Markus Burton IN at IU! Now, Aidan Sherrell’s turn! Colts to go defense early in draft! Fever so Raven! Schwarbs puts Cubs on BLAST!
It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hot spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to join us. There’s no cover charge this evening. The dress code is casual. We’ve still got a couple of good tables available. The show will start […]
“Javier Assad has faced 51 batters without allowing a single barreled ball”. So said the helpful auto-generated commentary in the MLB app’s Gameday feature after Trea Turner grounded out to start the bottom of the first. The next play read “Kyle Schwarber homers (5) on a fly ball to center field”. Well. Can an AI […]
Go get ‘em, Javier.
Here are the lineups. For the Phillies: For the Cubs: Let’s talk about it.
Monday notes… Cubs lineup: Phillies lineup: Javier Assad, RHP vs. Cristopher Sánchez, LHP Javier Assad stepped up when Cade Horton hit the injured list, and his first start, last Tuesday against the Rays, was outstanding: 5.2 shutout innings, allowing one hit and two walks. Assad has been remarkably consistent through his 79 games (55 starts) […]
Phillies 13, Cubs 7: Losing ugly
2026 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 16
Cubs vs. Phillies, Monday 4/13, 5:40 CT live!
Chicago Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies preview, Monday 4/13, 5:40 CT
As you know, the Cubs are off to a rough start this season. But then, so are the Phillies. The teams enter this series with identical 7-8 records, and the Phillies have lost four of their last five, scoring a total of just 11 runs in those five games. Here’s more on the Phillies from […]
With the loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday, the Phillies fell to a game under .500. They’ll now welcome another would-be contender who is off to an uneven start to the season that has left them a game under .500. Chicago Cubs Record: 7-8, Fifth place in National League Central (Two games back) The last […]
The 2026 MLB season has had a very weird start. Many good teams — including the Cubs — are off to mediocre starts. In fact, other than the 11-4 Dodgers, the other 29 teams all have records between 10-6 and 6-10 entering Monday’s action: 10-6: Braves, Padres9-6: Pirates9-7: Guardians, Twins, Reds, Diamondbacks8-7: Orioles, Yankees, Rays, […]
Reminder: I’m on vacation all this week and will be a little briefer than usual and one or more pieces could be delayed. Thanks for your patience. Now that one looked like fun. In my head, come-from-behind victories reach almost mythic proportions. The Sandberg Game is the prototype. To be fair, I had to look […]
Old friend Justin Turner signed with the Toros de Tijuana in the Mexican League, the team announced on Friday. The longtime Dodgers third baseman took to Instagram to talk about his new team as well, in both English and Spanish. Turner, 41, played last season with the Chicago Cubs, for whom he hit .219/.288/.314 with […]
Free of charge for the discerning reader. RIP to The Bird. Jon Lester* attempts a pickoff. Today in baseball history: Cubs birthdays: Claude Hendrix, Roy Walker, Jake Mooty, John Stephenson, Doug Strange. Today in History: * pictured
Iowa Cubs Rained out. The game with the Omaha Storm Chasers will not be made up. Maybe they shouldn’t have run towards the rain. Knoxville Smokies The Knoxville Smokies were left on the launchpad by the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), 7-4 in ten innings. Jake Knapp started and gave the Smokies four strong shutout […]
Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field was better than Saturday in every single way. First, the weather was more than 30 degrees warmer — 80 at game time, a nice day to have in mid-April. And the Cubs came from behind with good relief work and some excellent baserunning, tying the game in the eighth. Then […]
Go get ‘em, Jamo.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Chicago Cubs, April 12, 2026, 2:20 p.m. ET Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field looking to grab a win. Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines. BD community, this is your thread for […]
2026 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 15
Cubs 7, Pirates 6: Carson Kelly walks it off
Cubs vs. Pirates, Sunday 4/12, 1:20 CT live!
Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates preview, Sunday 4/12, 1:20 CT
The Cubs signed left-hander Charlie Barnes to a minor-league deal in January. Barnes did appear in two Spring Training games for the Cubs, throwing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. He was assigned to Triple-A Iowa and has pitched in three games there, posting a 2.38 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 11.1 innings. Today, the […]
Reminder: I’m on vacation all this week and will be a little briefer than usual and one or more pieces could be delayed. Thanks for your patience. If you’re not one of my longtime readers, this is a great jumping-in point. By about the third inning Saturday, I saw the season declared as over, the […]
Jeimer Candelario is waiting for the phone to ring. He’s a fallen Angel. Pirates 4, Cubs 3. Edward Cabrera opposed Braxton Ashcraft. Both threw well enough, Ashcraft getting the upper hand this time around, with help from O’Neil Cruz, who had a Game. Two of the Cubs’ runs came in on groundouts, by Nico Hoerner […]
Right-hander Zac Leigh was activated off the Development List and assigned to Triple-A Iowa. Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs were too fast for the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 7-3. Starter Vince Velasquez gave up two runs in the top of the first inning, but settled down after that. The final line on Velasquez was two […]
I’m not sure what to think of the Cubs’ frustrating 4-3, 11-inning loss to the Pirates Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Should I be unhappy because they lost, and part of the reason was a player playing his first game at first base — ever? Or should I take some solace in the fact that […]
Go get ‘em, Edward.
Saturday notes… Cubs lineup: The Pirates lineup was not available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the Pirates lineup. Edward Cabrera, RHP vs. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP Edward Cabrera has not only been the Cubs’ best starter so far this year, he’s been one of the top starters anywhere in MLB, alllowing just […]