As the father of a toddler who was sick for an entire week — the same week Brett was out from his back surgery and the Cubs were playing almost exclusively late-night ballgames on the West Coast — I was getting pretty tired here lately. This is a tough job. Satisfying and fun as hell, especially when the Cubs are winning, but tough.
So last night, I went straight from covering the Cubs game to seeing a double-feature: Monkey Man (which was FANTASTIC) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (very silly, but a blast). It was exactly the reset I needed. And together with the series win over the Diamondbacks, I feel refreshed and ready to keep going as long as Brett needs. Thanks to everyone who’s sent kind words my way. I know I’ve been around here for a LONG time, but I’m not Brett. No one is. And he’s got tough shoes to fill. I’m doing my best to keep it business as usual.
In the meantime, I’m sure you’ve noticed more and more Brett articles lately. He’s working his way back and will probably take back over soon enough. Okay, no more meta. Time for Cubs bullets.
I just want to reiterate one more time how absolutely dominant Hayden Wesneski was yesterday: 4.0 IP, 1H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K. And he did it all after no sleep, two flights, and barely any time to prepare before entering the game. Just an absolute studly performance, which set the bullpen up very nicely for this soft-landing at Wrigley Field against the Marlins.
Speaking of this series and stuff you may have missed, Jameson Taillon is making the start (and his 2024 debut) tonight, we just don’t know who the corresponding move will be. It’s possible (though it would be COLD) that Hayden Wesneski is sent right back down since he’s going to be unavailable for at least a couple games. But that’s not the Cubs only option. Stay tuned, we’ll probably get their roster move sometime early this afternoon.
Despite another short outing, Jordan Wicks was once again good last night, going 4.1 IP, 5H, 2ER, 1BB, 5Ks. If the Cubs didn’t have a righty like Wesneski ready to go as long as he did, he would’ve stayed in that game even longer. Even though Wicks still got a ton of whiffs and strikeouts, he was a lot more efficient yesterday, which is another good sign of what’s to come for him this season. We’ll dig into him later today, but I think it’s officially time to re-think his ceiling as a good, but back-end starter. He’s seemingly transformed himself over the offseason, adding velocity and swing-and-miss to his game. More later.
Michael Busch had another two hits yesterday, and is now slashing .317/.400/.667, with six homers, a 27.1% strikeout rate (in part because he has a better eye than most umpires) and a 12.9% walk rate. Just a stellar start to his Cubs career, and he’s getting love for it all over the place.
Most recently, Ken Rosenthal dug into the moment he found out he was being traded and how the move, the timing of the Cubs convention, and his expected presence at the UNC’s 15th annual First Pitch Dinner honoring him all lined up at the same time. It’s a good anecdote of what kind of person Busch is: “He was really worried. They needed him in Chicago,” North Carolina coach Scott Forbes said. “I think he was like, ‘I’m being featured at the First Pitch banquet.’ Right away I said, ‘Michael, the last thing you need to be worried about is the First Pitch banquet. You need to make your plans, get your flight and go to Chicago. You have a chance to be an everyday big leaguer. This should be a celebration.'”
Busch added, “When I say I’m going to do something, I like to stick to my word and do it.” As a compromise, Busch spent some time in NC speaking to the team ad answering players questions before flying to Chicago and wearing the suit he packed for UNC for the red-carpet event at Cubs-Con. On the field, Michael Busch’s 186 wRC+ ranks ninth, just one spot behind Mike Trout, and his 0.9 WAR is tied for 14th.
The Chicago White Sox have gotten off to a horrid start, while all of Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, and Yoan Moncada (plus many others) have suffered significant injuries.
And the worst part is because of the new CBA (previous lotteries, market size, and revenue sharing rules), they won’t be eligible to pick in the lottery slots in 2025. So the highest they can pick next year is 10th. Yes, that’s correct. The White Sox, currently projected to lose 101 games, cannot pick higher than TENTH in the 2025 MLB Draft. Yikes.
At The Athletic, Patrick Mooney dug into the awkwardness that is Kyle Hendricks brutal start to the season. Baseball is a business and a merit-based sport, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see what’s happening to Hendricks. It’s hard not to feel for him, especially as he’s starting to actually SHOW some frustration on the field and in the dugout. It’s subtle, because he’s a pro, but if you’ve watched Hendricks long enough, you can see it on his face.
Even if it wasn’t just four starts, the Cubs probably don’t have the pitching health and success to just dump Hendricks this early in the year. But I also don’t know how you can trot him back out there in four days and just … hope for the best? “That’s a bad feeling,” Marquee broadcaster Jim Deshaies said. “I’ve been there. You have no answers. You have to wait five days between starts. And then it goes south on you. You’re just left alone in the dugout, trying to figure out: ‘What on Earth can I do to get this thing turned around?’”
Circling back to this four-game set against the Marlins, the Cubs need to take care of business. Miami (4-15) has been brutally bad this year, this game is in Chicago, the rotation is getting a fresh arm, and the bullpen got some rest thanks to Wesneski. Playing without Justin Steele, Julian Merryweather, and Seiya Suzuki isn’t easy, but there’s no softer landing than four games at home, followed by an off-day, against one of the worst teams in baseball. Get it done, because after this, the Cubs are hosting the Astros before heading out east to face the Red Sox and Mets.
In case you missed this, I LOLed and bet you will too:
Pitchers, man. They get hurt.
Kevin Alcantara bust out of his (DEEP) slump yesterday, with a double and his first homer of the season.
NEWSLETTER
