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Today’s Reflections
Pedro Ramirez has been called up to replace Matt Shaw, who is on the 10-day injured list with back soreness. Ramirez will fill in the super-sub role, but with Nicky Lopez who can fill the infield portion of the role, Ramirez would be free for the outfield (if ready). He could have been the one that was called up to give PCA a couple of days break (even with his home run on Friday). If it wasn’t Ramirez, it could have been ……
Kevin Alcántara, who Jake Misener wrote about below. I won’t rehash it, but maybe since Alcantara has already had some time in the majors, this was Ramirez’s time. Alcantara’s will have to wait.
I could write some more about runners LOB or RISP, but I believe Al addresses that in his recap.
Jameson Taillon will be needing to go to the IL before too long as his whiplash watching every fly ball go to (or beyond) the outfield wall is becoming as painful as watching them.
And the PCA links start with some rare good news these days.
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Slump? What slump? I sure would like to hear some more about this supposed slump ……
- Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Another day, another dud for Cubs’ bats in sixth straight loss: Can nothing end teamwide drought?. “The Cubs scored two runs or fewer for the eighth time in 12 games as their team-wide slump deepened in a series-opening loss to the Astros.”
- Zack Sweet (MLB.com): Missed opportunities sink Cubs as skid reaches 6 games. The Cubs “finishing 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranding 11 runners while dropping its sixth consecutive game.”
- Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Chicago baseball report: Rough stretch for Cubs’ Moisés Ballesteros. “Moisés Ballesteros wasn’t going to bat .400 the entire season.”
- Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ offense in a ‘funk’ as situation hitting suffers in recent stretch. ““We’re in a funk right now,” Chicago Cubs Manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s up to us to change it. We’re the ones who are going to change it.”“
- Tyler Courtney (Last Word On Sports): How the Cubs Slump Can Be Reversed Before May Ends. “To understand how to stop the slump, it is crucial to understand why it is happening.”
- Gordon Edes (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs just might find cure for what ails them this weekend vs. Astros. “The Cubs have scored three runs or fewer in nine of the last 11 games and have been outscored 59-31. They’re batting a collective .182 and have been outhomered 20-7.”
- Field Level Media (Yardbarker): Cubs host Astros with both sides searching for a spark. “The Chicago Cubs hope a day off at home will allow them to reset mentally before they host the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series on Friday. The Cubs have lost five in a row and nine of 11 following a 27-12 start that had them atop the National League Central.”
- Tommy Erbe (OnTapSportsNet): Times Like These Are Why The Chicago Cubs Need Alex Bregman. “Alex Bregman was brought to the Chicago Cubs for times like these. In the face of adversity, he can lead them through.”
- Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Kevin Alcantara is sending a loud message that the Cubs can no longer ignore. “Kevin Alcantara could give 2 struggling Cubs outfielders chance to reset”
The angels are pensively singing:
- Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Craig Counsell finally caves with change Cubs fans have been begging for. “After the Cubs lost 4-2 on Friday to the Houston Astros, extending their losing streak to six games, Counsell confirmed there will be changes to the starting lineup for Saturday’s game. ….. Perhaps the door is open for Pedro Ramirez to get a start or two in the coming days, but right now, the correct lever to pull is making the change with the starting lineup.”
- Michael Cerami (Bleacher Report): At Long Last, Lineup Changes Are Coming for the Chicago Cubs. “After yet another day of offensive futility at Wrigley Field — complete with their patented ability to get a lot of guys on base and unique inability to drive literally any of them … in no matter the situation or who’s up (0-9 with RISP today + 11 runners left on base) — lineup changes are coming for the Chicago Cubs.”
The Daily PCA Report
- First, the good news:
- Dan Freedman (Forbes{$})): Pete Crow-Armstrong Is In A Mental Slump And Needs A Day Or Two Off. “Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs needs a day; he needs a break, a breather. He needs to collect himself.”
- Michael Canter (Cubs Insider): The Rundown: PCA’s Unprecedented Funk Helps Brewers Broom Cubs, Early Exit for Cabrera, Ohtani Nearly Dealt to Rays in ’23. “The Cubs are a mess right now, none more than Pete Crow-Armstrong, and things aren’t going to change until they refocus and get back to …… dominating. …… Crow-Armstrong is the team’s worst offender and probably needs to put his interaction with a White Sox fan behind him.”
- Elias Shuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): Pete Crow-Armstrong Has Been a Problem for the Cubs – And He Knows It. “The Chicago Cubs’ star center fielder called his recent mistakes “genuinely laughable” following another loss on Wednesday.“
- Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Pete Crow-Armstrong’s errors adding up for Cubs, from taunting a fan to misplays on the field. “A mental reset, of sorts, is coming with Thursday’s off day, a well-timed break for a Cubs team that is currently flailing in all phases of the game. But this moment appears to be especially uncomfortable for Crow-Armstrong.”
- Jesse Rogers (ESPN): Pete Crow-Armstrong says recent errors ‘genuinely laughable’. “”One thing I can fall back on is it’s never a lack of focus but [instead] trying too hard and trying to make up for the lack of production that I have given this team and this city.””
- Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Why Astros should follow 2021 Cubs blueprint with trade deadline sell-off. “ESPN’s David Schoenfield presented a blueprint for the Astros to follow, in the 2021 Chicago Cubs, that could lead to a successful sell-off this season while still keeping some key players for the near future.”
- Jesse Rogers (ESPN): Cubs put Matt Shaw on injured list, call up Pedro Ramirez. “Shaw, 24, first experienced soreness Tuesday, which did not subside after a couple of days of treatment. …… ””It’s probably going to be a shorter stint,” Counsell said of Ramirez.”
- Brandon Glick (Cubbies Crib): Rising Cubs’ prospect could soon become intriguing trade chip for Jed Hoyer. “Might as well cash in on a superfluous star in the making.”
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): Tarik Skubal Trade Chances “Are Rising” – Would You Want to See the Cubs Make a Go at Him? “If the Tigers decide they are out of the race, then there will be absolutely not reason for them not to capitalize and trade Tarik Skubal for the biggest price they can get.”
- Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): This Cubs’ trade deadline prediction suddenly feels like the lifeline Jed Hoyer needs. “The rotation – and pitching staff, as a whole – is hanging by a thread.”
- Paranjoy Goswami (Total Pro Sports): What Happened To Edward Cabrera? A Deeper Look Into His Injury. “The Chicago Cubs removed Edward Cabrera from the mound midway through his start against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on Wednesday.
- Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Cubs trade prediction for Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara makes sense for everyone involved. “While they’re in good shape to make the postseason, the Cubs desperately need to find a way to upgrade their team by the August 3rd trade deadline. Their top need is clearly starting pitching help.”
- Matt Snyder (CBS Sports): The Brewers just picked up control of NL Central again, but they need to drop underdog schtick. “The Brewers outscored the Cubs 19-5 in a three-game sweep in Wrigley this week, and their manager insists they’re still overlooked.”
- Bennedetto Vitale (Clutch Points): Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo details epic way Dexter Fowler helped him break slump. “In the latest episode of “Lovable Reunion,” Rizzo recalled a time he was struggling at the plate. He felt like he would go zero and forever during this brutal slump.”
- Anthony Franco (MLBTradeRumors): 2026-27 Club Options: NL Central. “In recent weeks, MLBTR has looked forward to next winter’s option classes. We’ll move now to the NL Central, where the Cubs have a number of low-cost options to weigh.”
- Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): For Better and For Worse, the Cubs Are Locked In. “Last summer, the Cubs affirmed their faith in their existing front office. Over the offseason they proved they feel a sense of urgency to win now. This spring, they committed themselves to this core for a long time. Was all of that a huge mistake?”
- Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Jed Hoyer reveals what the Cubs need to see from Jordan Wicks. “It’s now or never.”
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation): The Biggest Offensive Difference Between the Cubs and the Brewers. “This week’s series, combined with the earlier discussion of certain Cubs players’ woes with runners in scoring position this year, had me stepping back and looking at the Cubs and Brewers more generally.”
Food For Thought:
According to Albert King, he was five when his father left the family and eight when he moved with his mother, Mary Blevins, and two sisters to the Forrest City, Arkansas, area. King said his family had also lived in Arcola, Mississippi, at one time. He made his first guitar out of a cigar box, a piece of a bush, and a strand of broom wire, and later bought a real guitar for $1.25. As a southpaw learning guitar on his own, he turned his guitar upside down. King picked cotton, drove a bulldozer, did construction, and worked other jobs until he was finally able to support himself as a musician.
John Mayall, the “Godfather of British Blues,” was a major influence on post-’60s rock & roll. His band the Bluesbreakers sired Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Peter Green and Fleetwood Mac’s rhythm section, among others. His version of blues incorporated rock elements, while keeping the core and the spirit authentically gritty and lowdown. Through his stewardship, the global audience for blues, and the palette for rock, expanded considerably.
Concrete-covered owl returns to the wild after feather surgery (the after-surgery is at 1:30)
A great horned owl found covered in concrete was released back into the wild after undergoing surgery to replace its damaged feathers. The owl underwent several days of care involving 20-minute baths to slowly remove the concrete. The process left the owl with damage to its feathers that prevented it from flying silently, a necessary feature for great horned owls to survive in the wild.
They ended up replacing 10 primary and one secondary feather on the owl’s right wing. The bird’s left wing did not require any replacement feathers. “The first few feathers were extremely nerve-wracking, but as we got into the groove, the imping became more comfortable, and everything went smoothly,” Richwalski said.
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