Column: 8 observations as the Chicago Cubs battle the fickle winds of Wrigley Field in a 3-1 loss
While waiting on a plume of smoke to rise from the old Wrigley Field scoreboard to announce whether a decision on Cade Horton had been made, here are eight things to ponder after the Chicago Cubs' 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants:
President Jed Hoyer's decision on Horton might be his toughest of the season. Hoyer has made quite a few personnel decisions based on small sample sizes this spring, including the demotions of third baseman Matt Shaw and reliever Jordan Wicks, and dealing Gage Workman after designating him for assignment.
Those were small potatoes as compared to what he'll do with Horton, a rising star in the organization who has dominated in his first six starts at Triple-A Iowa.
It makes perfect sense to keep Horton in Iowa a while longer to continue his development after he missed most of 2024 with a shoulder injury. But this is not a perfect world. Having already shown a sense of urgency with his previous roster moves, bringing Horton up in early May to replace the injured Shota Imanaga on Saturday against the New York Mets would be in line with Hoyer's early-season aggressiveness in what could be a make-or-break season for the longtime Cubs executive.
Cubs fans obviously want to see Horton, perhaps the organization's most highly touted pitching prospect since Mark Prior made his debut in 2002. Hoyer and manager Craig Counsell seem reluctant to show their cards, making the decision seem that much more important.
Will Hoyer do it?
Counsell gave no indication of Horton's status after Wednesday's loss, so the AI-induced smoke from Wrigley was black heading into the evening.
Ryan Pressly says he's fine. The Cubs say he's fine. That's fine.
But the fact that he's made only three appearances since April 21 suggests not all is fine with the veteran closer. Pressly had his knee drained on April 22, but Counsell afterward said it was nothing unusual for a 36-year-old reliever. Pressly allowed nine runs, including eight earned, in the Giants' 9-run 11th inning on Tuesday night.
If that doesn't raise any red flags then maybe the Cubs are in denial. It's never too early to change your closer. But sometimes it can be too late.
Why Ryan Pressly's underlying numbers are concerning — beyond Chicago Cubs closer's historically bad outing
The great debate: Third baseman Jon Berti refusing to eat the ball and making bad throws to first base on plays that can't be made, which he's done the last two games, versus former third baseman Christopher Morel's double-clutching on throws to first base last May on plays that should've been made? Discuss at your leisure.
It's early, but the Cubs seem better prepared to battle the fickle winds of Wrigley. The Cubs entered Wednesday's game averaging 4.9 runs per game at home with the wind blowing in. Last year, they averaged 4.9 runs per game in the 21 games with the wind blowing out, and 2.9 per game in the 39 games with the wind blowing in. Naturally, they were shut down by Giants lefty Robbie Ray and the Giants bullpen on Wednesday with the wind blowing in from the northeast at 16 mph.
The Cubs had runners in scoring position in the second, third and fourth innings but came away with only one run on a windblown fly ball by Pete Crow-Armstrong that blew in several feet and eluded Heliot Ramos in left for an RBI double.
Counsell said the Cubs' failure to get a leadoff hitter on hurt them.
'We didn't make (Ray) make a bunch of pitches until two outs really in a couple of innings,' he said. 'When it's tough to hit on a day like today, and a home run was a tough thing, getting the leadoff hitter on and creating some traffic early in an inning seems like a pretty good recipe to score. They did it. And we couldn't do it.'
Photos: Chicago Cubs lose again to the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field on Wednesday
Believe it or not: In a span of 10 games at Wrigley Field from April 18 through Tuesday, the Cubs bullpen has already allowed a 10-run inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 13-11 win and a nine-run inning against the Giants in Tuesday's 15-4, 11-inning loss. You could go years without seeing one of those things happen. In fact, the Giants' nine-run inning was their most in an extra inning in franchise history.
Counsell followed through on his declaration over the weekend that he would get Seiya Suzuki a game back in the outfield. Suzuki played right field on Wednesday with no glaring issues. Counsell let Kyle Tucker DH as a kind of 'semi' day off. The two were a combined 0-for-7.
New York state of mind: Some players fare better in some cities than others for no apparent reason. Jameson Taillon, scheduled to start Friday against the Mets in Citi Field, loves pitching in New York and has been nearly untouchable pitching there the last two seasons with the Cubs. Taillon allowed one hit over eight shutout innings at Yankee Stadium in 2023, facing his former team. He allowed three runs on seven hits over 14 1/3 combined innings in two starts at Citi Field in '23 and '24.
Media frenzy in the Big Apple? Don't worry about Crow-Armstrong being affected by the media overload he'll probably get this weekend in New York, where he was a former Mets prospect who succeeded elsewhere.
Crow-Armstrong said in Milwaukee that he doesn't believe the media will be a distraction as more reporters seek him out.
'Talking to (the media) is such a small part of my day,' he said. 'Media-wise, it's kind of irrelevant to me. Sometimes it's hard enough for myself to get past an at-bat. That's really what I've got to work past every day. I love having so much focus put on this team. It's nice to deal with you guys. You guys make it easy on us. That's just part of (the job). I've enjoyed having to deal with you guys a little bit more.'
That's something you rarely hear from modern-day baseball players in the post-pandemic era.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Twins' minor-league adventure: Tampa, Sacramento trips marked by ‘difficult' playing conditions
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The risk simply wasn't worth it for Carlos Correa. Recognizing the soreness developing in the middle of his back after two days of slipping and sliding in a rock-hard batter's box at Sutter Health Park, the Twins shortstop elected to sit out the final two contests of a four-game series at the new, temporary home of the Athletics. Advertisement In abandoning Oakland to spend three seasons in the California state capital before they move to a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip, the A's made a controversial decision by voluntarily relocating to a Triple-A stadium they're sharing with a minor-league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. While the refurbished facility's amenities drew rave reviews from every Twins player interviewed by The Athletic, including Correa, several noted a number of 'minor-league' issues with its playing surface. After playing in West Sacramento and at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the temporary home of the Tampa Bay Rays and spring training facility for the New York Yankees, during their recent three-city road trip, the Twins have a fresh perspective on Major League Baseball's minor-league issues as the weather heats up. From Tampa's oppressive heat and humidity to its poor outfield lighting and short foul poles to a batter's box in Sacramento multiple players described as akin to hitting on cement and a rigid pitcher's mound that's drawn the ire of hurlers across the league, the Twins experienced the full range of challenges these parks present in playing seven away games against the Rays and A's since May 26. Correa's experience with the batter's box represents one of the bigger hardships Twins players faced during their minor-league adventure. 'It's the worst box I've ever stepped in,' Correa said. 'I like (the park). The ball travels very well. The facilities are good. They did it right. The plate is the only problem. … I'm not going to sacrifice two months of my season because of a couple of at-bats here.' How the clubhouses at both temporary stadiums are arranged isn't an issue. But the playing conditions are a different story. In Sacramento, the dirt and the disconnected dugouts create difficulties for the home and visiting players. Both teams' clubhouses are located beyond the left-field fence at the ballpark, which means players and trainers are often commuting across the field between innings. Advertisement Athletics pitcher Luis Severino voiced his frustration with his home stadium last month. During a typical start, Severino reportedly likes to retreat to the clubhouse between innings to watch film and move around, something he can't do at Sutter Health Park. This season, Severino, who signed a multi-year contract with the A's in free agency, has a 0.87 road ERA and a 6.99 ERA at home. Before their four-game series began Monday, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli joked about how awkward it would be to get ejected, as he did in Seattle on Saturday night. Noting fans described the potential scenario as a walk of shame, Baldelli suggested he'd be worried about how his stride would look with such a long walk. Still, Baldelli determined if an ejection occurred, he'd make the most of it. 'It's the march of triumph,' he said. The batter's box and mound, which are pored over by the grounds crew daily to handle a combined 156-game schedule for the Athletics and Triple-A River Cats, also have been heavily criticized for their firmness. When he pitched in Sacramento on May 24, Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler struggled to dig a hole on the mound in front of the rubber with his foot because of the hard clay used. Wheeler said he couldn't 'get into the dirt to drive' through his pitches, which left him throwing 'all arm.' Wheeler's phrasing stuck with Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, who wondered aloud if a firm mound played a role in the significant injury suffered by teammate Pablo López this week in Sacramento. Coming off a daytime start in which he pitched in 100-degree temperatures in Tampa, López suffered a Grade 2 teres major muscle strain on Tuesday and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks. Ryan is perplexed by how a teammate as fit and process-oriented as López — 'he spends hours a day (warming up) to go play catch' — could suffer such an injury. Advertisement 'The first thing I thought of was Wheeler saying, 'I was all arm when I was here,'' Ryan said. 'Does that play into that? Someone was mentioning it. We're in the big leagues and we have these amenities for a reason. It's to get prepared and go inside if you need to for a second. Whatever your routine is, you can't do that here. You can't do that in Tampa. As (Lopez's) teammate, it makes it sting a little bit more. I don't think Pablo is the kind of guy that's going to say (the mound was the issue), but I'll say it.' During his May 28 start in Tampa, López called a timeout in the first inning for groundskeepers to fix the mound. Ryan also took issue with the mound in Tampa and said it was much different than the one he warmed up on in the bullpen before his start. 'Tampa was a fricking sh– box and they have a massive mound in the bullpen before,' Ryan said. 'It's a huge contrast.' According to players, the issues in Tampa — which is scheduled to be used by the Rays for only the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field last September and caused massive flood damage — include poor outfield lighting, a short porch in right field and short foul poles. The miniature poles likely cost Aaron Judge a home run in an April 20 game as the ball appeared to incorrectly be ruled foul. Poor lighting seemed to hamper Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach's ability to track fly balls in a May 26 loss to the Rays. 'I could see better at Tampa at the beginning of the game and then at night it was really difficult for me,' Larnach said. '(In a regular park), the lights are bright and you see the ball a tad bit better, whether it be in the outfield, at the plate or whatever.' Lighting doesn't seem to be an issue at Sutter Health Park, which has a berm beyond the fence in right field with trees that offers fans a unique way to catch a major-league game. But the lack of a third deck in both stadiums allows wind to impact the ball in different ways. The ball carries extremely well in Sacramento, which Baseball Savant ranks as tops in the majors — tied with the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards — in Park Factor, meaning it is the most hitter-friendly park in baseball. Advertisement Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler hit a three-run homer Monday, a 100.9-mph, 28-degree fly ball, which Ryan and Byron Buxton swore would have been an out at the Twins' home ballpark, Target Field. However, Buxton also benefitted at the plate as the wind turned what likely would have been an out into a two-run double. By comparison, Steinbrenner Field currently is playing as a neutral venue, according to Baseball Savant's Park Factor. 'Big-league stadiums, you don't have the ball dancing like these balls are moving here,' Buxton said of Sacramento. 'My double, fly out, wind takes it, almost takes it out and it's like, 'What?' … (Butler's) ball, I'm (normally) catching at the warning track.' Players described the wind in Tampa as swirling and unpredictable. Twins outfielder Willi Castro raced toward the left-field foul line during a May 27 game, only for the wind to spin the ball back into play — well out of his grasp — for a double. Even the view of left field from the visiting dugout in Tampa is deceiving. From his perch atop the dugout, Baldelli couldn't see any plays that occurred in left field. The park's configuration is such that the visiting dugout juts out into the field of play with the left-field foul pole situated about 15 feet behind where Baldelli stands. 'Every ball that's hit down the left-field line, we think it's foul by like 100 feet,' Baldelli said. 'It looks like it's foul off the bat, like the hitters not even hitting it, and it's getting blown up, and they're fair.' Both parks are expected to heat up like a microwave as summer arrives. The heat issues in Tampa are concerning enough that MLB scheduled the Rays away from home for a 10-game road trip in July and a 12-gamer to the West Coast in August. Despite pitching at night in Tampa on May 27, Twins starter Chris Paddack went through four baseball caps and jerseys as well as multiple undershirts. For the teams' May 28 day game, the temperature was sweltering as Twins players scrambled for minimal shade in the visiting dugout. Advertisement 'I was sweating a ton right after (batting practice),' Twins infielder Royce Lewis said. 'Sweating through batting gloves and stuff. The heat for some guys definitely played a part. To stand out in the sun for hours is depleting.' Still, it's not all bad. Although the layout of the visitors locker room, weight room and cafeteria at Steinbrenner Field is unlike almost any other ballpark in the majors, the two batting cages for visiting teams were lauded by nearly every Twins hitter. Staffers also noted there was ample space to perform their different activities. 'We're finding our bearings,' Baldelli said. 'We're finding meeting rooms and weight rooms. It's not set up where it's all in one space, like guys are typically used to, but it's nothing that we can't get familiar with and figure out.' Similarly, players raved about the behind-the-scenes setup at Sutter Health Park. Multi-million dollar offseason upgrades at the stadium included a renovated visiting clubhouse, a revamped scoreboard and a new playing surface. Though MLB originally wanted the Athletics and River Cats to play on synthetic turf, a decision was made to use real grass. Buxton described the outfield grass as playing faster than the grass at most parks, while Baldelli described the turf as squishy. Stadium officials plan to re-sod the playing surface during the middle of July to help combat dead spots during a stretch where temperatures are expected to soar above 100 degrees. As much as each stadium has its drawbacks, nothing compares to Sacramento's hard dirt, several Twins hitters said. Throughout their four-game series, Twins hitters could be seen slipping in the batter's box when swinging at pitches. Correa slipped during his first at-bat Monday (a double) and tried to improve his footing by changing into catcher Ryan Jeffers' metal spikes. After dealing with plantar fasciitis in each foot over the past two seasons, Correa ditched metal spikes in favor of moldings, comfortable shoes that don't grip the ground as well. But he quickly rid himself of Jeffers' spikes because they began to hurt his feet. Advertisement Over the next two days, Correa's back began to hurt. He experienced back issues earlier in his career and could tell the new soreness was in a different location. He believed it was related to slipping in the batter's box and overcompensating with his back. To test and confirm his hypothesis, Correa hit on flat ground in the indoor batting cages and felt fine each time. At that point, Correa determined he would sit out the final two games of the series rather than risk a severe back injury. 'The plate here is killing me right now,' Correa said. 'It's very slippery. … For us that play with moldings, it's a tough time getting grip on the plate, but it's better than your feet hurting.' (Top photo of Twins reliever Jonah Bride pitching at Sutter Health Park: Scott Marshall / Associated Press)
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Cam Smith's meteoric rise to the majors: A story of dedication and discipline
HOUSTON — When Cam Smith made his MLB debut on opening day for the Houston Astros, it was the third-fastest that someone had gone from the draft to the majors. Selected 14th overall by the Cubs in last year's draft, Smith played just 32 minor league games, including five at Double-A, before moving to the big leagues. Behind the rookie's meteoric ascent was years of work, preparation and planning coupled with a team working behind the scenes to help him reach the majors in near record time. His mother muses about him being 'too serious.' His hitting coach Aaron Capista says that he's 'built different.' Jason Romano, his longtime adviser and current agent at Excel Sports Management, says that he's unlike anyone he's ever known. Teammate Mauricio Dubon proclaims: 'He's gonna be a big star in the big leagues.' Smith routinely arrives at the ballpark more than six hours before night games, has never had a sip of alcohol and says he hasn't even tried anything with caffeine. 'Everybody's really good at this level,' he explained. 'So, I've got to do something different to get an edge.' He knows it's a rarity for someone his age to not drink alcohol or caffeine, but it was part of his longtime plan to live a life free from distractions. 'I don't want to have to rely on anything,' he said. 'I want to keep life as simple as I can.' His mother, Stephanie Hocza, encouraged him to let loose in high school and maybe go to a party or two. 'I would tell him he was too serious and he needed to just have a little fun and not just be about baseball,' she said. 'But he really did not take my advice.' Smith, who was part of the trade that sent Kyle Tucker to Chicago, has heated up after a slow start and hit .307 in May to bring his season average entering Tuesday to .255 with three homers, eight doubles and 17 RBIs in 46 games. A performance made more impressive considering the 22-year-old was still playing for Florida State at this time last year. Many in the Astros organization rave about Smith's maturity. That could be traced back to a childhood where he had to grow up fast being raised by a single mother who often worked long hours to keep the family afloat. In middle school, Smith would come home from school and do homework before walking to a grocery store where he'd often buy a sub sandwich for dinner while Hocza worked until 10 p.m. most nights as a cook at a Lake Worth, Florida, bingo hall. 'He had to mature because he had to be responsible for his things,' Hocza said. 'I couldn't be there every night like most parents.' Though it was difficult at the time, Hocza now sees those early days with her son as a blessing. 'The best thing to do for your kids is make them figure it out,' she said. 'It was kind of forced upon him, but he definitely made the most of it and it turned him into who he is.' Smith's grandmother, Pattie Thomas, a lifelong Cubs fan, signed him up for T-ball when he was just 5 years old. The pair often attended spring training and minor league games in Jupiter, Florida. The young Smith was way more into the arcade on the concourse than watching the games. 'It's always funny to talk about how I wasn't too interested and now I do it for a living,' he said. By high school, he'd grown to love the game but still wasn't sure he could make it a career until scouts started coming to his games. 'Then I realized that I can play this for a long time,' he said. His first offer was from Florida Atlantic, and when the longtime Florida State fan got his second offer from the Seminoles, he immediately committed to them. After his freshman season at Florida State, his advisers recognized that he needed help to stop chasing pitches, correct some swing-and-miss issues and adjust his high groundball rate before playing in the Cape Cod League. They knew it was his chance to make an impression with scouts and raise his draft status. To chart his progress, Smith, Capista and Romano met on weekly FaceTime calls where they'd review his at-bats and emphasize the importance of trusting his judgment at the plate. Smith stopped chasing sliders and swinging at weak-contact pitches, and it led to an increase in walks and decrease in strikeouts. He became the top hitter in the league, batting .347 with 14 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs. That propelled him to a great sophomore season where he earned second-team All-America honors and led the Seminoles to the College World Series to help his draft stock rise. After being drafted by the Cubs, Smith played 27 games of A ball. It was there that he really heated up, hitting a home run in six consecutive games for Myrtle Beach. That was another boost to his confidence. 'Yeah, 100% because I didn't know I could ever do that,' he said. Capista wasn't surprised at the success Smith was having because of the kind of person he is. 'When you get the response and the feedback of someone like Cam, you quickly learn that he's built different, he's wired different,' Capista said. 'It's so cliche to say you want to be great ... but when you hear it and you get to know someone like Cam, you quickly learn that he means it, and he does the work, he does the stuff in the background that no one sees.' Before spring training Smith visited the Maven Baseball Lab, where they helped him refine his swing path so he could take another step forward. 'I could see a video that my bat was getting pretty flat early before I would go to swing and I'm just glad I had somebody like them to explain it to me,' he said. 'Break it down like: 'Hey, you're dumping the water out of the cup too early. Let's keep that upright a little longer.'' After the trade to Houston, Smith quickly impressed. He hit .342 with four homers and 11 RBIs this spring while navigating the move from third base to right field to make the opening day roster. 'He was not overwhelmed by the spots we put him in,' manager Joe Espada said. 'He's mentally tough. He can deal with the obstacles and ups and downs of a season.' Now that Smith's made it to the majors, he's hoping to inspire others like him to do it. Smith, whose mother is white and father is Black, hopes to get more Black kids involved in the game. 'I didn't really have somebody to look up to or who was able to talk to me about being African American and playing baseball,' he said. 'So, I wanted to be that influence on other young players to inspire them to know that it's possible and to know that they can do it.' He doesn't have a relationship with his father, but he has connected with his paternal grandmother, an aunt and other relatives on that side of the family in recent years. His mother said not knowing a lot about them as a child spurred him to learn more about his culture and who he was. 'It's more of just wanting a piece of that and wanting to just cherish that side of him,' she said. 'Even though he didn't have that in his life, that's still part of who he is.' ___ AP MLB:
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Trade Proposal Would Send Sandy Alcantara to the Cubs for Two Prospects
With the injuries to his rotation at the top of his mind, Chicago Cubs president Jed Hoyer has narrowed his focus to trading for starters. There are many options on the market, but in the ever-grinding rumor mill, Marlins' former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara stands out from the crowd. Truth be told, Alcantara rumors have been swirling endlessly since the offseason. The 2022 Cy Young award winner is pitching to a shocking 7.89 ERA this season, giving up an MLB-worst 50 earned runs this season. Normally, clubs would look the other way from trade candidates with these numbers, but when you're talking about a guy who threw to a 2.28 ERA in the workhorse load of 228.2 innings just a few years ago, it makes you wonder what a change of scenery can do. For now, any club willing to take the risk for a potential ace will need to view Alcantara as both a change of scenery and a buy-low trade candidate. But what is the wager for such a gamble? In a trade pitch from ClutchPoints, MLB analyst Bailey Bassett proposes sending Alcantara to the Cubs for Jefferson Rojas (Cubs' no. 5 prospect) and Jonathon Long (Cubs' no. 12 prospect). "Alcantara has been horrible this season, but that could bode well for the Cubs," Bassett wrote. "Now is the perfect time to buy low on the pitcher who still has the potential to return to form as one of the best hurlers in baseball. "While it isn't a guarantee that Alcantara will return to form, he'd be a worthwhile gamble for the Cubs because Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon are all pitching well, so Alcantara would be more of a luxury." Rojas, who is the no. 75 prospect on MLB pipeline, would be the headliner heading to Miami. A package like this would be more than fair for a pitcher who is coming off Tommy John surgery, is pitching poorly this season, and had also pitched poorly before being injured. However, as the selling team tries to get the most for their Cy Young winner, the Marlins will do their best to pretend that nothing happened after 2022. So, even though it's a fair price, the Marlins will probably hold out for better, even if it means betting that Alcantara will recover at least some of his form, thus raising his value. In summing up his assessment of the trade from the Marlins' point of view, Bassett accurately writes this: "Alcantara's trade value is at an all-time low. Although the Marlins have undergone a massive rebuild, which has seen them trade almost everybody of note from their roster over the last couple of years, they should hold off on trading their current ace." Related: Chicago Cubs Get Bad News on Paul Skenes Trade After Latest Rumors Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
