Today’s Reflections
This group of starting pitchers are earning a middle name of “But One Pitch”. Shota Imanaga avoided getting that tag in his last outing, but Colin Rea didn’t Wednesday. Rea’s pitching line would have been six baserunners over five innings with five strikeouts. He did earlier give up a solo home run, and would have been that’s fine. It’s always the multiple-run homer that’s the problem, and Rea’s fatal pitch that led to a three-run homer ultimately put the game out of reach. One has to wonder if the former swingman is starting to get figured out. The counter to that would be it was just one pitch (or two pitches). After that home run, he struck out the next batter to end the inning, then went 1-2-3 with a strikeout in the fifth. I dunno.
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Nevertheless, even if Rea held the Tigers to just one run, that’s all the Cubs’ hitters were able to manage anyway. Seiya Suzuki put them on the board with a solo home run in the first, and that was it. Only Ian Happ showed any life, going 2-3 with a double and a walk, plus he added an excellent play in left on a sinking liner and added a snap throw to strand a runner. Other than a Michael Busch single, that was it for the Cubs — for hits or walks. They did manage 12 strikeouts (good job, boys). Obviously, the offense needs more consistency game-to-game.
The bullpen needs a shoutout. Wednesday saw a parade of single innings by Ryan Rolison, Gavin Hollowell, Caleb Thielbar and Tyler Ferguson. The group allowed a run on three hits, no walks and struck out seven over the four innings pitched. An RBI double allowed by Ferguson took the shine off an excellent bullpen outing. At least it wasn’t a three-run homer.
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Wednesday’s Stories
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Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): Takeaways After Cubs Lose Ground with Strikeout-Filled Loss to Tigers. “The Cubs’ offense fell asleep and dropped the series with the Tigers after 5-1 loss on Wednesday.”
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Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs cool off after hot start as bats struggle to solve Montero. “The off night for Chicago’s lineup made two mistake pitches from righty Colin Rea — both resulting in homers — more damaging.”
Trade Talk involving names:
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Cory Sparks (North Side Baseball): Robbie Ray Is Exactly the Kind of Pitcher Cubs Should Be Pursuing Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline. “A rental starter with a proven track record of eating tons of innings is what defines Robbie Ray. It’s also what makes him the perfect trade deadline target for the Cubs.”
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Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Cubs “Seemingly Would Be Interested” in an Emerson Hancock Trade. “The Mariners have lots of controllable starting pitching, the Cubs have lots of need for that.”
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Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon (The Athletic $): What we’re hearing about potential Mariners’ trade pieces and more intel from around MLB. “Plus some pitching targets for the Cubs, how the White Sox could offset Kyle Teel’s absence and more.”
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Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): REPORT: Cubs Have Exactly What the Angels Are Looking for in a Trade for Reid Detmers or Jose Soriano. “In short, they are both controllable (i.e. non-rental) arms enjoying very good seasons in Anaheim.”
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James O’Donnell (Yardbarker): Cubs Must Choose Between Soriano and Detmers Now. “The Chicago Cubs face a massive choice right now.”
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Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib): Hunter Greene trade buzz comes with one obvious problem for the Cubs. “Forget about the right-hander landing on the North side of Chicago.”
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Zoe Grossman (Chicago Cubs On SI): Ranking the 5 Best Cubs Starting Pitching Targets at the MLB Trade Deadline. “Which rumored starting pitching targets would be the best fit for the Cubs?”
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Jake Rogers (Yardbarker): Cubs Predicted to Swing Big Trade for Multi-Time All-Star. “The Mets appear headed toward seller status, creating an opening for Chicago to act.”
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Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Cubs could capitalize on Dodgers’ and White Sox’s sudden trade deadline needs. “A pair of contenders have questions behind the plate and the Cubs may have an answer.”
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Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Sudden Mets’ change of tune creates ideal Cubs’ 2026 trade deadline target. “Chaos in New York could give Chicago exactly what it needs to go on a second-half run.”
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Paul Magno (Yardbarker): Chicago Cubs possible trade deadline target would be so Cubs-like. “So, the pressure is on for Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.”
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Josh Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs could pluck from Blue Jays rotation with Toronto nearing trade deadline fire sale. “A bet on his experience.”
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Tim Capurso (SI.com): MLB Trade Deadline: Four Deals Involving All-Stars We’d Love to See. “We matched up All-Stars with trade partners in the Rays, Yankees, Cubs and Phillies in deals that we’d like to see go down before the Aug. 3 deadline.”
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Eddie Lennon (LastWordOnSports): 3 Trade Destinations for Josh Hader at the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. “Josh Hader isn’t expected to be traded, but contenders would line up if the Astros made him available.”
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Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): The Cubs Need Pitching: I Ranked the 10 Best Targets They Can Actually Get. “By Jed Hoyer’s own admission, the Cubs will probably not be among the most aggressive buyers at the deadline, at least in terms of rentals.”
Trade Talk general conversation:
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Zack Peterson (Yardbarker): MLB Trade Rumors: Milwaukee Brewers could put pressure on Chicago Cubs. “The latest rumors ahead of the early August trade deadline surround the Brewers and the chance for them to add an elite pitcher. Possibly two. That would put the pressure on the Cubs even more.”
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Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs News: Former Brewers infielder signs, Colin Rea’s struggles, Ben Brown. Moves and analysis.
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Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Can Cubs ‘chip away’ at Brewers’ division lead enough to boost front-office aggression at trade deadline? “There are different levels of buying and selling at the trade deadline. While the Cubs will be buyers, just how aggressive will they be? And what can the team do to boost the chances of Jed Hoyer’s front office going big?”
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Andrew Wright (Yardbarker): Cubs manager Craig Counsell has simple message for front office ahead of trade deadline. “With the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline less than two weeks away, managers of those clubs involved in being buyers are beginning to express their trade deadline wish lists.”
PCA-Mania Stories:
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Patrick Mooney (The Athletic $): At the trade deadline, the Cubs shouldn’t take Pete Crow-Armstrong’s season for granted. “Crow-Armstrong’s rapid development into a superstar should be factored into the club’s plans for the Aug. 3 trade deadline, because you never know when another spectacular season like this will come around.”
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Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Seeing one Cubs star in another: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s improved plate discipline earns Anthony Rizzo comp. “Crow-Armstrong’s improved on-base ability has been a big part of his MVP-caliber campaign, and it’s earned him a comparison to another Cubs star, the champion first baseman Rizzo.”
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Nick Deeds (Cubbies Crib): Shohei Ohtani injury update suddenly puts Pete Crow-Armstrong in position to do the unthinkable. “Is M-V-Pete back on the menu?”
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Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune $): How a refined approach and more walks are helping drive Pete Crow-Armstrong’s stellar Chicago Cubs season. “An improved plate approach, featuring a 7.3 BB% increase from last season, makes Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s success feel more sustainable.”
Assorted Stories:
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Casey Drottar (MLB.com): After rocky start to ’26, Hoerner ready to flip the script in 2nd half. “After opening ‘26 with one of the best months of his career, Hoerner fell into a funk, batting just .202 over 63 games between May 1 and the All-Star break.”
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Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): ‘My Way’ scores Seiya Suzuki’s latest hot streak: Are Cubs approaching ‘final curtain’ with free-agent-to-be? “Suzuki is walking up to the plate to Frank Sinatra’s classic, which starts with lyrics about the end being near. Could the Cubs find themselves without their valuable slugger, slated to hit free agency after the season?”
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Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs call up fallen top prospect in awkward trade deadline timing. “Cool, but why?”
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Jason Ross (North Side Baseball): James Triantos Finally Gets the Call to Join Cubs, Bringing Lots of Versatility to Chicago. “The Cubs are reportedly calling up the versatile James Triantos. What can fans expect to see from the rookie?”
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Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): David Peterson Has Melted Right into Cubdom, Thanks to Changes That Started with Mets. “The Cubs acquired David Peterson cheaply. They surely hope to land someone who slots in higher than he does, before the MLB trade deadline. But the best version of the team still includes Peterson as a starter, and the best version of Peterson is ready for that role.”
Food For Thought:
Jackie Scott is a native of Virginia and received her early training singing in the baptist church. Music played an important part in the worship experience and after singing gospel for 20 years, she felt a call to the blues. Her first introduction to live blues took place at a Buddy Guy concert followed by seeing BB King live. After seeing such phenomenal performances she was convinced singing the blues was what she wanted to do. Her quest to learn more about the blues lead her to the steamy windows of the windy city, Chicago.
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After visiting Chicago to attend a wedding, she heard Chicago blues live in its element and was determined to capture the sound that swept her off her feet. That decision lead to many future trips to Chicago, honing her craft as a vocalist and entertainer. Koko Taylor, Ruth Brown, Alberta Hunter and Big Mama Thornton are some of the many influences that have allowed Jackie to carve out a unique style of her won.
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