The Rundown: Cubs Nip Padres, Bullpen Excels, Shaw Demoted, Soto Misses Judge

“Believe in me as I believe in you.” – Tonight, Tonight by The Smashing Pumpkins

The Cubs handed the Padres their first home loss of the season on Tuesday, a tidy 2-1 extra-inning affair that proved Chicago’s North Side Baseballers could win when their juggernaut lineup struggles. Chicago’s bullpen led the way, holding San Diego to just one hit across the game’s final five frames. Nico Hoerner hit a game-winning triple in the 10th, making a winner out of Ryan Pressly, with Caleb Thielbar earning the save.

• Cubs relievers Daniel Palencia, Julian Merryweather, and Porter Hodge shut down the Padres after Pete Crow-Armstrong tied the game at 1 on a 6th-inning sacrifice bunt.
• Give Craig Counsell credit for managing his bullpen so far his season. Except for a blemish or two, he’s made the right choices through 20 games.
• The Cubs have left a lot of runners in scoring position this season, but don’t blame Hoerner. His .307 batting average with ducks on the pond ranks fifth among Cubs players since 1974. He’s keeping good company, too: Mark Grace (.315), Aramis Ramírez (.311), Larry Biittner (.310), and Derrek Lee (.308) are the team’s all-time leaders.
• Thielbar earned the fifth save of his 355-game MLB career.
• The Cubs ensured a split on the six-game swing to Los Angeles and San Diego with last night’s victory. They can take the series and finish 4-2 on the mini-West Coast swing with a win this afternoon. Matthew Boyd will take the bump today, facing Nick Pivetta. Their 2025 stats are nearly identical in almost every category.
• Per Baseball-Reference, Chicago’s Pythagorean record is 13-7, and the team has a 14.1% chance of winning the World Series. While that would certainly earn Jed Hoyer a contract extension, I’m still treading cautiously. The Cubs were 18-12 at the end of April last season before playing .382 baseball in May and June. Playing .650 ball (analytically) against the likes of the Dodgers, Padres, and Diamondbacks is certainly cause for optimism.
• I have good news for those who prefer earlier bedtimes: The Cubs won’t play another West Coast night game until they visit the Angels on August 22.

Cubs News & Notes

• The Cubs made a series of roster moves yesterday. The most notable move involved Matt Shaw, who was sent to Triple-A Iowa to find his stroke. Vidal Bruján was reinstated from the IL to take Shaw’s roster spot.
• One should never give Manny Machado extra strikes in any at-bat. Shōta Imanaga learned that the hard way yesterday evening.
• Chicago also placed Eli Morgan on the IL and shipped struggling reliever Nate Pearson to Iowa. No shocker with Pearson, and the Cubs recalled Palencia and Luke Little as the corresponding moves.
• Shaw’s early demotion is not surprising, and it isn’t any reason for concern. He’s a good hitter who rose through the system exceptionally fast, considering how Hoyer normally matriculates his prospects. Plenty of great players have taken a step back in their careers, including current and former Cubs Kyle Tucker, Anthony Rizzo, Ian Happ, and Javier Báez.
• Speaking of Tucker, several baseball execs doubt the slugging right fielder will sign an extension with the Cubs.
• The decision to demote Shaw came down to a lack of production and nothing more. It should be noted that he’s handled third base better than expected, and he has shown a good eye at the plate. Gage Workman manned the hot corner in last night’s game, but he’s just a placeholder until Shaw returns.
• Kyle Schwarber gave Jameson Taillon advice on performing better against left-handed hitters. The ex-Cub told Taillon to pitch inside more often.

Odds & Sods

Cue the Benny Hill theme…

THE ALBUQUERQUE ISOTOPES SCORED THREE RUNS ON A BASES-LOADED WALK AND THERE IS VIDEO pic.twitter.com/HhVkCwc5F5

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 16, 2025

Central Intelligence

• Cincinnati (9-8): A few MLB analysts named Hunter Greene as baseball’s best starter. The Reds ace is in excellent company with Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, and, when healthy, Shohei Ohtani.
• Milwaukee (9-9): The Brewers recalled pitching prospect Logan Henderson from Triple-A Nashville. His first appearance will also mark his MLB debut. Henderson will replace reliever Elvin Rodríguez, who was sent down to open a roster spot.
• St. Louis (8-9): Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols could be considered to manage the Cardinals if the front office fires Oli Marmol.
• Pittsburgh (6-12): The Pirates lack positional depth throughout the organization.

How About That!

Juan Soto admitted that hitting is much tougher without Aaron Judge protecting him in the lineup.

Alex Bregman had a monster night in Tampa before taking paternity leave after the game. The Red Sox third baseman had five hits, two homers, and four RBI in a 7-4 win at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Was there a full moon last night? There must have been, considering the high number of odd plays.

The Orioles are reportedly working on extensions for several of their young stars.

Ex-Cub DJ Herz needs Tommy John surgery. The procedure will keep Herz sidelined through at least the first half of the 2026 campaign.

Extra Innings

The combination of speed and power in Chicago’s lineup is as fun as hell. Just wait until Seiya Suzuki returns and Dansby Swanson starts hitting.

WATCH 'EM RUN pic.twitter.com/jPI6KD3HbI

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 16, 2025

They Said It

• “I mean, we look at (Kyle) Schwarber, (Ian) Happ, Rizzo, Javy (Báez),” Hoyer said, “all those guys have gone back. This is part of it, it’s really hard to break into the big leagues, and even guys that seem like they just establish themselves need to go back at some point for a reset. So I don’t look at this as a negative, it’s part of the process and I’m sure he learned a lot. We faced a lot of really good pitching, it’s been a great learning experience for him and I think he has the kind of head on his shoulders that he’ll take what he learned, go back down to Iowa, think about it, and I think he’ll come back better and more ready to go.” – Hoyer

Thursday Walk-Up Song

I’ll see y’all once I return from Punta Cana on April 28. In fact, I’m starting my vacation in 3,2,1…