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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>2025-07-06T16:40:07-05:00</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>2025-07-06T16:40:07-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-07-06T16:40:07-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Matthew Boyd has been named a National League All-Star</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qYK-PHz6Pj6jVJSntgs3So6etS8=/462x376:3555x2438/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74165199/2223453442.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;Congratulations to the Cubs lefthander!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="JwRvA6"&gt;Matthew Boyd, who will start Sunday night's game for the Cubs against the Cardinals when rain stops at Wrigley Field, has been named to the National League All-Star team's pitching staff.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="SaGBIU"&gt;Boyd will join his teammates Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker at the Midsummer Classic  Tuesday, July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta.&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="HO51tR"&gt;In 17 starts this year, Boyd has a 2.65 ERA and 1.084 WHIP. He has a W-L record of 8-3 and has been the team's most consistent starter all year. His season has produced 1.7 bWAR to date.&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="d41j1L"&gt;It's the first All-Star selection for Boyd, so many congratulations! Now go out there and defeat the Cardinals. &lt;/p&gt;
  24.  
  25. </content>
  26.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462697/matthew-boyd-national-league-all-star"/>
  27.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462697/matthew-boyd-national-league-all-star</id>
  28.    <author>
  29.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  30.    </author>
  31.  </entry>
  32.  <entry>
  33.    <published>2025-07-06T15:01:00-05:00</published>
  34.    <updated>2025-07-06T15:01:00-05:00</updated>
  35.    <title>Cubs vs. Cardinals Sunday 7/6 game threads</title>
  36.    <content type="html">  
  37.  
  38.    &lt;figure&gt;
  39.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dsDhUxtUGNfc9Ue27xdpy1bvax4=/431x427:3916x2750/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74165109/0706.0.jpg" /&gt;
  40.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  41.  
  42.  &lt;p&gt;Sunday’s game threads are all right here.&lt;/p&gt;
  43.  
  44. </content>
  45.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24461966/cubs-cardinals-sunday-game-threads"/>
  46.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24461966/cubs-cardinals-sunday-game-threads</id>
  47.    <author>
  48.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  49.    </author>
  50.  </entry>
  51.  <entry>
  52.    <published>2025-07-06T15:00:00-05:00</published>
  53.    <updated>2025-07-06T15:00:00-05:00</updated>
  54.    <title>Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals preview, Sunday 7/6, 5:10 CT</title>
  55.    <content type="html">  
  56.  
  57.    &lt;figure&gt;
  58.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E4UIxyHSjq_0CurwDrlTFXpvXQ8=/0x166:5540x3859/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74165102/2223078473.0.jpg" /&gt;
  59.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  60.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  61.  
  62.  &lt;p&gt;The Cubs go for the series win.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="BdkBU2"&gt;Sunday notes...&lt;/p&gt;
  63. &lt;ul&gt;
  64. &lt;li id="kDL62V"&gt;
  65. &lt;strong&gt;WINS AND LOSSES:&lt;/strong&gt; In their last 10 losses, the Cubs have allowed 73 runs. They gave up two runs in two of the losses and at least seven in the eight others: seven, twice; eight, four times; nine, once; and 14, once. The Cubs scored 39 runs in the losses. In all 36 losses, the Cubs have been outscored, 222-103, an average of 6.17 to 2.86. In their 53 wins, they have outscored their opponents, 378-144 — 7.13 to 2.72. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)&lt;/li&gt;
  66. &lt;li id="UPvZWv"&gt;
  67. &lt;strong&gt;SPLITTING THE DIFFERENCE:&lt;/strong&gt; This is the 18th of the Cubs’ 30 series this year in which they have split the first two games. They are 8-8 in third games of those series but 5-8 in third games that completed series; they won three that were the third of four. They also split one two-game series. At home, the Cubs are just 2-7 in third games after a split, and one of the wins was the third of four games. The lone rubber-game win was against the Reds, on June 1. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)&lt;/li&gt;
  68. &lt;li id="4oJAyF"&gt;
  69. &lt;strong&gt;SUNDAY, NOT FUNDAY:&lt;/strong&gt; Cubs record on Sundays: 5-9. Cubs record on all other days: 48-27.&lt;/li&gt;
  70. &lt;li id="TWz16P"&gt;
  71. &lt;strong&gt;UNDER THE RADAR:&lt;/strong&gt; Carson Kelly, last 11 games since June 21: .406/.474/.750 (13-for-32) with five doubles, two home runs, five walks, six RBI and six runs scored.&lt;/li&gt;
  72. &lt;/ul&gt;
  73. &lt;p id="HE7BI4"&gt;Here are today’s particulars.&lt;/p&gt;
  74. &lt;p id="Um7ahd"&gt;Cubs lineup:&lt;/p&gt;
  75. &lt;div id="yQZxOb"&gt;
  76. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  77. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Your Sunday evening starters: &lt;a href="https://t.co/sPEFvVbid3"&gt;pic.twitter.com/sPEFvVbid3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1941939232374661219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;July 6, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  78. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  79. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  80.  
  81. &lt;/div&gt;
  82. &lt;p id="nU1Gao"&gt;Cardinals lineup:&lt;/p&gt;
  83. &lt;div id="ZX7418"&gt;
  84. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  85. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Sunday Night Baseball vs. the Cubs on &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ESPN&lt;/a&gt;! &lt;a href="https://t.co/GtluM9ulA5"&gt;pic.twitter.com/GtluM9ulA5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1941931766400377248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;July 6, 2025&lt;/a&gt;
  86. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  87. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  88.  
  89. &lt;/div&gt;
  90. &lt;h2 id="G6mtDA"&gt;Matthew Boyd, LHP vs. Erick Fedde, RHP&lt;/h2&gt;
  91. &lt;div class="c-float-left"&gt;
  92. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  93.        &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;
  94.      &lt;cite&gt;Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  95.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  96. &lt;/div&gt;
  97. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;
  98. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  99.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4MvIXKzLRPUvZZWSnOt7O_LPNVo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26035482/usa_today_25760904.jpg"&gt;
  100.      &lt;cite&gt;Jim Rassol-Imagn Images&lt;/cite&gt;
  101.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  102. &lt;/div&gt;
  103. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  104.        &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;
  105.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  106. &lt;p id="fZ2S6e"&gt;Matthew Boyd has been the Cubs’ most consistent starter all year. It might result in an All-Star selection later today. &lt;/p&gt;
  107. &lt;p id="5ZmIFp"&gt;Boyd threw six shutout innings against the Cardinals &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN202506250.shtml"&gt;June 25 in St. Louis&lt;/a&gt;, allowing three hits, no walks and striking out three. He has not allowed more than two runs in any of his last seven starts and in that span has a 1.99 ERA and 0.785 WHIP in 43⅓ innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  108. &lt;p id="JuqdjN"&gt;Keep up the great work, Matthew.&lt;/p&gt;
  109. &lt;p id="z8J92Z"&gt;The Cubs scored seven runs off Erick Fedde in that June 25 game, including home runs by Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker and Reese McGuire.&lt;/p&gt;
  110. &lt;p id="WLCoTD"&gt;Then Fedde went out and allowed seven again to the Pirates &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT202506300.shtml"&gt;June 30 in Pittsburgh&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="s0WguY"&gt;I’m sure you would have no problem with Fedde giving up a lucky seven again this evening.&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  113.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hT5ob3xmuuz8E00LvHcAXP5rmGQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26046340/Screenshot_2025_07_03_at_1.13.02_PM.png"&gt;
  114.      &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;
  115.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  116. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  117.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yutHB9URsGbugXnj2vVTO1BgZrc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26046337/Screenshot_2025_07_03_at_1.12.28_PM.png"&gt;
  118.      &lt;cite&gt;&lt;a class="ql-link" href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/pitchmix#607200_2025" target="_blank"&gt;Baseball Savant&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/cite&gt;
  119.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  120. &lt;p id="4TJDJu"&gt;Today’s game is on ESPN.&lt;/p&gt;
  121. &lt;p id="aYsR9x"&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%2F07%2F06&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24458973%2Fchicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-preview-sunday" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  122. &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%2Fcardinals-vs-cubs%2F2025%2F07%2F06%2F777219%2Flive&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24458973%2Fchicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-preview-sunday" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;MLB.com Gameday&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="iDRiK8"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/2025/CHN202507060.shtml"&gt;Baseball-reference.com game preview&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="7oSHCm"&gt;Please visit our SB Nation Cardinals site &lt;a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/"&gt;Viva el Birdos&lt;/a&gt;. If you do go there to interact with Cardinals 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;
  125. &lt;p id="mRtOMf"&gt;The 2025 Game Thread procedure will be identical to last year’s.&lt;/p&gt;
  126. &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;
  127. &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;
  128. &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;
  129. &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;
  130. &lt;p id="cWIBoH"&gt;Discuss amongst yourselves.&lt;/p&gt;
  131.  
  132. </content>
  133.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24458973/chicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-preview-sunday"/>
  134.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24458973/chicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-preview-sunday</id>
  135.    <author>
  136.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  137.    </author>
  138.  </entry>
  139.  <entry>
  140.    <published>2025-07-06T13:35:00-05:00</published>
  141.    <updated>2025-07-06T13:35:00-05:00</updated>
  142.    <title>Cubs vs. Cardinals ESPN Sunday Night Baseball bingo</title>
  143.    <content type="html">  
  144.  
  145.    &lt;figure&gt;
  146.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aDybGB96Ut27WM1R5XW3uGrlTs8=/112x125:4032x2738/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74165002/espnsundaynightruck.0.0.jpg" /&gt;
  147.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Al Yellon&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  148.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  149.  
  150.  &lt;p&gt;The best rivalry in baseball takes center stage at Wrigley Field&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="33ztGw"&gt;It’s a bit of an early start for a Sunday Night Baseball doubleheader on ESPN. The best rivalry in baseball will kick off the action at Wrigley Field at 5:10 p.m. CT and you know what that means: Sunday Night Baseball Bingo.&lt;/p&gt;
  151. &lt;p id="95AqtL"&gt;This game began as a snarky response from the early Cuppa Cubbie Blue days to the old ESPN booth where Alex Rodriguez was guaranteed to mispronounce at least one player’s name during the game. The ESPN booth has improved considerably since then, but the Bingo game lives on. Whether you play along in the game thread here on Bleed Cubbie Blue or on the social media microblogging site of your choosing, we’ve got you covered.&lt;/p&gt;
  152. &lt;p id="Y9XySC"&gt;Tonight’s edition is particularly fun since it should coincide with the announcement of &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fnews%2Fall-star-game-roster-rules-faq-c239654292&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462577%2Fcubs-cardinals-espn-sunday-night-baseball-bingo" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;the All-Star reserves tonight just before game time&lt;/a&gt;. The Cubs have two starters in the National League lineup in Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker. The Cardinals don’t have any starters in the lineup, but as you’ll see in the card below, my money is on Brendan Donovan to make the squad as a reserve. The Cubs may have an additional announcement or three as well. Designated hitter Seiya Suzuki leads MLB with 75 RBI entering play today. Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd has been excellent this season and will start tonight’s game with a 2.65 ERA and 12, yes a dozen, quality starts for the Cubs so far this season. And who could possibly forget about first baseman Michael Busch? The lefty has put on a fireworks display of his own this weekend with four home runs, two to the opposite field off of left-handed pitching (can we stop platooning him now?).&lt;/p&gt;
  153. &lt;p id="LKGcLy"&gt;It will all be revealed just as the Cubs and Cardinals are warming up for yet one more game in one of the leagues elite rivalries. As always, make it a blackout game for a real challenge, but I don’t suggest making it a drinking game unless you are trying to pass out.&lt;/p&gt;
  154. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  155.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ovi34EmmRT_GODKSPMH2d1vPfso=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26048581/ESPN_Baseball_Bingo___11___1_.png"&gt;
  156.      &lt;cite&gt;Sara Sanchez&lt;/cite&gt;
  157.      &lt;figcaption&gt;ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Bingo&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  158.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  159.  
  160.  
  161. </content>
  162.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462577/cubs-cardinals-espn-sunday-night-baseball-bingo"/>
  163.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462577/cubs-cardinals-espn-sunday-night-baseball-bingo</id>
  164.    <author>
  165.      <name>Sara Sanchez</name>
  166.    </author>
  167.  </entry>
  168.  <entry>
  169.    <published>2025-07-06T11:00:00-05:00</published>
  170.    <updated>2025-07-06T11:00:00-05:00</updated>
  171.    <title>SB Nation Reacts: Jaxon Wiggins is the prospect Cubs fans want to keep</title>
  172.    <content type="html">  
  173.  
  174.    &lt;figure&gt;
  175.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NrEsnZ4lFHXPpW0r6mM0xoDQoxY=/140x923:3295x3026/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74164850/2209832000.0.jpg" /&gt;
  176.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  177.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  178.  
  179.  &lt;p&gt;Good pitching prospects are hard to find.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="79tZYs"&gt;The Cubs will be making trades soon. Of that, you can be almost certain. &lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="58jctu"&gt;The team could use at least one more starting pitcher, perhaps two now that Jameson Taillon is on the shelf for a month. They also could be looking at picking up a third baseman.&lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="ByuiE7"&gt;In making trades like that, good prospects will likely go to other teams. In &lt;a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/1/24459196/sb-nation-reacts-survey-cubs-prospect-would-you-rather-the-team-didnt-trade"&gt;last week’s SB Nation Reacts survey&lt;/a&gt;, I asked you which of several prospects was the one you LEAST wanted to give up.&lt;/p&gt;
  182. &lt;p id="CtAxkq"&gt;The result should not really surprise you:&lt;/p&gt;
  183. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  184.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V6qnvFK_HLchJxOgm0Y9qZUv4gY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26048316/ChicagoCubs_1_070125.png"&gt;
  185.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  186. &lt;p id="T7bx5T"&gt;This is the correct answer, I think. Jaxon Wiggins has the chance, at least, to become a No. 1 starter. Those guys are, as you know, hard to find. It would be difficult to give up someone like that. Of the other four prospects I listed, all of them are very good minor league hitters, but all do have some flaws in their game. Nevertheless, they’d all likely be attractive to certain other teams.&lt;/p&gt;
  187. &lt;p id="GIYwQi"&gt;We are 25 days from the trade deadline. I suspect the Cubs will lay low until at least the All-Star break. As always, we await developments.&lt;/p&gt;
  188. &lt;p id="wvnhkS"&gt;Also at the All-Star break, MLB’s annual Draft will happen. We’ll have more Draft coverage here as the time approaches, but in the meantime, here’s the answer to the national question posed in the last SB Nation Reacts survey:&lt;/p&gt;
  189. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  190.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uV5GTsryaoElu7Lo9aFErQPe9kA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26048320/_National_1_070125.png"&gt;
  191.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  192. &lt;p id="UTaY2n"&gt;I’m pretty much in that 62 percent group. Once the Cubs have a draft class, then I’m more interested in seeing who’s in it and how their professional careers begin.&lt;/p&gt;
  193. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="WRZDlq"&gt;
  194. &lt;p id="FRE8TY"&gt;&lt;a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb"&gt;&lt;em&gt;This week’s SB Nation Reacts survey is sponsored by FanDuel.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  195.  
  196. </content>
  197.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462424/sb-nation-reacts-jaxon-wiggins-cubs-prospect"/>
  198.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462424/sb-nation-reacts-jaxon-wiggins-cubs-prospect</id>
  199.    <author>
  200.      <name>Al Yellon</name>
  201.    </author>
  202.  </entry>
  203.  <entry>
  204.    <published>2025-07-06T09:00:00-05:00</published>
  205.    <updated>2025-07-06T09:00:00-05:00</updated>
  206.    <title>2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 89</title>
  207.    <content type="html">  
  208.  
  209.    &lt;figure&gt;
  210.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wZsg5bGpr8-y5vR-L3cAwlPkFcw=/0x0:5646x3764/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74164712/usa_today_26504681.0.jpg" /&gt;
  211.        &lt;figcaption&gt;David Banks-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  212.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  213.  
  214.  &lt;p&gt;The Cubs bullpen has a rare bad game, resulting in an 8-6 loss. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="OkLDlf"&gt;Every time your bullpen falters late and costs you a game, it is unfortunate. This one feels a little more unfortunate. Obviously, you hate to ever yield the Cardinals even an inch. But more so, this weekend has been Michael Busch’s explosion weekend. Four homers in two days. Seven hits. Six runs driven in. Four runs scored. There are some really great players who never do that over two consecutive games in their career. A couple of homers against lefties. What a weekend for the Cubs first baseman. &lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="1onM0F"&gt;A 5-3 lead wasn’t any kind of gimme. But it was easy to feel that with that lead heading to the eighth and then turning the ball over to Brad Keller to be followed by Daniel Palencia, you are in really good shape. But it just wasn’t to be. Keller allowed two runs in a March outing, five runs (four earned) in an April appearance, nothing in May, one run in June. and this outing today. I was amused to read on social media that Keller has been struggling. I realize he allowed two runners on July 2, one on July 1, one on June 29. But holy cow, 28  outings since April 22 when he had his other nightmare outing. Over those 28 innings, three runs, two earned. 30⅓ innings, two earned runs. If he was a guy you were worried about, quit your fandom. &lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="YI5tt1"&gt;I hate to be that way, but the guy has been absolute nails. It’s been hard to pick one guy out of the group of relievers as a key guy. But I certainly wouldn’t have said you were wrong if he was your guy. It happens. Tomorrow’s going to come and when Keller’s tomorrow comes, I’m going to assume he’ll be lights out again. &lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="HB5kx6"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key Storylines:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  218. &lt;ol&gt;
  219. &lt;li id="B4I4jC"&gt;Starting Pitching: Using this for Chris Flexen who was the “bulk” guy in this one and may, at least temporarily, slide into the rotation. Chris recorded 11 outs out of 15 batters faced. Four hits, one run, two strikeouts. The one run was a solo homer. Good outing. Gave the Cubs a chance to win. &lt;/li&gt;
  220. &lt;li id="CZoLgF"&gt;Relief Pitching: Hat tip to the Cardinals, they scored off of Drew Pomeranz, who hadn’t allowed an earned run this year, Flexen (who still has an ERA under 1.00) and Keller, who was under 2.00. Three of the most effective relievers in baseball this year all allowed runs. It is at least a little wild to me that as good as this team is, when they do allow bullpen runs they generally lose. &lt;/li&gt;
  221. &lt;li id="EJuW2b"&gt;Homer Over Reliance: Two homers, both solo shots. Six runs scored. Nine total hits, three doubles. They drew six walks. Stole two bases. Just the kind of game that scores a bunch of runs and six isn’t bad. Some manufacturing was done. &lt;/li&gt;
  222. &lt;li id="7TXGn6"&gt;Third Base Production: No hits in three plate appearances. But one steal. &lt;/li&gt;
  223. &lt;li id="wuA19H"&gt;Dansby Swanson:  Batted fifth. One hit in five at bats. Strikeout with bases loaded and two outs. Single bases empty. Ground out bases empty. Strikeout leading off inning. Fly out leading off inning. Can’t pin it on one guy, but strikeout with the bases loaded and one out is crippling. &lt;/li&gt;
  224. &lt;li id="HX0o0f"&gt;Opposing Starter: Lefty. They managed four hits, four walks and two runs off of him. PCA walk and Busch homer and double off the lefty are enormous moments. Steven Matz is lefty. One hit and two walks among eight batters. JoJo Romero is lefty. One hit and one unearned run in five batters. Seiya Suzuki with the key hit, nothing new there. It’ll get lost in the mist, but there are some good things here. &lt;/li&gt;
  225. &lt;/ol&gt;
  226. &lt;p id="IQEi8g"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pitch Counts: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;ul&gt;
  228. &lt;li id="yRmAWr"&gt;Cardinals: 171, 43 BF&lt;/li&gt;
  229. &lt;li id="awM9XI"&gt;Cubs: 168, 40 BF&lt;/li&gt;
  230. &lt;/ul&gt;
  231. &lt;p id="BJ8WUm"&gt;The offenses won the day. Both teams made the other team’s pitching staff work very hard. 171 is right at 19 pitches per inning. 168 is an eyelash under. So on both sides, the teams made each other work really hard to get through innings. &lt;/p&gt;
  232. &lt;p id="wKu4kX"&gt;For the Cardinals, Matz threw 31 pitches. He’s the only Cardinal that feels unlikely to be available Sunday. The rest of these guys didn’t throw in a blowout the day before and were under 20 pitches. For the Cubs, even if they wanted him, Flexen would be unavailable. Pomeranz threw 25. He probably could, but it seems unlikely we’ll see him. But Jordan Wicks almost certainly has to be available. Keller is almost definitely unavailable. So I think just six relievers available for the Cubs and at least seven for the Cardinals. &lt;/p&gt;
  233. &lt;p id="bvAhqa"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Three Stars:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  234. &lt;ol&gt;
  235. &lt;li id="0feEyS"&gt;Busch is the offensive star. Homer, double, single, two runs, RBI. &lt;/li&gt;
  236. &lt;li id="Qi60EH"&gt;Flexen, one out shy of four innings, one run allowed. Kept the Cubs in the game long enough for the offense to get going. &lt;/li&gt;
  237. &lt;li id="Fos3Xw"&gt;Carson Kelly. Homer, double, two runs, RBI. &lt;/li&gt;
  238. &lt;/ol&gt;
  239. &lt;p id="M2YaCw"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Game 89, July 5: &lt;/strong&gt;Cardinals 8, Cubs 6 (53-36)&lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  241.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ua2ljgAD3s6DzQghCaOos4vi01k=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26048197/chart__2_.png"&gt;
  242.      &lt;cite&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fangraphs&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/cite&gt;
  243.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="LnE2Sv"&gt;Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.&lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="ctC8dj"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THREE HEROES:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="viHtT0"&gt;
  247. &lt;strong&gt;Superhero: &lt;/strong&gt;Michael Busch (.413). 3-5, HR, 2B, RBI, 2R&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="N6Mj8y"&gt;*10th best WPA game score of the year by a Cub.&lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;ul&gt;
  250. &lt;li id="vWsfqZ"&gt;
  251. &lt;strong&gt;Hero: &lt;/strong&gt;Nico Hoerner (.202). 1-3, BB, RBI, R&lt;/li&gt;
  252. &lt;li id="g8vYVU"&gt;
  253. &lt;strong&gt;Sidekick: &lt;/strong&gt;Ryan Pressly (.094). IP, 3 BF, H, K&lt;/li&gt;
  254. &lt;/ul&gt;
  255. &lt;p id="SjDJe6"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;THREE GOATS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  256. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="PkRMRd"&gt;
  257. &lt;strong&gt;Billy Goat: &lt;/strong&gt;Brad Keller (-.794). IP, 8 BF, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 ER, K (L 3-1)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  258. &lt;p id="tXiIu3"&gt;*2nd worst WPA game score of the year by a Cub.&lt;/p&gt;
  259. &lt;ul&gt;
  260. &lt;li id="5obT5Q"&gt;
  261. &lt;strong&gt;Goat: &lt;/strong&gt;Matt Shaw (-.191). 0-3, SB&lt;/li&gt;
  262. &lt;li id="7HivBu"&gt;
  263. &lt;strong&gt;Kid: &lt;/strong&gt;Dansby Swanson (-.142). 1-5&lt;/li&gt;
  264. &lt;/ul&gt;
  265. &lt;p id="8gRSXE"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WPA Player of the Game: &lt;/strong&gt;Nolan Gorman batted with runners on first and second and one out, the Cardinals down one. He singled. A run scored and tied the game. (.309)&lt;/p&gt;
  266. &lt;p id="Kt2NK0"&gt;*Cubs Play of the Game: Nico Hoerner batted with runners on second and third in the sixth, the Cubs down one. He singled and tied the game. (.123)&lt;/p&gt;
  267. &lt;p id="Wsus7S"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cubs Player of the Game: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  268. &lt;div id="E0domj"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12654206"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  269. &lt;p id="3gShly"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Yesterday’s Winner: &lt;/strong&gt;Michael Busch received 227 out of 292 votes. &lt;/p&gt;
  270. &lt;p id="FolS5q"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rizzo Award Standings: &lt;/strong&gt;(Top 5/Bottom 5)&lt;/p&gt;
  271. &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;
  272. &lt;ul&gt;
  273. &lt;li id="eJ6uBo"&gt;Kyle Tucker +26&lt;/li&gt;
  274. &lt;li id="rYrr8V"&gt;Matthew Boyd +15&lt;/li&gt;
  275. &lt;li id="UcLxRI"&gt;PCA 14.5&lt;/li&gt;
  276. &lt;li id="hSdFQ3"&gt;Shōta Imanaga +13&lt;/li&gt;
  277. &lt;li id="IMLGik"&gt;Jameson Taillon/Miguel Amaya +11&lt;/li&gt;
  278. &lt;li id="VBxvoB"&gt;Matt Shaw -10.33&lt;/li&gt;
  279. &lt;li id="GULlv5"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Julian Merryweather -15&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  280. &lt;li id="HTCTJh"&gt;Ben Brown -17&lt;/li&gt;
  281. &lt;li id="GMNlO5"&gt;Seiya Suzuki -19&lt;/li&gt;
  282. &lt;li id="3jtyl3"&gt;Dansby Swanson -25.33&lt;/li&gt;
  283. &lt;/ul&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="yJq6v1"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Up Next: &lt;/strong&gt;The third and final game of this series Sunday evening on ESPN (a reminder of the unusual 5:10 p.m. CT start time). Matthew Boyd (8-3, 2.65, 98⅔ IP) has been the most effective of the starters and he’ll look to keep that going. He’s won his last two starts, including a very good one against Cleveland and a dominant one against the Cardinals in St. Louis. He’s 4-1 with a 1.66 over his last seven. The most innings he’s thrown since 2019 and he’s getting better. Hats off. He’s 7-0 at Wrigley, accounting for all of his wins except that one in St. Louis. But he’s been good everywhere and in pretty much every situation. &lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;p id="HQKmNM"&gt;Erick Fedde (3-8, 4.56, 92⅔ IP). Those numbers aren’t bad. He’s 0-5 with a 5.86 ERA over his last seven. Among those is two starts ago when the Cubs scored seven runs off him in 3⅔ innings. He followed that up allowing seven runs in five at Pittsburgh. He’s been better on the road (3.86) than home (5.65). But also better during the day (3.93) than at night (5.40). &lt;/p&gt;
  286. &lt;p id="qEM2tn"&gt;One bad inning happens. You don’t get to erase it. No excuses. Also, save for that one inning, the Cubs have dominated these first two games. Without the eighth inning, the Cubs win 5-3 on the back of an 11-3 win. This has all of the looks of two teams moving in different directions. But also, that one inning happened. Let’s take the momentum back, win the series and leave the Cardinals battered on their way out. &lt;/p&gt;
  287. &lt;p id="rOMqFP"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  288.  
  289. </content>
  290.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462318/2025-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-89"/>
  291.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462318/2025-cubs-heroes-and-goats-game-89</id>
  292.    <author>
  293.      <name>Thomas Smith</name>
  294.    </author>
  295.  </entry>
  296.  <entry>
  297.    <published>2025-07-06T07:00:00-05:00</published>
  298.    <updated>2025-07-06T07:00:00-05:00</updated>
  299.    <title>Cub Tracks comes up short</title>
  300.    <content type="html">  
  301.  
  302.    &lt;figure&gt;
  303.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RTEH9HZgYq49ve020myT5YU59go=/625x832:7020x5095/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74164597/2223054530.0.jpg" /&gt;
  304.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  305.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  306.  
  307.  &lt;p&gt;The #1 source for #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB news and notes. The Cubs couldn’t quite recover after the Cardinals had a five-run eighth and so the meatloaf weighs in the balance.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="MNw6Vh"&gt;The going is weird. &lt;strong&gt;Cub Tracks™&lt;/strong&gt; turned pro a long time ago. &lt;strong&gt;Cub Tracks™&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9hU3KJekfA"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Where the great ones run&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;away&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;p id="ZoX7SS"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Any MLB team can beat you. The good teams WILL beat you.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  309. &lt;div id="M34WE1"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jjHw_FJySg4?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  310. &lt;div id="EWlwuU"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://streamable.com/m/pete-crow-armstrong-greets-wrigley-field-workers" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  311. &lt;p id="lSAylS"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fpete-crow-armstrong-greets-wrigley-field-workers&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;PCA says hey&lt;/a&gt;. [VIDEO]&lt;/p&gt;
  312. &lt;p id="QhcFZ4"&gt;Drew Pomeranz had a little trouble as the opener and Chris Flexen had to come in with one out and the ponds full of birds. Pomeranz has now given up two runs this year. The Cubs came back to take the lead, so Pomeranz gets a no-decision. &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fwillson-contreras-strikes-out-swinging-huhkzt&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Flexen did very well indeed&lt;/a&gt;. Brad Keller had a less-than-great outing, and coughed up the lead. The Cubs did rally. &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fjojo-romero-in-play-run-s-to-seiya-suzuki&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Seiya doubled Tucker in in the eighth&lt;/a&gt;. But that was all she wrote, and the Cubs will have to capture the meatloaf today.&lt;/p&gt;
  313. &lt;div id="FHguIS"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lAmh69WvIuo?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  314. &lt;p id="UdZPH5"&gt;Plenty of highlights. &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fmichael-busch-homers-18-on-a-fly-ball-to-center-field&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Michael Busch went deep again&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fnico-hoerner-singles-on-a-fly-ball-to-center-fielder-victor-scott-ii-cars&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Nico Hoerner drove one in with a single&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fkyle-leahy-ball-to-matt-shaw-6qf17y&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Busch scored on a wild pitch to tie the game&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fmatthew-liberatore-in-play-out-s-to-ian-happ-vhlq0l&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Ian Happ grounded out for an rbi&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fsteven-matz-in-play-run-s-to-carson-kelly&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Carson Kelly left the yard&lt;/a&gt;. Plus &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fmatthew-liberatore-ball-to-ian-happ-vc7seu&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;base-stealing&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fchris-flexen-in-play-out-s-to-lars-nootbaar-gj5nni&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;defense&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fvideo%2Fpedro-pages-flies-out-to-right-fielder-kyle-tucker-kupxc2&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;more defense&lt;/a&gt;.. Quite the show.&lt;/p&gt;
  315. &lt;div id="lcGF8j"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v54RUqUtaAY?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  316. &lt;div id="SocEla"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_kAeJxCuj6s?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  317. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="k5KBLM"&gt;*means &lt;em&gt;autoplay on&lt;/em&gt;, (&lt;a href="https://7labs.io/tips-tricks/remove-browser-adware.html"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). &lt;strong&gt;{$}&lt;/strong&gt; means paywall. {$} means limited views. &lt;em&gt;Italics &lt;/em&gt;are often used on this page as&lt;em&gt; sarcasm font. &lt;/em&gt;The powers that be have enabled &lt;em&gt;real sarcasm font&lt;/em&gt; in the comments.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  318. &lt;div id="4Rz1WM"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5l6K1IBQRb0?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  319. &lt;div id="lfa0TT"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xK0wC5pGZdA?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  320. &lt;div id="OAdyWU"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RZlbrqI68PQ?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  321. &lt;div id="6YX02H"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8gkzV5wb_Yg?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  322. &lt;ul&gt;
  323. &lt;li id="zu68qR"&gt;Zoe Grossman (Marquee Sports Network*): &lt;a href="https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/chicago-cubs-score-highlights-st-louis-cardinals-michael-busch-drew-pomeranz/"&gt;Cubs takeaways: What we learned in late loss to Cardinals at Wrigley&lt;/a&gt;. “They’ll have a chance to take the series in the rubber match Sunday night...”&lt;/li&gt;
  324. &lt;li id="PRDN2J"&gt;Zoe Grossman (Marquee Sports Network*): &lt;a href="https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/jameson-taillon-injury-update-chicago-cubs-probable-pitchers-drew-pomeranz/"&gt;Jameson Taillon injury: Cubs pitcher vows ‘best case’ diagnosis in update&lt;/a&gt;. “We’re going to try to try to keep my arm conditioned, do some throwing off my knees,” he said.&lt;/li&gt;
  325. &lt;li id="h7m1xh"&gt;Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): &lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fbaseball%2Fiowa-cubs%2F2025%2F07%2F03%2Fkevin-alcantara-iowa-cubs-chicago-cubs-mlb-pipeline-anthony-rizzo%2F84466753007%2F&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedcubbieblue.com%2F2025%2F7%2F6%2F24462125%2Fcub-tracks-comes-up-short" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Iowa Cubs outfielder Kevin Alcántara playing best baseball of his Triple-A career&lt;/a&gt;. “Over the last two and a half weeks, he’s really started to turn it on,” said Iowa manager Marty Pevey.&lt;/li&gt;
  326. &lt;li id="PbylAP"&gt;Sean Hammond (Chicago Tribune* {$}): &lt;a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/05/chicago-cubs-kyle-tucker-jed-hoyer-contract/"&gt;Will Chicago Cubs re-sign Kyle Tucker? ‘You must have your limits’ in contract talks, Jed Hoyer notes&lt;/a&gt;. “You go into negotiations wanting to keep him,” Hoyer said.&lt;/li&gt;
  327. &lt;li id="5UZMXc"&gt;Zoe Grossman (Marquee Sports Network*): &lt;a href="https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/mlb-all-star-game-roster-seiya-suzuki-chicago-cubs-pete-crow-armstrong/"&gt;Cubs teammates back Seiya Suzuki MLB All-Star bid with slugger on tear&lt;/a&gt;. “... Suzuki is more than just making a case for his name to be emblazoned on the NL roster.”&lt;/li&gt;
  328. &lt;/ul&gt;
  329. &lt;p id="v5ZG2A"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Food for thought:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  330. &lt;div id="jH1scv"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3VRjtLsBii0?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  331. &lt;div id="OVuoWb"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lGhhLTtDjiU?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  332. &lt;div id="VLo2ny"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mDCKKUvhCA4?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer *; clipboard-write *; encrypted-media *; gyroscope *; picture-in-picture *; web-share *;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  333. &lt;p id="rfyB6w"&gt;Please be reminded that &lt;a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/cub-tracks"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cub Tracks&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bleed Cubbie Blue&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. We are 100% in favor of human sportswriting and will not wittingly publish A. I. - driven articles or content.&lt;/p&gt;
  334.  
  335. </content>
  336.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462125/cub-tracks-comes-up-short"/>
  337.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462125/cub-tracks-comes-up-short</id>
  338.    <author>
  339.      <name>Duane Pesice</name>
  340.    </author>
  341.  </entry>
  342.  <entry>
  343.    <published>2025-07-06T06:00:00-05:00</published>
  344.    <updated>2025-07-06T06:00:00-05:00</updated>
  345.    <title>Can you guess this Cubs right-hander in today’s in-5 trivia game?</title>
  346.    <content type="html">  
  347.  
  348.    &lt;figure&gt;
  349.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FSxaC1G27Atijevm1rKeHmMC2nU=/250x0:2950x1800/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74164528/bcb.0.png" /&gt;
  350.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  351.  
  352.  &lt;p&gt;Think you can guess which Cubs player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="c9eLNL"&gt;Good morning! We’re back for another day of the Bleed Cubbie Blue In-5 daily trivia game. The objective is to guess the correct active OR retired Cubs player in as few guesses as possible. Full game instructions are at the bottom.  Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in &lt;a href="https://forms.gle/aw4rQhbR8aCaFTcV8"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;this Google Form&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  353. &lt;h2 id="NqYsa4"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Today’s Bleed Cubbie Blue In-5 Game&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  354. &lt;div id="5ZUyjq"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://games.voxmedia.com/networks/bcb/07-06-2025" width="100%" height="750" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" style="margin-bottom: 25px;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  355. &lt;p id="ALRmcX"&gt;If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, &lt;a href="https://bleedcubbieblue.com/games/in-5"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;click this game article&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  356. &lt;h2 id="mFAKgG"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Previous Games&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  357. &lt;p id="7OpD8r"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/games/in-5/07-05-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Saturday, July 5, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/games/in-5/07-04-2025?itm_medium=site&amp;amp;itm_source=article&amp;amp;itm_campaign=in-five"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Friday, July 4, 2025&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  358. &lt;h2 id="nmFa5U"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Play more SB Nation In-5 trivia games&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  359. &lt;p id="eYul3Q"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-games"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;NFL in-5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mlb-games"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MLB in-5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/mma-games"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MMA in-5&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  360. &lt;h2 id="p5PojY"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bleed Cubbie Blue In-5 instructions&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  361. &lt;p id="W0BSQ4"&gt;The goal of the game is to &lt;strong&gt;guess the correct Cubs player&lt;/strong&gt; with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in &lt;strong&gt;BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS&lt;/strong&gt; each week. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game will appear in the No. 3 slot of the Bleed Cubbie Blue layout each day this week and as noted above, will appear in this article exclusively. &lt;/p&gt;
  362. &lt;p id="UzewZY"&gt;After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out &lt;a href="https://forms.gle/aw4rQhbR8aCaFTcV8"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;this Google Form&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  363. &lt;p id="G1NBFl"&gt;Enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
  364. &lt;p id="z0iWCO"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  365. &lt;p id="LylOnD"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  366.  
  367. </content>
  368.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462373/sb-nation-cubs-daily-trivia-in-5"/>
  369.    <id>https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2025/7/6/24462373/sb-nation-cubs-daily-trivia-in-5</id>
  370.    <author>
  371.      <name>Sara Sanchez</name>
  372.    </author>
  373.  </entry>
  374. </feed>
  375.  

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