The Rundown: Cubs Blast Cards, HFA One Win Away, Reds Up, Mets Down, Diamondbacks Eliminated
“Follow and cruising, ain’t it amusing, hair hardly moves in the breeze.” – Bear’s Gone Fishin’ by Widespread Panic
Where would the Cubs be without Colin Rea? Chicago’s unsung hero tossed his seventh quality start of the season in a crushing 12-1 win over the Cardinals, lowering the team’s magic number to one to host the Wild Card round at Wrigley Field. Rea, a model of consistency, has quietly become one of the team’s most reliable starters. The 35-year-old righty tossed 5.2 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in Friday’s win. He has 29 punchouts with a 1.93 ERA over his last 23.1 innings pitched. He may not be part of the postseason rotation, but he’s built a strong case for inclusion.
Another pitcher who has been quietly dominant is Jameson Taillon, and he takes the bump today. Taillon is 4-1 with a 1.59 ERA over 28.1 innings in five starts since returning from a calf strain. Taillon and Rea give Craig Counsell much-needed depth in a short series. Both can fill in if any of Chicago’s presumed playoff starters need a lifeline. Cade Horton has an undisclosed rib injury, Shōta Imanaga has longball-itis, and Matthew Boyd has been pitched to the point of exhaustion.
The key to advancing in baseball’s tournament of champions is specialization, especially when it comes to pitching. There’s a greater emphasis on using pitchers in a tandem-style approach, where starters might pitch just 4-5 innings before handing the game over to a reliever. Steady veterans like Taillon and Rea are likely to fill those roles in the Wild Card round since there is no need for a fourth or fifth starter in a three-game set. Postseason baseball puts a team in win-now mode, so expect Counsell to be a little more aggressive than usual.
Chicago’s offense was in early-season form yesterday, pounding St. Louis pitchers for 12 hits, six for extra bases. The big blows were home runs by Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, plus a grand slam by Seiya Suzuki. Crow-Armstrong became baseball’s sixth 30/30 player this season, and he’s got 37 doubles to boot. Suzuki is on a legit heater and now has 101 RBI on the season. He’s got three homers and eight RBI in his last two games. Suffice to say, he’s peaking when the Cubs need him most.
The Cubs should clinch today if Taillon and their bats stay hot. I’m sure Counsell would love nothing more than a big early lead so he can give his bullpen some low-leverage tune-up innings. It’s a beautiful day for baseball as Harry Caray would say, so let’s put the race for WC1 to rest.
Cubs News & Notes
- Busch, Crow-Armstrong, and Suzuki are the first trio of Cubs to have 30+ home runs in the same season since 2004.
- Speaking of trios, catchers Carson Kelly, Reese McGuire, and Miguel Amaya have combined for 29 home runs and a .756 OPS this season. That’s better than the last two years at the position.
- Suzuki and PCA couldn’t have timed their late-season breakouts any better.
- The Cubs are hoping their offensive resurgence is real. Chicago has scored 34 runs in their last four games, though they only won two of them.
- Hoerner (.300) still has a shot at winning the NL batting title. He trails Trea Turner (.3049) by slightly less than five points. Turner needs to go 0-for-11 to drop below .300, but he may not play again until the NLDS. Hoerner needs to go 5-for-8 in two games to best Turner if the Phillies’ shortstop remains on the IL.
Ball Four
Dang, I would have loved to watch Lou Novikoff play outfield. He wasn’t a bad hitter, so it’s too bad the DH didn’t exist back then. “Once he was convinced [the aesthetic foliage wasn’t poison ivy], he asked if he could smoke it.”
No drug testing back then either, I assume.
Lou Novikoff was an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs from 1941-1944, where he quickly developed a very specific phobia. He was afraid of the ivy on the outfield wall at Wrigley Field.
Novikoff would often chase fly balls just so far before stopping, leaving the fly ball either to… pic.twitter.com/R94Mq1MCUo— Jim Koenigsberger (@Jimfrombaseball) September 2, 2025
Central Intelligence
- Milwaukee (96-64): The Brewers’ magic number is one to lock up home-field advantage through the NL playoffs. The top seed in the National League will also get four home games in the World Series, if necessary. The Blue Jays are four games behind Milwaukee with two to play.
- Chicago (90-70): Kyle Tucker was back in the lineup yesterday, though he served as the team’s designated hitter. Last September, Tucker returned from an injury and posted a 192 wRC+ in his final 18 games. That’s precisely the type of production the team needs as it navigates the postseason.
- Cincinnati (82-78): Those pesky Reds aren’t making things easy for the Mets. Cincinnati’s 3-1 win over the Brewers put them back in control of their postseason destiny. If they just keep pace with the Mets, they’ll get the third Wild Card slot and a trip to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers.
- St. Louis (78-82): Though Sonny Gray is open to exploring greener pastures elsewhere, Brendan Donovan, the team’s lone All-Star, hopes to remain with the Cardinals.
- Pittsburgh (70-90): Mitch Keller understands he may get traded this winter as the Pirates seek help with their offense.
Wild Pitch
“Your typical city involved in a typical daydream; hang it up and see what tomorrow brings.” – Truckin‘ by The Grateful Dead
- San Diego (88-72): Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a grand slam in a 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks to keep the Padres in the race to secure the top Wild Card spot. The win also eliminated the Diamondbacks because the Reds own the tiebreaker.
- New York (82-78): A majority of Mets fans think the team is still a disappointment even if New York does make the playoffs. That $340 million payroll includes the likes of Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso, plus whatever they’re still paying Bobby Bonilla.
How About That!
One game separates the Guardians, Tigers, and Astros, and only two of those three will make the playoffs.
The Tigers and Mets are hoping to avoid historic late-season collapses.
The Red Sox clinched their first playoff berth since 2021. Congratulations to Craig Breslow, who is in his first year leading the Boston franchise.
Despite reports to the contrary, Kyle Hendricks is still undecided if he will pitch again in 2026 or retire.
Baltimore swingman Trevor Rogers had not allowed more than three runs in any outing…until yesterday. Rogers’ 1.81 ERA is the best in a season for a pitcher who logged at least 100 innings in Orioles history (since 1954). The previous mark was held by Stu Miller, who had a 1.89 ERA in 119 1/3 innings over 67 relief appearances in 1965.
Jackson Chourio of the Brewers surpassed Mike Trout as the youngest player with multiple 20/20 seasons.
Extra Innings
PCA is the first player in team history to go 30/30/30. Congratulations!
PCA belts his 30th homer of the season 💥 pic.twitter.com/1DM79J6jO6
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2025
Apropos of Nothing
I am officially naming the trio of Horton, Owen Caissie, and James Triantos “The Red Brigade” provided all three make the team next year. How do I trademark that?
They Said It
- “I felt good. Put some good swings on the ball, had some good takes and everything. Overall just a pretty good day. Mentally, I’m still where I was when I was still playing.” – Tucker
Saturday Walk-Up Song
This is my favorite Grateful Dead cover by a million miles. You’ll see Billy Kreutzmann on drums, but the energy and musicianship are outstanding. Wait for the ensemble to shred on the segue, and take note of one of the better piano solos (Aron Magner) you’ll hear. If you’re not a Dead fan, this song may just turn you toward the light.
