The Rundown: Cubs Battle Pirates at Wrigley, Suzuki Returns, Maton to IL, MLB Salaries Rise Again
“You say you never compromise with the mystery tramp, but now you realize… he’s not selling any alibis.” – Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
The Cubs were only on the road for six games, but if felt much longer for some reason. The Boys in Blue return to Wrigley today for their first big series of the season, a three-game set against the improved Pirates. Chicago is 6-6 on the young season but sits in last place of the NL Central, two games behind the frontrunning Brewers. Yes, it’s our first “this is no time for excuses” series of the 2026 season. Pittsburgh would like nothing better than to establish early-season division dominance over Chicago, the preseason favorite according to most analysts.
Chicago is still trying to find its footing, a rite of passage at the beginning of each season in recent memory. The team’s starting rotation was quickly depleted when Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd suffered injuries, the offense is still getting untracked, and the bullpen has been shoddy, at best. The Cubs could ease the collective fears of their fanbase by sweeping Pittsburgh this weekend. They won’t face Paul Skenes or Mitch Keller, but Carmen Mlodzinski, Braxton Ashcraft, and Bubba Chandler aren’t pushovers by any means. Chicago will counter with Shōta Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, and Jameson Taillon. Both teams will do their best to get to their opponents’ bullpen as soon as possible.
The good news is that Seiya Suzuki returns today. Matt Shaw has been adequate (+1 DRS in nine games) but often looks overmatched in right field. Michael Conforto has a 121 wRC+ thanks to a 25% walk rate, but he’s struck out at a 31.3% clip and has been net-negative (-1 DRS) as a fielder. Craig Counsell has given Dylan Carlson just four at-bats, and he was understandably the corresponding move to make room for Suzuki on the roster.
Ian Happ hasn’t played since April 6, and he’s one of four regulars struggling to surpass the Mendoza Line. Michael Busch (.140), Dansby Swanson (.150), and Alex Bregman (.188) are the others. The Cubs will need breakouts from all of them if they want to start challenging the Brewers and Reds for the division lead. Catching the Pirates, however, is the first task at hand.
Cubs News & Notes
- Nico Hoerner is starting to flex his muscles at the plate.
- Hoerner isn’t necessarily looking to become a home run threat, but he is hoping to drive the ball more this season.
- The Cubs are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Those wins were buoyed by strong performances from substitute starters Javier Assad and Colin Rea.
- Rea provided a big boost to Chicago’s battered rotation with his performance on Wednesday.
- The slumbering offense showed signs of life in Wednesday’s win, too.
- Carlson was designated to reinstate Suzuki. The Cubs also placed reliever Phil Maton on the IL and recalled Ethan Roberts from Iowa to take his place.
- Davey Lopes, who spent some time with the Cubs near the end of his career, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80. He stole 47 bases for the Cubs in 1985, his age-40 season. Remarkable.
- The Cubs are honoring World Series legend Ben Zobrist with a bobblehead giveaway on Saturday at Wrigley Field.
- Jason Heyward (Cubs) and Kris Bryant (Rockies) are ranked among the all-time worst MLB free agent signings. Barry Zito (Giants) took the honors, in case you were wondering.
Ball Four
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Oh wait.
Egads! pic.twitter.com/F3Lqb9Wqx2
— michael canter ✨ (@MEdwardCanter) April 10, 2026
Central Intelligence
- Milwaukee (8-4): In celebration of their new City Connect uniforms, the Brewers are leaning all the way into “Wisco” culture for the 2026 season with the debut of Supper Club Fridays at AmFam Field, a weekly, nostalgia-fueled food and drink experience inspired by one of the state’s most beloved dining traditions. I hate to admit it, but those CC unis are pretty great.
- Cincinnati (8-5): Does lightning strike twice? It did so, and in a good way, for Reds outfielder Dane Myers.
- St. Louis (7-5): Cardinals pitcher Packy Naughton hurt his arm just three pitches into his first 2026 appearance for Triple-A Memphis.
- Pittsburgh (7-5): Extending Konnor Griffin should be a nice investment for the Pirates, but signing Marcell Ozuna to an offseason free agent deal may bite them in the shorts. So far, Ozuna has managed a meager .065/.171/.065 line in 35 PAs with just two singles to his name.
- Chicago (6-6): Top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins has been scratched from his next start according to Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register. Cubs farm director Jason Kanzler to Birch: “We are being strategic with how we deploy our pitching.”
How About That!
The latest City Connect uniforms dropped this week and they’re pretty awful, though the Brewers’ and Braves’ versions look good.
The average MLB salary hit a record $5.34 million this season.
The number of Black players on Opening Day rosters increased for the second consecutive year.
The Guardians’ payroll is the lowest in baseball at $62.3 million, which is a little more than what Juan Soto will be paid by the Mets this year.
The White Sox recalled Duncan Davitt, and he got to write about it for his hometown newspaper.
Ex-Cub Cam Smith is on the verge of a breakout season for the Astros.
Mason Miller is off to an historic start and continues to dominate opposing hitters.
Apropos of Nothing
Hoerner has six doubles, a homer, and a .214 ISO. His groundball rate is 24.3 percent, and his pull rate is 45.9 percent, up from a career-high 37.9 percent last season. His $141 million contract will be a huge bargain if he continues at this pace offensively. He’s also playing at a 13.5-WAR pace, which is downright Ruthian.
Three from the Bill Chuck Files
A smorgasbord of facts from Bill Chuck’s Billy-Ball substack. I believe Bill and I are kindred spirits, and he’s a big Dire Straits fan, too. I highly recommend you subscribe; there is a free version as well as a paid subscription.
- Going into last night’s game, the Guardians’ 4-5-6 batters have collectively hit 1 homer this season.
- The Cubs are baseball’s only last place team with a record of .500 or better.
- The Dodgers batting order is not just good; they are good up and down their lineup. Their 7-8-9 batters are hitting .345; no other team’s back end of the lineup is over .285. The Yankees’ 7-8-9 batters are hitting .144, the worst in baseball. They have 16 hits and 40 strikeouts.
They Said It
- “[Hitting for power] is an obvious part of my game I don’t do at a high level. But what do you do with that? For me, I’ve had stretches where I’ve thought of [it] as taking chances and big swings. I think that’s taken me away from some of my strengths and honestly been a little sloppy and not the best version of myself.” – Hoerner
Friday Walk-Up Song
If they’re good enough for Bill, they’re good enough for me. This one features extraordinary classical guitar.
