AP Photo/Darryl Webb

The Rundown: Trends Emerging as Cubs Hit .500, Tucker Continues to Mash, Padres Extend Merrill

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterApril 2, 2025

“I felt so good, wanna do the same.” – Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker

The Cubs beat the A’s 7-4 last night, clinched their first series win of the season, and finally got to .500 after stops in Tokyo, Arizona, and Sacramento. They’ll go for the sweep this afternoon before returning to Chicago for Friday’s home opener. The players and coaches have been travelling since the week of the Super Bowl, but the team is starting to define itself, which doesn’t seem like a big deal until you look back at last year’s first couple of months. Perhaps all that traveling will pay off as the season progresses.

  • The Cubs have a bonafide superstar in Kyle Tucker, who mashed a home run Tuesday night for the fourth straight game. Tucker is slashing .353/.450/1.353 with four big flies and 11 RBI. He’s also swinging as hot a bat as anybody in baseball, including Aaron Judge. King Tuck is the lone guaranteed threat in Chicago’s lineup, but he’ll also force opposing pitchers to throw strikes to Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. The trio should power the Cubs to a lot of lopsided wins.
  • Dansby Swanson has two home runs and six RBI, with five of his eight hits going for extra bases.
  • Craig Counsell has quickly set his bullpen pecking order, and Ryan Pressly will get the bulk of the closing opportunities. Julian Merryweather and Porter Hodge will handle the high-leverage innings, with Hodge usually setting up Pressly. The lack of strikeouts by Merryweather and Pressly is concerning, so things may change.
  • Matthew Boyd had a strong first start and could be the X-factor of Chicago’s rotation.
  • Shōta Imanaga has picked up where he left off last season. He’s allowed an absurdly scant 2.5 hits per nine innings through two starts. He’ll be Chicago’s stopper all season, just like last year.
  • The backstop duo of Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly has been much better than expected. They’ll cool off, but each has already carried the Cubs to a win. Kelly hit for the cycle in Monday night’s 18-3 win over the A’s, and Amaya had 5 RBI in a 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks on March 27. The two combined to hit .367 with 12 RBI and have seven extra base hits between them.
  • Nico Hoerner seems to be fully recovered from his offseason injury. The second baseman has been stellar defensively, and he’s hitting .350, though all of his hits have been singles. He’s also stolen just one base in his only attempt.
  • Not all of the news is good, however. Nate Pearson has struggled badly out of the gate, Jameson Taillon was rocked in his first start, and Happ, Matt Shaw, and Pete Crow-Armstrong are all hitting below .200. Suzuki leads the NL with 16 strikeouts in 35 plate appearances.

The Cubs probably hoped to win more than four or five games before their home opener, especially because the two Tokyo games count as home contests. It’s hard to be unhappy with the results, however, considering the strength of Chicago’s opponents. Their April schedule is a bit of a gauntlet, but enough positives exist to feel at least a little comfortable. The Cubs’ biggest concern is middle relief, but it’s a given that Jed Hoyer is already looking for reinforcements or replacements.

Cubs News & Notes

Odds & Sods

Somebody should tell Hoyer and Tom Ricketts that contract extensions are good for team morale. Garrett Crochet got his on Monday, and now Jackson Merrill is locked up for nine more years. It’s time to make Tucker a Cub for life.

Central Intelligence

How About That!

The Dodgers are set to acquire speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz from the A’s for right-hander Carlos Duran, a source told MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos on Wednesday. Ruiz led the AL in steals with 67 back in 2023 but was recently designated for assignment by the Athletics.

Eugenio Suarez has five hits this season, and all of them are home runs.

The average MLB salary has topped $5 million for the first time, the Associated Press reports.

Fun Fact: The 2025 Dodgers and 1933 Yankees are the only defending champions to begin the following season 7-0, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Tuesday’s Three Stars

  1. Nathan Eovaldi: The 35-year-old Ranger blanked the Reds on four hits with eight strikeouts, and it only took him 99 pitches to complete the game.
  2. Shane Baz: It was a good day for pitchers yesterday, and Baz capitalized by shutting out the hapless Pirates 7-0. He scattered seven singles over six innings with 10 strikeouts for his first win of the year. Baz did not walk a single batter.
  3. Michael King: The Padres beat the Guardians 7-0, and King led the way with 11 strikeouts over five full. He gave up just two hits and walked one batter. Nine teams scored two runs or less on Tuesday. Damn the torpedo bats.

Extra Innings

Let’s keep Tuck’s streak going, please, and thank you.

They Said It

  • “It’s a fun atmosphere. You embrace it, you enjoy it. It’s a new baseball experience. We’ll make the starting pitchers sit in the dugout for nine innings for the rest of the season; that seemed to work for us.” – Counsell

Wednesday Walk-Up Song

A Cubs win today combined with a Cardinals loss would give Chicago sole possession of first place after nine games and about 15,000 travel miles.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterApril 2, 2025
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