Hey, Cubs subscribers!
We’re excited to kick off our new weekly segment, “Covering the Bases,” where we dive into all the latest and greatest happenings with your team. From big plays, quizzes and the best reads on your favorite team, you can view this as your backstage pass from our two beat reporters on the team to all things Cubs in the last week. Let us know in the comments if you like this story format.
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Power rankings: Chicago Cubs are No. 9
In this week’s power rankings, we went with our “wish you were here” theme, highlighting one injured player that would make a difference.
Previous ranking: 7
Wish you were here: Seiya Suzuki
Suzuki has been a plus hitter since joining the Cubs, but he’s been operating at an elite level since last summer. He batted .313 with a .938 OPS in the second half in 2023, then started hot this season, with a .305 batting average and .893 OPS in 15 games before injuring his oblique in April.
Suzuki and Cody Bellinger (ribs) could return to the lineup this week. The Cubs have held together just fine without them. And though the rotation lost Marcus Stroman this offseason, Cubs starters currently have the fourth-best ERA in the majors — and they accomplished that without Justin Steele, who returned Monday. — Stephen J. Nesbitt
Big League Quiz
The latest hits
ICYMI, our national writers weighed in with what they are hearing and seeing
1. A reason for optimism (and pessimism)
Jim Bowden noted a reason for every club to feel hope and one reason to not. Here is what he said about the Cubs:
Reason for optimism: Shota Imanaga looks like the best value signing of the offseason as he’s gone 5-0 with a 0.78 ERA and is pitching like he’ll be in the Cy Young Award conversation this year. Javier Assad has broken out this season with a 1.97 ERA over six starts and Jameson Taillon has impressed since coming off the IL, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three outings. Michael Busch was another shrewd offseason pickup by the Cubs; the former Dodgers prospect has six homers and 17 RBIs as their new first baseman.
Reason for pessimism: Cody Bellinger is on the IL with a fractured rib, Ian Happ is hitting .211, Christopher Morel is at .209, Nick Madrigal is at .195. Nico Hoerner has yet to hit a home run and has been caught stealing twice in six attempts. (Last year he had an 86 percent success rate.)
2. He’s not throwing away his Shota
Jayson Stark’s Weird and Wild dabbled in Shotamania:
He’s not throwing away his Shota — Shota Imanaga, Cubs ace. That’s not a sentence I thought I’d be typing a couple of months ago. But here we are. Check out this guy’s astonishing line after the first six starts of his Cubs (and big-league) career:
5-0
5 runs allowed
4 walks allowed
So ponder this. Fewer walks than wins? As many runs as wins? Hey Chicago, what do you say? Amazing, right?
It’s so amazing, in fact, that I could only find two other starting pitchers in the expansion era (1961-2024) whose walk and run totals didn’t top their win totals in their first six starts of a season … let alone their first six starts ever.
Cliff Lee, 2008 Indians
6-0
5 runs
2 walks
Frank Viola, 1990 Twins
6-0
5 runs
5 walks
If I changed the qualifications from “runs” to “earned runs,” we could also add another iconic name — Juan Marichal, 1966 (6-0, 5 ER, 5 BB). But whatever. If that’s the crowd Shota Imanaga plans to hang out with all year, or for the rest of his career, he’s going to be a star.
3. The pitches they couldn’t master
Andy McCullough and Stephen Nesbitt talked to a dozen all-stars about that one pitch they couldn’t master. On the panel for the Cubs was Justin Steele:
Justin Steele: Splitter
At his locker this…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .