A Lot of Baseball on Tap, Hoerner at Leadoff, Amaya’s Offense, Hoyer on Hendricks, and Other Cubs Bullets

We’ve got at least 18 innings of baseball on tap today, and I am jazzed about it. There’s nothing like filling up a Saturday with your favorite team (unless, of course, you’re a fan of the 2024 White Sox). I suppose it doesn’t hurt that the Cubs have won two in a row, are back at home, and just got a great 2024 debut from one of their more important starting pitchers.

  • Indeed, in case you missed that discussion earlier, Jameson Taillon is feeling good about his start yesterday. And his postgame comments were very encouraging about the rehab process and his ability to be even more stretched out the next time he takes the mound.
  • As for today, Javier Assad is taking the ball in game one (1:20pm CT) against lefty Jesus Luzardo. And Shota Imanaga will go in game 2 (6:40pm CT) against Roddery Muñoz. Luke Little will be the Cubs 27th man, which makes a lot of sense given that he’s fresh and he’s a lefty, against whom the Marlins are very bad (literally worst offense in baseball vs left-handed pitchers). Hopefully the mini break helped him rein in some of that wildness, though, because he really started to lose it his last few times out.
  • And since that roster move has officially been announced by the Cubs, I’m guessing it’s the only move to expect. I had been wondering if Ian Happ’s late-game injury would lead to a second transaction. But so far, nothing. Hopefully, that means Happ woke up feeling good enough to avoid an IL stint. Though even in that scenario, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cubs try to make it through today/the weekend without him. With an off-day on Monday, he could get a 3.5 day rest without burning him for a full IL stint. Maybe this is finally Alexander Canario’s chance for a few starts.
  • After another big game, Nico Hoerner’s slash line is up to .258/.382/.355 (115 wRC+). He’ll lead off – at least – the first game today against a lefty. But if Ian Happ is out, I wonder if Craig Counsell will just stick with Hoerner at leadoff against the righty, too. Mike Tauchman would be the other sensible option, and he’s had back-to-back multi-hit games. So it’s probably him. But either way, if Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ are both out, you’d probably prefer to keep Hoerner’s hot stick closer to the top of the lineup than the bottom.
  • Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya will start the first game today, and he’s quietly been hitting the ball well lately, with five hits (three for extra bases) in his last four games. Overall, he’s slashing .278/.308/.472 (112 wRC+), which is just excellent production out of the catcher’s spot. We knew he had offensive potential in him, but it often comes later for catchers. So far, so good. And since he’s starting the first game today, he’ll likely start tomorrow too.
  • Keegan Thompson has been called in three times since being promoted back to the big leagues, and he’s been next-to-perfect in each of his three multi-inning appearances: 6.0 IP, 0H, 2BB, 9K. You just know Craig Counsell loves having multiple multi-inning weapons available to him in the bullpen. It’s one of the things he did so well with the Brewers. And when all the starters are healthy (if that ever happens), Counsell could have Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Drew Smyly, and Keegan Thompson all able to give multiple innings per appearance.
  • Cade Horton’s glove is pretty cool:
  • More on Jameson Taillon’s start here from Sahadev Sharma at The Athletic:
  • And more on Kyle Hendricks, who’s got a very important start ahead of him tomorrow, from Tony Andracki at Marquee: “His place in Cubs history is secure,” Jed Hoyer said Friday. “I don’t think anything is going to change that. He’s struggling. The velocity is actually the same — if not a tick up — from last year. His location and execution have been poor. Obviously he’s paid for it; he’s faced good lineups. I’m not saying anything out of school — I think he has to pitch better.”
  • written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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