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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Bleed Cubbie Blue -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>A Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-04-30T19:10:00-05:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-04-30T19:10:00-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-04-30T19:10:00-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Overflow thread: Cubs vs. Pirates, Wednesday 4/30, 5:40 CT</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FLYx7Io5HFpV7DXimat-6D2qka0=/0x0:3468x2312/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058632/usa_today_26048392.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p id="bPVD9e"&gt;——&lt;/p&gt;
  21.  
  22. </content>
  23.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419687/overflow-thread-cubs-vs-pirates-wednesday-4-30-5-40-ct"/>
  24.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419687/overflow-thread-cubs-vs-pirates-wednesday-4-30-5-40-ct</id>
  25.    <author>
  26.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  27.    </author>
  28.  </entry>
  29.  <entry>
  30.    <published>2025-04-30T17:35:00-05:00</published>
  31.    <updated>2025-04-30T17:35:00-05:00</updated>
  32.    <title>First pitch thread: Cubs vs. Pirates, Wednesday 4/30, 5:40 CT</title>
  33.    <content type="html">  
  34.  
  35.    &lt;figure&gt;
  36.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5DpPcxE0nVOFY_WAN_9ArGNjM3c=/213x142:4127x2751/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058521/usa_today_25945135.0.jpg" /&gt;
  37.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Denis Poroy-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  38.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  39.  
  40.  &lt;p id="bPVD9e"&gt;Go get ‘em, Matthew.&lt;/p&gt;
  41.  
  42. </content>
  43.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419682/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-pirates-wednesday-4-30-5-40-ct"/>
  44.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419682/first-pitch-thread-cubs-vs-pirates-wednesday-4-30-5-40-ct</id>
  45.    <author>
  46.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  47.    </author>
  48.  </entry>
  49.  <entry>
  50.    <published>2025-04-30T16:00:14-05:00</published>
  51.    <updated>2025-04-30T16:00:14-05:00</updated>
  52.    <title>The Short Porch isn’t striking out</title>
  53.    <content type="html">  
  54.  
  55.    &lt;figure&gt;
  56.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-eFu6lVUK_S8x5ZHCTCTfUnFA4k=/46x519:3916x3099/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058368/2212663787.0.jpg" /&gt;
  57.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Seiya Suzuki hits a home run in the seventh inning Tuesday | Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  58.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  59.  
  60.  &lt;p&gt;Tuesday’s game included a rare event.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="gWzgb2"&gt;The Cubs continued to roll as they opened their first series against a divisional foe in Pittsburgh yesterday as they routed the Buccos 9-0 at PNC Park. I considered making this an “OMG NO!!!!!!!” column about everyone’s favorite Mike, Shōta Imanaga, leaving yesterday’s game in the sixth inning. I considered making this a celebration column about Seiya Suzuki having a game for the ages in Pittsburgh, with a homer, double and triple yesterday. But when I looked at &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT202504290.shtml"&gt;the baseball-reference boxscore&lt;/a&gt;, I saw this and was stunned:&lt;/p&gt;
  61. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  62.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ilIIKHpA5rVVr_in6wDmCVcKUU8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25976946/Box_Score.png"&gt;
  63.      &lt;cite&gt;Baseball-Reference&lt;/cite&gt;
  64.      &lt;figcaption&gt;Cubs vs. Pirates April 29, 2025&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  65.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  66. &lt;p id="pkpK7h"&gt;I’d like to direct your eyes to the strikeout column, where there is a glorious row of zeros. No one from the Cubs struck out yesterday. Not a single K. None from a guy in the original lineup. None from a pinch hitter. It was an incredible day of zero strikeouts from our favorite team.&lt;/p&gt;
  67. &lt;p id="vGtVGy"&gt;It’s a feat that no Cubs team has pulled off in a game of at least eight innings since 2023, when the Cubs bested the &lt;a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/"&gt;Oakland Athletics&lt;/a&gt; by a score of 3-1, &lt;a href="https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/mlb-team-with-0-strikeouts-in-a-game-with-more-than-8-innings"&gt;according to Statmuse&lt;/a&gt;. Statmuse also shows that the Cubs were the first team to accomplish the zero strikeout feat in exactly a calendar year (last year on April 29 the &lt;a href="https://www.truebluela.com/"&gt;Dodgers&lt;/a&gt; had zero strikeouts against the &lt;a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/"&gt;Arizona Diamondbacks&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
  68. &lt;p id="Vu3RZP"&gt;The Dodgers were the only team to accomplish that feat in the regular season last year.&lt;/p&gt;
  69. &lt;p id="oaWFgQ"&gt;We did see it one other time in 2024. During the playoffs the &lt;a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/"&gt;Mets&lt;/a&gt; were facing elimination on October 18 in Game Five and &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fnews%2Fmets-hitters-avoid-striking-out-in-nlcs-game-5&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F4%2F30%2F24421042%2Fshort-porch-cubs-no-strikeout-game" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;did not strike out once in 44 plate appearances&lt;/a&gt; (for reference, the Cubs had 42 plate appearances last night).&lt;/p&gt;
  70. &lt;p id="nhaolF"&gt;While four teams had zero strikeouts in 2023, you have to go back to 2017 for the last time any team had zero strikeouts in a regular season MLB game (for reference, &lt;a href="https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/mlb-team-with-0-strikeouts-in-a-game-with-more-than-8-innings"&gt;there were three that year&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;/p&gt;
  71. &lt;p id="ejHGPh"&gt;The bottom line is Tuesday night’s performance against the Pirates was rare and we should enjoy it. It’s rare to see your team not strikeout against anyone, and Cubs fans got that last night. I know I’ll be keeping track of how long the streak lives as the two teams face off tonight in Pittsburgh.&lt;/p&gt;
  72.  
  73. </content>
  74.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24421042/short-porch-cubs-no-strikeout-game"/>
  75.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24421042/short-porch-cubs-no-strikeout-game</id>
  76.    <author>
  77.      <name>Sara Sanchez</name>
  78.    </author>
  79.  </entry>
  80.  <entry>
  81.    <published>2025-04-30T15:31:00-05:00</published>
  82.    <updated>2025-04-30T15:31:00-05:00</updated>
  83.    <title>Cubs vs. Pirates Wednesday 4/30 game threads</title>
  84.    <content type="html">  
  85.  
  86.    &lt;figure&gt;
  87.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QyW-Fo8VayKXAJkFq9t1f9KOVCI=/792x468:5492x3601/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058321/1625903665.0.jpg" /&gt;
  88.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  89.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  90.  
  91.  &lt;p&gt;The game threads for Wednesday’s contest can be found right here.&lt;/p&gt;
  92.  
  93. </content>
  94.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419698/cubs-pirates-wednesday-game-threads"/>
  95.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419698/cubs-pirates-wednesday-game-threads</id>
  96.    <author>
  97.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  98.    </author>
  99.  </entry>
  100.  <entry>
  101.    <published>2025-04-30T15:30:00-05:00</published>
  102.    <updated>2025-04-30T15:30:00-05:00</updated>
  103.    <title>Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates preview, Wednesday 4/30, 5:40 CT</title>
  104.    <content type="html">  
  105.  
  106.    &lt;figure&gt;
  107.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/extdPrLwvflP93tZfJY9lLt-20E=/0x216:3276x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058314/usa_today_26047424.0.jpg" /&gt;
  108.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  109.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  110.  
  111.  &lt;p&gt;The Cubs go for the series win.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="BdkBU2"&gt;Today’s roster move: &lt;a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24420963/cubs-roster-move-chris-flexen-recalled-tom-cosgrove-optioned"&gt;Here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;p id="CFeSZh"&gt;Wednesday notes...&lt;/p&gt;
  113. &lt;ul&gt;
  114. &lt;li id="tzpSjd"&gt;
  115. &lt;strong&gt;BLANKING THEM:&lt;/strong&gt; Four of the Cubs’ 18 wins have been shutouts — 22.2 percent. They have not had a percentage that high at the end of a season since 2020, when it was 23.5 percent: eight of 34 wins. But that season was limited to 60 games. Their last full season with a higher percentage was 1969: 23.9 (23 of 92). The Cubs have had percentages higher than that in 11 other seasons — all between 1902 and 1919. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)&lt;/li&gt;
  116. &lt;li id="hbtp0g"&gt;
  117. &lt;strong&gt;CUBS OFFENSIVE RANKINGS:&lt;/strong&gt; Runs, 181 (1st). Runs per game, 6.03 (1st). Doubles, 60 (3rd, one behind Red Sox and Cardinals). Stolen bases, 44 (1st). Walks, 123 (2nd, Mariners). OPS, .799 (2nd, Yankees).&lt;/li&gt;
  118. &lt;li id="sLgQgs"&gt;
  119. &lt;strong&gt;PCA! PCA!:&lt;/strong&gt; Pete Crow-Armstrong, last 13 games since April 13: .400/.412/.920 (20-for-50) with six doubles, a triple, six home runs, six stolen bases, 12 runs scored and 16 RBI.&lt;/li&gt;
  120. &lt;li id="okuYrV"&gt;
  121. &lt;strong&gt;SEIYA UPDATE:&lt;/strong&gt; Seiya Suzuki, last 14 games since April 7: .364/.397/.673 (20-for-55) with four doubles, two triples, three home runs, nine runs scored and 14 RBI. &lt;/li&gt;
  122. &lt;/ul&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="J9nepc"&gt;Here are today’s particulars.&lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="OmIgrW"&gt;Cubs lineup:&lt;/p&gt;
  125. &lt;div id="xaCP8m"&gt;
  126. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  127. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Night two in the Burgh. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Watch it live on the Marquee Sports Network App. &lt;a href="https://t.co/Vb7NsaNs3G"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Vb7NsaNs3G&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1917674183665881162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 30, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  128. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  129. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  130.  
  131. &lt;/div&gt;
  132. &lt;p id="nU1Gao"&gt;Pirates lineup:&lt;/p&gt;
  133. &lt;div id="HOXxkS"&gt;
  134. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  135. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Game 2 vs. the Cubs. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/SNPittsburgh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@SNPittsburgh&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/937theFan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@937theFan&lt;/a&gt; | The PRN&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Presented by &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/bet365_us?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@bet365_us&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/3hXkDCq40G"&gt;pic.twitter.com/3hXkDCq40G&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Pirates/status/1917665058219233364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 30, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  136. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  137. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  138.  
  139. &lt;/div&gt;
  140. &lt;h2 id="G6mtDA"&gt;Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP&lt;/h2&gt;
  141. &lt;div class="c-float-left"&gt;
  142. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  143.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HzVFVWCjhR4cyPDKPt0Ba1S2Ohg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25930657/usa_today_25703154.jpg"&gt;
  144.      &lt;cite&gt;Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  145.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  146. &lt;/div&gt;
  147. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;
  148. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  149.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mt_ATRdz2JKbO3mFoAjqKKxnrgo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25974701/usa_today_25790059.jpg"&gt;
  150.      &lt;cite&gt;Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  151.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  152. &lt;/div&gt;
  153. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  154.        &lt;img alt="thin white spacer" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OOZ5hYsZUGHYc4jkXfWiY50nJ8A=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8538777/thinwhitespacer.0.jpg"&gt;
  155.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="fZ2S6e"&gt;Matthew Boyd had the worst start of his season to date his last time out, &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN202504230.shtml"&gt;April 23 vs. the Dodgers&lt;/a&gt;, and even at that he got a “quality start” out of it, three earned runs (six total runs) in six innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  157. &lt;p id="u8XJpu"&gt;He last faced the Pirates &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE202408310.shtml"&gt;Aug. 30, 2024 in Cleveland&lt;/a&gt;, allowing one run in six innings, with no walks and eight strikeouts.&lt;/p&gt;
  158. &lt;p id="7kaKQ4"&gt;I’d like to order another one of those, please.&lt;/p&gt;
  159. &lt;p id="Pm5dAY"&gt;Carmen Mlodzinski was a hard-throwing setup man for the Pirates the last two years. This year they’ve moved him into the rotation and the results have not been good so far. Only one of the five starts has been good, and the rest mediocre-to-bad. Last year in three relief outings vs. the Cubs he posted a 3.18 ERA in 5⅔ total innings, so that really doesn’t tell us too much.&lt;/p&gt;
  160. &lt;p id="atrMY3"&gt;It should be noted that Mlodzinski is listed with four starts last year and one in 2023, but all of those were as an opener. &lt;/p&gt;
  161. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  162.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/28g1zsI1Pf-mNq78Qa29bk4QwpU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25975217/Screenshot_2025_04_29_at_7.40.57_AM.png"&gt;
  163.      &lt;cite&gt;&lt;a class="ql-link" href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/pitchmix#571510_2025" target="_blank"&gt;Baseball Savant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/cite&gt;
  164.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  165. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  166.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ztbw_WU_ZJtUSSCNUoLbUikXyz4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25974709/Screenshot_2025_04_28_at_4.13.40_PM.png"&gt;
  167.      &lt;cite&gt;&lt;a class="ql-link" href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/pitchmix#669387_2025" target="_blank"&gt;Baseball Savant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/cite&gt;
  168.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  169. &lt;p id="GetjFT"&gt;Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. &lt;a href="https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/providers/"&gt;You can find out if Marquee is available via a provider in your area here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  170. &lt;p id="4TJDJu"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Flive-stream-games%2F2025%2F04%2F30&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F4%2F30%2F24419396%2Fchicago-cubs-pittsburgh-pirates-preview-wednesday" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  171. &lt;p id="Xe5URc"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fgameday%2Fcubs-vs-pirates%2F2025%2F04%2F30%2F778112%2Flive&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F4%2F30%2F24419396%2Fchicago-cubs-pittsburgh-pirates-preview-wednesday" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;MLB.com Gameday&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  172. &lt;p id="iDRiK8"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2025/PIT202504300.shtml"&gt;Baseball-reference.com game preview&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  173. &lt;p id="7oSHCm"&gt;Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site &lt;a href="http://www.bucsdugout.com/"&gt;Bucs Dugout&lt;/a&gt;. If you do go there to interact with Pirates fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.&lt;/p&gt;
  174. &lt;p id="mRtOMf"&gt;The 2025 Game Thread procedure will be identical to last year’s.&lt;/p&gt;
  175. &lt;p id="uNrOo7"&gt;You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).&lt;/p&gt;
  176. &lt;p id="Jy7Er2"&gt;At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.&lt;/p&gt;
  177. &lt;p id="F5ehVY"&gt;You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in &lt;a href="http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/chicago-cubs-game-threads"&gt;this section link&lt;/a&gt;). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.&lt;/p&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="pjBR1E"&gt;The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.&lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="cWIBoH"&gt;Discuss amongst yourselves.&lt;/p&gt;
  180.  
  181. </content>
  182.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419396/chicago-cubs-pittsburgh-pirates-preview-wednesday"/>
  183.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24419396/chicago-cubs-pittsburgh-pirates-preview-wednesday</id>
  184.    <author>
  185.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  186.    </author>
  187.  </entry>
  188.  <entry>
  189.    <published>2025-04-30T14:45:00-05:00</published>
  190.    <updated>2025-04-30T14:45:00-05:00</updated>
  191.    <title>Cubs roster move: Chris Flexen recalled, Tom Cosgrove optioned</title>
  192.    <content type="html">  
  193.  
  194.    &lt;figure&gt;
  195.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/39UKy5kALHgoCINvLTalOXYg6ic=/0x0:7615x5077/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74058187/2203804355.0.jpg" /&gt;
  196.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Chris Flexen pitches for the Cubs during Spring Training | Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  197.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  198.  
  199.  &lt;p&gt;The Cubs have operated the Iowa Shuttle.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="CNpj8O"&gt;Righthander Chris Flexen has had an up-and-down career.&lt;/p&gt;
  200. &lt;p id="CiZ5Na"&gt;He had pretty good years for the Mariners in 2021 and 2022 — a 3.4 bWAR season in Seattle in ‘21 — but was pretty awful for the Mariners and Rockies combined in 2023 and not good last year for the White Sox.&lt;/p&gt;
  201. &lt;p id="ie5iXR"&gt;The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal in February and he was assigned to Triple-A Iowa, where in five starts he posted a 1.13 ERA and 1.157 WHIP, with 21 strikeouts in 23⅓ innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  202. &lt;p id="00SAq4"&gt;Today, he has joined the Cubs’ major-league roster.&lt;/p&gt;
  203. &lt;div id="uinmz5"&gt;
  204. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  205. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The Cubs are calling up veteran Chris Flexen from the minors, sources tell ESPN. Flexen, 30, has a 1.16 ERA in 5 starts at Triple-A Iowa. Been pitching fantastic down there after an arm slot change. He needs to be added to the ML roster by tomorrow or else becomes a FA.&lt;/p&gt;— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1917579136698310845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 30, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  206. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  207. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  208.  
  209. &lt;/div&gt;
  210. &lt;p id="LxmX3o"&gt;As you can see by Jesse Rogers’ tweet, Flexen had a May 1 opt-out. So the Cubs are going to give him a chance. It’s unclear as of now whether that will be as a starter or reliever.&lt;/p&gt;
  211. &lt;p id="swPgbv"&gt;To make room for Flexen on the 26-man active roster, reliever Tom Cosgrove was optioned to Iowa. Cosgrove ate up the eight and ninth innings of Tuesday’s blowout win and in so doing, threw 35 pitches. Thus he probably wouldn’t have been available the rest of this series. Cosgrove threw well and likely will be back at some point.&lt;/p&gt;
  212. &lt;p id="gH6K5R"&gt;To make room for Flexen on the 40-man roster, righthander Javier Assad was transferred to the 60-day injured list. The move is expected to be retroactive to the day Assad was first placed on the injured list, March 17, as Assad isn’t expected back anytime soon.&lt;/p&gt;
  213. &lt;p id="Epa1qB"&gt;Here’s hoping Flexen can get back to the pitcher he was three and four years ago. That would be a useful addition to the Cubs pitching staff. As always, we await developments.&lt;/p&gt;
  214.  
  215. </content>
  216.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24420963/cubs-roster-move-chris-flexen-recalled-tom-cosgrove-optioned"/>
  217.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24420963/cubs-roster-move-chris-flexen-recalled-tom-cosgrove-optioned</id>
  218.    <author>
  219.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  220.    </author>
  221.  </entry>
  222.  <entry>
  223.    <published>2025-04-30T12:00:00-05:00</published>
  224.    <updated>2025-04-30T12:00:00-05:00</updated>
  225.    <title>SB Nation Reacts survey: Which Cubs player has been the most pleasant surprise this year?</title>
  226.    <content type="html">  
  227.  
  228.    &lt;figure&gt;
  229.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IFOfyZ7l8mRNWPyrY1C-iG7suG8=/1057x252:2818x1426/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057831/2208513747.0.jpg" /&gt;
  230.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  231.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  232.  
  233.  &lt;p&gt;The Cubs have had some good unexpected performances. Who’s your favorite?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="BrHqbE"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chicago Cubs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; fans and fans across the country. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/0DWS6R/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sign up here&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  234. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Zp5HRc"&gt;
  235. &lt;p id="cWdBAF"&gt;The Cubs are off to an excellent xxxx start this year, a start made better by some performances from players you might not have expected to be this good, or maybe not good at all.&lt;/p&gt;
  236. &lt;p id="45wYin"&gt;So this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey question for BCB readers is aimed at finding out which player’s unexpected good start is your favorite.&lt;/p&gt;
  237. &lt;p id="xRjWAv"&gt;Cast your vote in the survey below and I’ll post the results here later this week.&lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;div id="VP6LXQ"&gt;&lt;iframe id="ss-embed-frame" onload="window.parent.parent.scrollTo(0,0)" src="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/JIVWJW/" style="width:100%;height:400px;border:0px;padding-bottom:4px;" frameborder="0"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/JIVWJW/"&gt;Please take our survey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  239.  
  240. </content>
  241.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24420454/sb-nation-reacts-survey-which-cubs-player-most-pleasant-surprise-this-year"/>
  242.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24420454/sb-nation-reacts-survey-which-cubs-player-most-pleasant-surprise-this-year</id>
  243.    <author>
  244.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  245.    </author>
  246.  </entry>
  247.  <entry>
  248.    <published>2025-04-30T10:00:00-05:00</published>
  249.    <updated>2025-04-30T10:00:00-05:00</updated>
  250.    <title>2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 30</title>
  251.    <content type="html">  
  252.  
  253.    &lt;figure&gt;
  254.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Cubs v Pittsburgh Pirates" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bCgMmYQIzxgyY7CEMKJ-52-2lZ4=/388x833:2252x2076/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74057572/2212092382.0.jpg" /&gt;
  255.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  256.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  257.  
  258.  &lt;p&gt;The Cubs offense revives in a 9-0 trouncing of the Pirates.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="SIUot5"&gt;After Phillies pitching stifled the Cubs offense for the most part over the weekend, it was a refreshing sight to see the Cubs offense come out in force Tuesday night. It was what you hoped would happen and happen it did. After being mowed down the first time through the order, the Cubs offense bombarded the Pirates over the game’s final six innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  259. &lt;p id="8Uwk1k"&gt;The only real issue that the Cubs had in a walkover win Tuesday night was an injury to Shōta Imanaga. Even at that, Imanaga finished five shutout innings before leaving in the sixth. He allowed a double to start the sixth and then left with what turned out to be leg cramps, so it’s likely not serious. After that, the Cubs bullpen threw four scoreless innings to lock down the shutout. &lt;/p&gt;
  260. &lt;p id="HMJ89z"&gt;This series will be no pushover with Paul Skenes still lurking before it’s over. But the Cubs did what they needed to do and took game one. That leaves both a series win and even a series sweep still in play. One day at a time. &lt;/p&gt;
  261. &lt;p id="f8QdW3"&gt;It has been well publicized that the Cubs played the most difficult schedule in the majors over their first 29 games and the easiest schedule in the majors over their remaining 133 games. One down and it was a successful one. &lt;/p&gt;
  262. &lt;p id="EV6LGk"&gt;Equally encouraging to the nine run victory was the number of players who contributed. All nine starters had hits, 13 in total. In addition to the 13 hits, they drew five walks. Six of the nine Cubs reached twice or more. Of the three who didn’t reach twice, one was Pete Crow-Armstrong who stayed blistering hot with a two-run homer. He’s been tattooing the ball all over the yard for a few weeks now. &lt;/p&gt;
  263. &lt;p id="q28MYX"&gt;The Cubs slugged four homers, a triple and three doubles in the game. A deep and balanced approach has been the hallmark of the Cubs offense. Kyle Tucker has been quiet for several games now and it is fun to see the Cubs productive even when he is not. As good a hitter as he is, you just know that it is only a matter of time. &lt;/p&gt;
  264. &lt;p id="s7OQ73"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pitch Counts: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  265. &lt;ul&gt;
  266. &lt;li id="YFHgeq"&gt;
  267. &lt;strong&gt;Cubs:&lt;/strong&gt; 146 pitches, 36 batters (16.22/PPI; 4.06/PPB)&lt;/li&gt;
  268. &lt;li id="c82X2X"&gt;
  269. &lt;strong&gt;Pirates: &lt;/strong&gt;149 pitches, 42 batters (16.56/PPI; 3.55/PPB)&lt;/li&gt;
  270. &lt;/ul&gt;
  271. &lt;p id="CzvkcK"&gt;In terms of pitches, the Cubs didn’t really make the Pirates work particularly hard. The Cubs probably won’t have achieved any secondary victories of taking anyone out for the series. These numbers look a little better because Cubs hitters were pretty aggressive in the eighth in ninth after the game was fairly out of hand. Also, right or wrong call based, it seemed like all of the close calls worked against the Cubs, in particular forcing Imanaga to throw a bunch of extra pitches. &lt;/p&gt;
  272. &lt;p id="v2wR8f"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Stars: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  273. &lt;ol&gt;
  274. &lt;li id="luTz1w"&gt;Seiya Suzuki had three hits, all extra bases, and a walk. He ended up just a single shy of the cycle. He drove in two and scored three. &lt;/li&gt;
  275. &lt;li id="xKzIsG"&gt;Carson Kelly also had three hits, among them the two-run homer that got the scoring started. &lt;/li&gt;
  276. &lt;li id="CZjPVS"&gt;Shōta Imanaga threw five scoreless innings. Especially given the three perfect innings to start on the other side, that start was key to keeping this one very much alive until the offense gets going. We can only hope that the apparent cramping injury is minor and Shōta won’t miss any starts.&lt;/li&gt;
  277. &lt;/ol&gt;
  278. &lt;p id="xZ22Ih"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Game 30, April 29: &lt;/strong&gt;Cubs 9, Pirates 0 (18-12)&lt;/p&gt;
  279. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  280.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1W5W8Q5oeXvm8pItjtvcQ_0JnXU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25976230/chart__4_.png"&gt;
  281.      &lt;cite&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fangraphs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/cite&gt;
  282.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  283. &lt;p id="LnE2Sv"&gt;Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.&lt;/p&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="ctC8dj"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THREE HEROES:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;ul&gt;
  286. &lt;li id="qWn0MD"&gt;
  287. &lt;strong&gt;Superhero: &lt;/strong&gt;Shōta Imanaga (.211). 5 IP, 21 BF, 6 H, BB, 0 ER, 3 K (W 3-1)&lt;/li&gt;
  288. &lt;li id="ObWV2t"&gt;
  289. &lt;strong&gt;Hero: &lt;/strong&gt;Carson Kelly (.168). 3-5, HR, 3 RBI, R&lt;/li&gt;
  290. &lt;li id="AgQdVA"&gt;
  291. &lt;strong&gt;Sidekick: &lt;/strong&gt;Daniel Palencia (.087). IP, 4 BF, BB, K&lt;/li&gt;
  292. &lt;/ul&gt;
  293. &lt;p id="q6ptOL"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THREE GOATS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  294. &lt;ul&gt;
  295. &lt;li id="UJ2WpE"&gt;
  296. &lt;strong&gt;Billy Goat: &lt;/strong&gt;Ian Happ (-.051). 1-5, 2B, R, DP&lt;/li&gt;
  297. &lt;li id="y938TJ"&gt;
  298. &lt;strong&gt;Goat: &lt;/strong&gt;Jon Berti (-.030). 1-4&lt;/li&gt;
  299. &lt;li id="nyKMDp"&gt;
  300. &lt;strong&gt;Kid: &lt;/strong&gt;Michael Busch (-.016). 1-4, BB&lt;/li&gt;
  301. &lt;/ul&gt;
  302. &lt;p id="30DhfG"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WPA Play of the Game: &lt;/strong&gt;Carson Kelly hit a two-run homer with two outs in the fourth to start the scoring. (.217)&lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;p id="SZDk8j"&gt;*Pirates Play of the Game: Andrew McCutchen doubled leading off the sixth for the Pirates. They were only down four at the time. (.048)&lt;/p&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="wV7CZx"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cubs Player of the Game: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;div id="VNH9Np"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12610547"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="pulIeV"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunday’s Winner: &lt;/strong&gt;Jameson Taillon (164 of 169 votes)&lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;p id="FolS5q"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rizzo Award Standings: &lt;/strong&gt;(Top 5/Bottom 5)&lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;p id="9Hn1A3"&gt;The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.&lt;/p&gt;
  309. &lt;ul&gt;
  310. &lt;li id="eJ6uBo"&gt;Kyle Tucker +14&lt;/li&gt;
  311. &lt;li id="IMLGik"&gt;Miguel Amaya/Shōta Imanaga +8&lt;/li&gt;
  312. &lt;li id="F60jpV"&gt;3 Players at +4&lt;/li&gt;
  313. &lt;li id="pUB9Zl"&gt;Nate Pearson/Brad Keller -6&lt;/li&gt;
  314. &lt;li id="lDwxbT"&gt;Matt Shaw -7&lt;/li&gt;
  315. &lt;li id="Ab3VTk"&gt;Ben Brown -8&lt;/li&gt;
  316. &lt;li id="6pBV2z"&gt;Dansby Swanson -13&lt;/li&gt;
  317. &lt;/ul&gt;
  318. &lt;p id="aeru51"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Up Next: &lt;/strong&gt;Game two of the three game series is Wednesday evening. Matthew Boyd (2-2, 2.54, 28⅓ IP) gets his sixth start for the Cubs. Last time out, he beat the Dodgers, allowing three runs on 10 hits and a walk. He did face the Pirates last year as a member of the Guardians. He allowed a run on four hits over six innings and was a hard luck loser. &lt;/p&gt;
  319. &lt;p id="q4CycM"&gt;26-year-old righty Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 6.95. 22 IP) will be making the sixth start of his season and 11th of his young career (he has 70 relief appearances as well). Carmen was a competitive balance pick after the first round of the 2020 draft. Last time out, he pitched in Los Angeles against the Angels and allowed three runs over five innings. He’s yet to record an out in the sixth inning of a game this season. He threw four scoreless innings over two relief outings last summer against the Cubs.&lt;/p&gt;
  320. &lt;p id="GFog8u"&gt;This doesn’t look like a layup, but the Cubs have hammered right-handed starters and a guy who hasn’t gone deep in any games feels like someone the patient Cubs approach might get to.&lt;/p&gt;
  321. &lt;p id="gO19R0"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  322. &lt;p id="Zr7Lg9"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  323.  
  324. </content>
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  326.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/4/30/24420724/2025-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-30</id>
  327.    <author>
  328.      <name>Thomas Smith</name>
  329.    </author>
  330.  </entry>
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