The Rundown: Cubs Win Another Series, Cabrera Could Slide to Relief, 3D Baseball Coming to Apple TV
“Ah, come on baby…take a slow ride with me.” – Slow Ride by Foghat
The Cubs just completed a mini-marathon of 17 consecutive games without a day off, grinding to a 12-5 record while gaining a game and a half on the Brewers. The Cubs beat the Royals 10-2 behind Matthew Boyd and a makeshift lineup, and I thought Boyd could have gone all the way. That’s something as rare as Kyawthuite under the managerial eye of Craig Counsell, as no Cubs starter has recorded so much as one out in the 8th inning this season. The 35-year-old lefty improved to 8-1 on the season by holding Kansas City to two runs in seven innings.
Boyd has been Chicago’s best starting pitcher since coming off the IL on June 25. The Cubs are 25-13 since his return, and their 35-16 mark since June 11 is second to the Red Sox for best in the majors. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Milwaukee is an almost equally hot 33-19 since then, which makes it awfully tough for Chicago to chip away at that lead. That said, the Cubs and Brewers still have seven games left against each other, so a reckoning for either team potentially awaits.
Speaking of heaters, Alex Bregman is still hitting almost everything. He was 3-for-6 with two RBI yesterday, and he’s hitting .309 since July 27. Everybody in Chicago’s starting lineup had at least one hit in the rout, while Bregman, Ian Happ, Michael Conforto, and Miguel Amaya combined to plate nine runners on the day. Amaya hit a three-run bomb to tally the final runs of the game.
The Cubs get a well-deserved and much-needed day off today before finishing their two-city road trip with a three-game set against the Nationals. Chicago’s North Side baseballers have now scored seven or more runs in 41 games this season. It’s no wonder they’re 27-11 (.711) in blowouts.
Cubs News & Notes
- Counsell is trying to get some of his players additional rest ahead of the stretch run. Pete Crow-Armstrong served as the team’s DH yesterday and Seiya Suzuki had the day off.
- Shelby Miller is progressing in his rehab much quicker than expected, but the Cubs are still playing it safe with the hard-throwing reliever.
- Miller is not the only injured player ramping up to help the Cubs. Daniel Palencia is expected to return soon, as is Edward Cabrera. Ben Brown and Justin Steele could rejoin the team in September. Hoby Milner and Hunter Harvey are getting closer, too.
- The Cubs could put Cabrera in the bullpen when he returns to better prepare him for the playoffs, where he will likely be expected to pitch in relief. Cabrera said he is excited for the opportunity.
- Cabrera and Palencia are expected to be postseason difference-makers.
- Happ is powering out of the slump that put him into a platoon situation with Tyrone Taylor.
- Kevin Gausman delivered a strong performance in his debut with the Cubs on Friday.
- The seven innings logged by Gausman tied his season high and also tied the longest outing this year for a Cubs starter.
- Counsell said Gausman was “nasty” in his debut.
- Bregman welcomed Ryan Zeferjahn and talked to the team’s new reliever about the organization and the pennant race.
- Clay Holmes lasted just four innings in his debut on Saturday, but he’s still recovering from a fractured leg.
- Chicago’s starting pitching has become a strength with the addition of Gausman and Holmes, and the expected returns of the players mentioned above.
- Expect quite a bit of offense when the Cubs meet the Nationals starting tomorrow.
Ball Four
Gausman and Shōta Imanaga. May the flow be with you.
Kevin Gausman and Shota Imanaga are serving up LOOKS in the dugout 💁 pic.twitter.com/RGp5Mwwpo2
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) August 9, 2026
Central Intelligence
- Milwaukee (74-44): Jacob Misiorowski reached the 200-strikeout milestone faster than any pitcher in MLB history except Spencer Strider. He also broke the team record, previously held by Corbin Burnes.
- Chicago (69-50): The Cubs are twice as good as any other team when it comes to defense, and that’s not an exaggeration.
- St Louis (59-59): Catcher Ivan Herrera struggles to throw out baserunners, and it may force the Cardinals to seek other options this winter.
- Pittsburgh (58-62): The Pirates’ playoff odds have collapsed since the All-Star break, which is reminiscent of Pittsburgh’s 2012 team.
- Cincinnati (56-61): The Red Sox pushed hard to acquire shortstop Elly De La Cruz at the deadline, and those talks may continue once the season ends.
How About That!
Three-dimensional baseball is coming to Apple TV for Vision Pro users.
Mike Trout hosted a golf outing for his Angels teammates that quickly turned from a bonding event to an awkward trade deadline mess.
Former White Sox star Tim Anderson has officially announced his retirement.
The Padres will play the Brewers in a critical three-game series that could vault San Diego back into the Wild Card race.
Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt was placed on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain.
Three from the Bill Chuck Files
- The Cubs could finish with a better record than either the Dodgers (70-48) or the Braves (71-47), ending with the second-best record in the NL, but if they don’t beat out the Brewers, it really doesn’t matter, as a Wild Card team cannot get a bye in the opening round.
- Max Scherzer now has the 10th most strikeouts all-time with 3,516. He passed Walter Johnson (3,509) over the weekend.
- The A’s have just two wins in their last 14 games. Both wins are against the Red Sox.
Apropos of Nothing
Greg Maddux is not known for striking batters out, but he did finish his career with 3,371 Ks. That’s a tribute to his longevity, as he had just one season with 200+ strikeouts (204 in 1998).
Son of Apropos
Milwaukee’s annual Flannel Fest will be held this year at Boone & Crockett on October 10. The MLB playoff schedule just dropped, and that lines up for a potential Game 5 in the NLDS. It may even be the Cubs and Brewers again, so expect Boone & Crockett to bring out its scoreboard-sized video board for the game. That might be a great weekend to visit Milwaukee.
Apropos III
The last three Cubs to throw a complete, 9-inning game:
- Steele vs. the Angels on July 5, 2024.
- Marcus Stroman vs, the Rays on May 29, 2023.
- Alec Mills vs. the Brewers on September 13, 2020, which was a no-hitter.
The Cubs had two other no-hitters in that time span, but both were combined versions.
- On June 24, 2021, Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Craig Kimbrel combined to no-hit the Dodgers.
- Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge no-hit the Pirates on September 4, 2024.
Would you like another quirky stat? Chicago’s last five 20-game winners have had two separate stints with the Cubs: Jake Arrieta, Jon Lieber, Maddux, Rick Reuschel, and Fergie Jenkins.
Extra Innings
Happ homered for the second consecutive game and now has 20 taters on the season.
two days in a row because why not. pic.twitter.com/jMnOrfQEPH
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 9, 2026
They Said It
- That was 17 in a row. For most teams, that’s their longest stretch of the season. It happened at a time in the season where the trade deadline’s around it, which creates a lot around the team. Some hot weather in multiple cities that you play in, you always worry about it. We’ve handled [it] exceptionally well, especially our starting pitching has been outstanding for this stretch and, to me, the key to this. That’s what can go wrong in [a stretch like this] more than anything, [impacting the bullpen], and they’ve been excellent.” – Counsell
- “Pete’s dealing with what a lot of the players are dealing with. He’s tired & I’m trying to recharge some batteries as best I can right now.” – Counsell
- “The mindset is everybody here is ready to come together and work as one and go out there and give it our absolute best. “That’s the mindset that we’re buying into, which will be able to help us in the playoffs. I trust all of the guys here. We’re here as one, and we’re here to help the team out.” – Cabrera
Monday Walk-Up Song
I’m sorry. I can’t play Foghat without also playing Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’s always an automatic two-fer as far as I’m concerned.
