying much.

The Blackhawks are in the early stages of a rebuild and finished with the 3rd-worst and 2nd-worst records in the league over the last two seasons.

The White Sox just lost a franchise-record 14 straight games and are on pace for the worst season in MLB history.

The Bulls are stuck in mediocrity as a play-in team with salary cap issues on the horizon this offseason.

The Cubs? I was convinced they had the best roster.

They narrowly missed the playoffs last season. They added talent this offseason, signed an elite manager, and graduated young players from the minors. As Jed Hoyer has said for 3 years, this is the foundation for “the next great Cubs team”. I was sold.

The pitching development program has been overhauled, and young pitchers are coming up through the system like we have never seen before. The major league team has experienced winners, two-way players who are Gold Glove defenders, and hitters with impressive plate discipline skills.

Unfortunately, they have missed the mark so far this season, and questions about this roster have quickly escalated. This last stretch has been abysmal.

The Bears are also on a promising path. With the Cubs taking a step back, I can confidently place them in front now. They won 7 games last season without a passing offense. They blew 3 late leads. They almost willed their way to a last-ditch playoff berth.

Now, they may have the best WR and CB cores in the NFL. Most people agree that at least 16 of the 22 starters on offense and defense are very good football players. The defense that was #1 in the league over the last 6 weeks now has an entire season to perform that way. And here comes Caleb Williams: the first legitimately “real” rookie quarterback in Bears history.

The Bears have a very good roster and will be a dangerous team this season. They are now #1 in Chicago as long as the Cubs continue to muff ground balls.

Thank you for reading! I hope we can laugh in the face of ugly baseball together.

If you know another Chicago sports fan, forward them this email! They can subscribe here: