Exposed: Cubs off to worst begin since 1997 as they limp

MILWAUKEE – During the Cubs’ misplaced weekend in Milwaukee, just a few Chicago writers sought Brewers supervisor Craig Counsell’s ideas on the Cubs’ three-series face plant into the 2019 season. One even bemoaned the trials of the street journey on the media. “The reporters are struggling, too,” he mentioned, explaining he’d run out of fresh underwear on the prolonged journey. Seriously.Kyle Hendricks continues to be engaged on rediscovering high type two begins into the season. But if he was in search of sympathy, he was wanting within the improper place. “Well, generally, that’s a soft group,” Counsell deadpanned. “As a whole, it’s a soft group.” The Chicago baseball group bought handled with even much less regard, and

Cubs outhit bullpen woes to vary storyline for a day, beat

MILWAUKEE — Before Saturday’s recreation between the beleaguered Cubs and the hot-starting Brewers at Miller Park, one Chicago media member speaking to Cubs supervisor Joe Maddon casually urged the Cubs “win a game and give us a different story to cover.” Damn. Cold. That wasn’t the intent, the reporter insisted after the shock and laughter died down. No, actually – no offense.Jason Heyward and Victor Caratini every reached base 5 instances, together with two homers by Heyward and one by Caratini (proven celebrating with Heyward after that two-run shot). But after six consecutive losses, 11 errors in seven video games and two roster strikes earlier than the house opener to attempt to patch a leaky bullpen, how

Brewers rock Crew-killer Jose Quintana, ship Cubs to sixth

MILWAUKEE — Contrary to in style social-media opinion and sports-talk math, the Brewers aren’t in place to get rid of the Cubs from National League Central competition throughout their weekend sequence at Miller Park. Not even after pouncing on longtime Brewers killer Jose Quintana for eight runs in three innings on the way in which to a 13-10 victory within the sequence opener Friday that despatched the Cubs to their sixth consecutive loss. The Cubs have but to play a house sport and are already 5½ video games again of first place for the primary time since July 2017, when crew president Theo Epstein admittedly was on the verge of promoting off gamers on the commerce deadline. ‘‘I

Blind religion: Cubs’ Carl Edwards Jr. channels Karate Kid to

MILWAUKEE — The Cubs obtained into Milwaukee within the wee hours of Friday morning after an extended, wet recreation Thursday in Atlanta. That gave struggling reliever Carl Edwards Jr. loads of time to suppose after a two-batter outing in want of a strike-zone GPS. By the time he wakened, he had an concept and despatched bullpen catcher Chad Noble a textual content: ‘‘How much do you trust me?’’ Response: ‘‘I trust you a lot.’’Edwards covers the plate Thursday evening on a wild pitch that allowed a run to attain. A number of hours later, Edwards, Noble and bullpen coach Lester Strode had been within the guests’ bullpen at Miller Park, with two massive chairs positioned the place

Less hitting, extra bullpen issues ship Cubs to fifth

ATLANTA — It’s solely the primary week of the season. How a lot can this sluggish begin actually matter for the Cubs this early, proper? Don’t attempt that nonsense with Cubs elder statesman Ben Zobrist. “It does matter. It will matter at the end of the season,” stated Zobrist, who has skilled all the things from final place to World Series MVP in his profession. “These games will matter, definitely,” he stated. “We know that. Every little game matters. That’s why people are talking about it and caring about it, because everybody knows that it matters.”Six of the ultimate seven batters Yu Darvish reached base as he didn't pitch out of the fifth on Thursday night time

Long division: Cubs stumble into Milwaukee for first NL

ATLANTA – Maybe it’s the recent begin the Cubs want. Maybe it’s going from the sweatbox into the inferno. But after speaking since December about how a lot harder the National League Central received since final yr, the stand-pat Cubs are about to search out out simply how a lot harder once they open a three-game collection Friday towards the defending-champion Brewers. They go in stumbling, having misplaced the primary two collection to open the season, with issues like bullpens, fielding and strike throwing abruptly rising on the checklist of each day priorities – if not each day affirmations.The Cubs hope to boost Cain -- if not their victory whole -- throughout this weekend's collection in Milwaukee.

Jon Lester: Emphasis on quick begin has Cubs ‘urgent’

ATLANTA — We know, we all know: It’s a small pattern dimension. The Cubs have performed solely 5 video games. “I don’t think anyone’s panicking,” Cubs reliever Steve Cishek stated. That’s in all probability a superb factor for the staff.Steve Cishek after strolling the primary three batters of the eighth and leaving the sport. But it doesn’t change the outstanding incontrovertible fact that it took solely these 5 video games for the Cubs to fall 4 video games again in a division that acquired so much higher since final yr. Or that Wednesday night time’s 6-Four loss to the Braves was the results of one other bullpen meltdown fed by one other bunch of walks — two