CUBS SMOTHER REDS FOR 93rd WIN at Cubsquest.com

30 September:

The strangeness that is the 2015 Chicago Cubs continues.

They continue to steamroll meaningless games while having auditions they didn"t dream of back in Mesa. Tuesday night it was Kris Bryant playing four positions while Travis Wood closed.

Wednesday it was Javier Baez at...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SMOTHER REDS FOR 93rd WIN

MADDON EXPERIMENTS; CUBS STILL WIN at Cubsquest.com

30 September:

This is new territory for Cub fans.

Not only are the years of losing over, but now one has the interesting spectacle of watching manager Joe Maddon toy with his lineup and pitching staff in preparation for the all important appointment with destiny on October 7th.

While...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comMADDON EXPERIMENTS; CUBS STILL WIN

CUB PLAYOFF NOTES at Cubsquest.com

29 September:

As predicted by Cubsquest, the Cards-Pirates series was not only intense; it did give the Cards the win they pretty much needed to hold onto first, but it had the injury one sees in such contests.

Outfielders Peter Bourjos collided with Stephen Piscotty, and as luck would...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUB PLAYOFF NOTES

CUBS BEAT ROYAL IN WALKOFF FASHION at Cubsquest.com

29 September:

It was a strange game.

Playing the AL Champion Royals in a one game make up in late September when both teams are playoff bound is surreal in the extreme to begin with.

Then add to it that the Cubs really don"t need to win any more games.

Nor do the Royals. They"ve...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS BEAT ROYAL IN WALKOFF FASHION

CUBS TAKE ON KC: WHY IT IS, AND ISN"T IMPORTANT at Cubsquest.com

28 September:

A few weeks ago this game seemed really important.

It still is, only in a different context. The Cubs are really no longer in the race for a different spot in the Division sweeps; that is now a contest between St Louis and Pittsburgh, and it will be both entertaining and...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS TAKE ON KC: WHY IT IS, AND ISN"T IMPORTANT

CUBS, ARRIETA BEAT BUCS FOR WIN #90 at Cubsquest.com

28 September:

It may not have meant much but it said a lot.

The Pirates really needed this game. The Cubs, not so much. Pittsburgh still has a shot at St Louis for the Division title. After losing the first game the Cubs were basically out of the race for the #1 Wild Card slot.

The ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS, ARRIETA BEAT BUCS FOR WIN #90

CUBS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT at Cubsquest.com

27 September:

The party must have been a doozy.

Hope the hangover(s) aren"t too intense; one suspects someone like Jake Arrieta allowed himself an allotted amount of time to indulge before getting right back on his routine.

First of all, congratulations to Tom Ricketts.

Success...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT

CUBS LOSE TO GERRITT; PIRATES at Cubsquest.com

26 September:

OK Cub fans. Take a chill pill.

You"re team is playing the best of the best. The battle tested Pittsburgh Pirate team is no pushover; although they do have a losing record within their own division. However, they beat the living snot out of everyone else.

This game"s...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS LOSE TO GERRITT; PIRATES

CUBS VS. PIRATES: WHAT TO EXPECT at Cubsquest.com

25 September:

Crunch time is officially here.

The Cubs won their playoff spot in August. They put away San Francisco and Washington to lock up the #2 Wild Card slot, and made a spirited attack at the two front runners. To the extent that they ended up outplaying both of them in the most...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS VS. PIRATES: WHAT TO EXPECT

CUBS DROP FINALE TO BREWERS at Cubsquest.com

24 September:

There was one revealing moment in Wednesday"s Cub-Brewer contest.

Brewer pitcher Zach Davies faced Cub right fielder Jorge Soler. The local announcing crew looked on in amazement. Davies, generously listed at 6 feet and 160, and at 22 looking far more like 15, squared off...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS DROP FINALE TO BREWERS

CUB PLAYOFF NOTES 23 SEPTEMBER at Cubsquest.com

23 September:

First of all a moment of silence for the passing of one of baseball"s greats, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra.

Not only a great baseball player; he batted .285 with 358 home runs over 19 seasons, he was one of the true great  characters of all time. His malapropisms -murdering of ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUB PLAYOFF NOTES 23 SEPTEMBER

CUBS WIN, ARRIETA WINS HIS 20TH at Cubsquest.com

22 September:

The Brewers were supposed to lay down and die.

They threw Tyler Cravy against them, who came in winless for the year at 0-7. He left the park 0-8, but except for 93 mph 4-seamer that caught just a little too much of the plate that Kris Bryant launched into the stands for his...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS WIN, ARRIETA WINS HIS 20TH

CUB PLAYOFF NOTES at Cubsquest.com

22 September:

With the magic number down to three, Cubsquest has decided to give our readers a daily column of notes, observations and things of interest from around the league. Things that might impact the team in their postseason quest for the title.

One thing that directly affects the...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUB PLAYOFF NOTES

DA BEARS: WHAT"S RIGHT, AND WHAT"S WRONG at Cubsquest.com

22 September:

So far the predictions of doom and gloom made -gleefully- by the local media have been borne out. The Bears are off to a rough start.

But have they been THAT bad?

Yes and no.

The Green Bay game hinged on 2 plays; John Fox"s decision to go for a TD rather than take a...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comDA BEARS: WHAT"S RIGHT, AND WHAT"S WRONG

CUB PLAYOFF ROSTER: A PREVIEW at Cubsquest.com

22 September:

Seeing that it"s a fait accompli" that the Cubs will make the postseason; speculating on their moves is not an exercise in bad luck. They WILL win four more games.

That said, let"s take a look at the roster and see who comes, and who goes.

Pitchers:

The locks: Jake ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUB PLAYOFF ROSTER: A PREVIEW

CUBS POUND BREWERS at Cubsquest.com

22 September:

The Cubs got just the tonic they needed Monday night.

A crippled Milwaukee Brewer team came in, right on the heels of the intense Cardinal series, and offered some tasty pitches and some bad hitting to a very flat Cub team.

The result was a 9-5 victory. Nothing to write...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS POUND BREWERS

CARDS AVOID SWEEP; LESTER, CUBS LOSE at Cubsquest.com

21 September:

It was all over early.

A flat Jon Lester and a shaky defense was attacked early by a fired up Cardinal offense, and by the bottom of the first it was already 3-0.

Lester got a couple of BP quality fastballs up, and Tommy Pham and Stephen Piscotty didn"t miss them, hitting...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCARDS AVOID SWEEP; LESTER, CUBS LOSE

CUBS WIN WILD ONE AT WRIGLEY at Cubsquest.com

19 September:

Get ready for more days like this.

Welcome to pennant run baseball; something the Chicago Cub fans only know of on the periphery. Although they fielded a couple of one and done Division Champs under Lou Piniella, the last real run was 2003.

Which will forever be known as...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS WIN WILD ONE AT WRIGLEY

CUBS MAKE CARDS LOOK BAD; WIN OPENER at Cubsquest.com

19 September:

You knew at some point it would come to this.

The sorry ass Cub teams of the past are no more. They are now one of the hottest teams in baseball, if not yet the best.  They are perhaps the most dangerous club, now.

They can stack a lineup. This is a new, and quite welcome, ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS MAKE CARDS LOOK BAD; WIN OPENER

CUBS TAKE ON CARDS IN CRITICAL SERIES at Cubsquest.com

18 September:

After the terrific series win in Pittsburgh the Cubs return home Friday to take on their epic rivals, the St Louis Cardinals.

Three day games; the way baseball was meant to be played, in front of packed houses. Meanwhile, The Pirates have to travel to Los Angeles and face...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS TAKE ON CARDS IN CRITICAL SERIES

CUBS BEAT PIRATES; TAKE SERIES at Cubsquest.com

17 September:

This was perhaps the biggest series victory of the year.

The Cubs not only proved they can hang with the Pirates, they showed that they"re better. The Pirates played hard, but not particularly smart, and their porous defense was once again an issue. With the expanded rosters ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS BEAT PIRATES; TAKE SERIES

CUBS COME UP HUGE IN EXTRAS; BEAT BUCS at Cubsquest.com

17 September:

This one was BIG.

As Cubsquest has pointed out all week long, the Cubs needed to at least split the series with Pittsburgh. They accomplished that -no small feat, indeed- in a 12 inning, 4 hour and 17 minute game in front of 32,000 fans.

They got to see an exciting game...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS COME UP HUGE IN EXTRAS; BEAT BUCS

CUBS SPLIT PAIR WITH BUCS at Cubsquest.com

16 September:

Hopefully the panic of the first loss was ameliorated by the terrific second game.

It is important to remember that all the Cubs really had to do is play a respectable series and come home with a split. Pittsburgh is a good club at home and highly motivated to win.

Gerrit...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SPLIT PAIR WITH BUCS

CUBS DROP FINAL PAIR IN PHILLY; OFF TO PITTSBURGH at Cubsquest.com

14 September:

First of all an apology to our readers.

Due to an emergency situation the last 36 hours of Chicago sports activity has gone unreported, and even more important, without proper analysis. However, the Cubs losing a pair to a bad Phillie team who beat them 5-2 in their season...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS DROP FINAL PAIR IN PHILLY; OFF TO PITTSBURGH

CUBS SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST PHILS at Cubsquest.com

12 September:

There seems to be one thing missing from this incredible stretch run the Cubs are making. First of all, let"s revel in the sheer numbers. They are 82 and 58.

Cubsquest was more optimistic -no, let"s make that MORE correct- than the other analysts who picked them to win 80...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SWEEP DOUBLEHEADER AGAINST PHILS

CUBS PLAY A PAIR IN PHILLY: PREVIEW at Cubsquest.com

9/11:

No date needs less explanation than that; no matter what anyone"s take is on that fateful day 14 years ago the bottom line is 2,996 people lost their lives that day.

In the most horrible and tragic circumstances imaginable.

That said, Benjamin Franklin once admonished the people...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS PLAY A PAIR IN PHILLY: PREVIEW

CARDS COME BACK AGAINST CUB BULLPEN at Cubsquest.com

10 September:

This was a tougher loss than you might think.

Those who would say "well, we took 2 out of 3, and that"s good enough" are totally Pollyanna"s missing the point. This was a "gut check" game for both teams. Most were concerned with Jon Lester and his famous case of the...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCARDS COME BACK AGAINST CUB BULLPEN

CUBS BEAT CARDS AGAIN; 6 1/2 GAMES OUT at Cubsquest.com

9 September:

There is an old expression.

"I"d rather be lucky than good". That old sop works even better when you"re both, and that fits the Cubs right now. They are not only playing well, but are getting some breaks that they did NOT see earlier this season.

Like catching the team with...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS BEAT CARDS AGAIN; 6 1/2 GAMES OUT

CUBS WIN; CARDS LOSE SECOND IN A ROW 9-0 at Cubsquest.com

8 September:

The Cards were bound to give some back.

And boy, did they. For the second game in a row they got trounced by the same identical score, 9-0. Both times at home; Sunday it was their immediate foes the Pirates, and on Labor Day the next pretender in line to the throne, The Cubs,...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS WIN; CARDS LOSE SECOND IN A ROW 9-0

CUBS/CARDS PREVIEW at Cubsquest.com

7 September:

The rubber officially hits the road today.

The very nice run the Cubs had is history; like the Allied forces sweeping through France in 1944 only to be counterattacked in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.

Not saying anything quite that drastic will occur.

It"s just...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS/CARDS PREVIEW

CUBS SWEEP ARIZONA -CARDINALS NEXT at Cubsquest.com

7 September:

You have to give Joe Maddon"s Cubs credit.

They are stockpiling wins against second division clubs like it"s no ones business. The sheer number of sweeps this season; the most in a generation has fattened up their record and put them in good stead for a post season...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SWEEP ARIZONA -CARDINALS NEXT

CUBS, ARRIETA BLANK D"BACKS at Cubsquest.com

5 September:

You just knew after 19 runs were scored Friday that Saturday"s game would be low scoring.

It was. And you most likely felt that Jake Arrieta would still somehow sail to his 18th victory.

He did that, too. Isn"t it nice that the Cubs are predictably good, now? As opposed to...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS, ARRIETA BLANK D"BACKS

CUBS BLOW OUT DIAMONDBACKS at Cubsquest.com

5 August:

Baseball is a game of match ups.

Sometimes they"re tough; demanding. Sometimes, well, not so much. A Cub team smelling a rare shot at a post season berth was served up a struggling Diamondback club minus their star player and starting a rookie pitcher against them.

Not just...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS BLOW OUT DIAMONDBACKS

THE ROAD TO THE PLAYOFFS at Cubsquest.com

4 September:

First of all, let"s look at the positive.

It"s Labor Day weekend -and by the way, have a great one- and Cub fans can still be excited about baseball instead of doing the "wait "til next year" rumba.

The schedule, as you all pretty well know by now, is brutal. They have the...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comTHE ROAD TO THE PLAYOFFS

CUBSQUEST READERS SPEAK at Cubsquest.com

3 September:

Cubsquest has received queries from our Brilliant and Informed readers, and they fit a pattern that should be broadly addressed.

The first, and most consistent, question is why is it the articles aren"t more supportive of the organization?

Theo Epstein is viewed with a...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBSQUEST READERS SPEAK

CUBS LOSE HEARTBREAKER at Cubsquest.com

2 September:

This one hurt.

In a long season you will win ugly and lose pretty. And at the end you add them up and hope you have enough in the plus column to get you to The Dance.

The Cubs have won in just about every conceivable fashion this year; their 12 walk off wins -which lead the...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS LOSE HEARTBREAKER

SEPTEMBER CALL UPS: HOW THEY PROJECT at Cubsquest.com

2 September:

Crunch time, as they call it, is officially here.

The Cubs have a real shot at a post season run. While they are currently sitting pretty, it"s no guarantee. The organization knows this, and that"s why the roster moves are being shaped by immediate needs. No more coddling...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comSEPTEMBER CALL UPS: HOW THEY PROJECT

CUBS BEAT REDS IN MUST WIN GAME at Cubsquest.com

2 September:

OK, so maybe a "must win" is a bit of an exaggeration.

Not much, though. They lose this game, and you take Jake "All America" Arrieta out of the equation and you have an 8 game losing streak.

The Cincinnati Reds came and played hard. Anthony DeSclafani flashed that killer...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS BEAT REDS IN MUST WIN GAME