Latest news with #CraigCounsell
New York Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Craig Counsell, Cubs honor Ryne Sandberg in solemn postgame clubhouse
MILWAUKEE — Monday night was as quiet as the Chicago Cubs clubhouse has been after a game in a long time. No music played. No loud conversations were had, nor was any laughing heard. As reporters filed into the clubhouse at American Family Field, players sat at their lockers, quietly looking at their phones. Advertisement The heavy silence had nothing to do with the 8-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. No one was lamenting that the Cubs had fallen one game back of first place in the National League. Their only thought was about the loss of a team legend. Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg died earlier in the day at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer. — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 29, 2025 Manager Craig Counsell addressed the team after the loss and provided the news of Sandberg's passing. Counsell had heard before the game, and a few others learned during the game. He then spoke to the gathered media in the visiting manager's office. 'We're saddened of the loss of a great man,' Counsell said. 'We were lucky as a group this year to have Ryno at spring training. It was an honor to be around a man battling for his life but wanting to come to the baseball park with us. I know it meant a lot to everyone in there, and we're grateful that he was willing to spend that time with us when things weren't going great for him. It's a sad day for the Chicago Cubs. He was a great Cub.' Next to Counsell, written on a dry-erase board, was the quote, 'I never had a job. I just always played baseball.' Taken from the great Satchel Paige, the words ring true for the love Sandberg had for the game as well. Counsell's sentiment on how much it meant that Sandberg just wanted to be around the team despite not feeling his best was echoed by others. 'It was never about him, ever,' Nico Hoerner said. 'It was just truly love of the game of baseball. I think that was particularly clear this spring and all the effort he made to be there throughout more than we can even imagine, treatment and everything. There was nothing he wanted more than to be on a baseball field and to share that time and be present with that. We're all incredibly lucky that he was a part of our season this year.' Advertisement Matthew Boyd signed with the Cubs this past winter. Sandberg quickly made the newest Cub feel welcome. 'I got to meet Ryno for the first time this spring, and he treated me like I'd worn a Cubs uniform my whole life,' Boyd said. 'I think that spoke to who he was for this organization and an ambassador for the game of baseball. It's a loss, and we're going to miss him.' Despite proving to be one of the best defensive second basemen in the game currently, Hoerner knows he'll always be looking up to Sandberg and his nine Gold Gloves. That he was always willing to talk to Hoerner and share little things, like bringing over the types of gloves he had, knowing Hoerner was interested, stood out. 'He more than anything just wanted to talk about baseball,' Hoerner said. 'The things we were doing that were different than what they did then, things he saw. Never came from an angle of him having everything figured out; he just wanted to be on the field and talk about the sport that he loved and that loved him.' Hoerner talked about how Sandberg 'redefined' the second-base position by pairing an elite glove with an impact bat. The legend won an MVP in 1984, a season that began a string of 10 straight All-Star selections. Counsell marveled at the fact that Sandberg hit 13 triples at Wrigley Field that year, 19 in total. He turned himself into a power hitter years later, slugging 40 homers in 1990, a mark that only four other second basemen have topped in a season. Last summer, the team displayed the ultimate form of respect during the unveiling of Sandberg's statue on Gallagher Way. Taking a break from their pregame preparation, more than 40 players and coaches walked out onto a perch overlooking the ceremony as they joined many who had come to honor one of the greatest Cubs of all time. Advertisement 'I know it was a special moment for the guys to be able to do that,' Counsell said. 'I think you get a sense of his place as a Cub and his place in baseball. That was an inspiring moment just to be there, for the people gathered there, to honor Ryno. I won't forget that, for sure.' (Photo of Ryne Sandberg before the Field of Dreams game against the Cincinnati Reds: Jeffrey Becker / Imagn Images)
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Division lead on the line, Misiorowski on the mound: How to watch the Cubs-Brewers series
In far and away the coolest series on this week's opening slate, two of MLB's best teams go at it Monday through Wednesday. Kyle Tucker, Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Chicago Cubs haul up I-94 to see the searing Milwaukee Brewers, who start the proceedings with rookie fireballer Jacob Misiorowski on the bump. Nothing like a division rivalry with summer stakes and galloping bratwurst. The Cubs are still one of baseball's best outfits, but they've simmered down across the past two months. They went 13-13 in June and now enter this series at 13-8 in July. Still, tempered Cubs baseball is a sharp offering and a fun watch. Across the past month, the offense is tied for 10th in batting average (.250), tied for sixth in home runs (31) and alone in seventh for OPS (.748). Chicago is ranked No. 3 in all three of those categories for the whole season. Advertisement Craig Counsell's crew arrives in Wisconsin with a 29-24 road record and a plus-70 run differential away from Wrigley Field. Crow-Armstrong is not only a rarified power-speed force but also an awe-inspiring outfielder. Last week, he moved into the 100 percentile for fielding run value, and he has the best defensive range in the sport by outs above average. Fellow All-Star starter Tucker is slumping, though, down to a muddled .200/.337/.271 line in the last 28 days. Elsewhere, Michael Busch is batting just .129 in his last two weeks, with 14 Ks in 35 plate appearances; Nico Hoerner has a .353 average in that same span, with as many stolen bases as strikeouts (3). Reinforcements may come at the MLB trade deadline, but the Cubs will need a more rounded consistency to lock down a competitive division race. Milwaukee is loaded with momentum right now, pressuring Chicago out of what originally looked like a comfortable NL Central bid. It followed a resurgent June (16-9) by winning 15 of its first 21 July outings. The Brewers have swept the defending champion Dodgers twice this month, and though their 11-game winning streak ended last Tuesday, Pat Murphy's team is coming into this series with comeback walk-off vibes: Comeback complete ❕❕❕@theBlakePerkins — Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 27, 2025 Monday's pitching matchup is worthy of headliner status, but so is Wednesday's. The series opens with remade lefty Matthew Boyd (11-3, 2.20 ERA). He's in the 96 percentile for pitching run value and has been remarkably disciplined in his walk rate, currently on a streak of three total free passes in 33 innings. He's matched by the hyped RHP newcomer Misiorowski, who has a fastball clocking in above 101 mph and a slider that does unholy things to opposing batters. Advertisement Wednesday's probables are southpaw Shota Imanaga (7-4, 3.12 ERA) and mainstay ace Freddy Peralta (12-4, 2.81 ERA). The latter leads all NL pitchers with 12 wins, and hitters are a hapless .204 against him this season. With such pitching talent in tow, Milwaukee's airborne home run slide might get a rest this week. But Brewers slugger Christian Yelich (team-best 19 HR) is due for a deep ball, going homer-less since July 11. Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Jacob Misiorowski: John Fisher / Getty Images)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cubs reach multi-year extension with president Jed Hoyer
Jed Hoyer is sticking around in Chicago. The Cubs reached a multi-year extension with their president of baseball operations on Monday afternoon, the team announced. Specifics of his new deal are not yet known, though his current contract with the Cubs was set to expire after this season. "Jed and his baseball operations staff have built a healthy player development organization and put an exciting, playoff contending team on the field," chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. "We are looking forward to the rest of hte season and to working with Jed for years to come." Hoyer has been with the Cubs since 2011, which makes him one of the longest-tenured front office executives anywhere in the league. He joined the franchise alongside then-president Theo Epstein as their general manager, and helped orchestrate the team's World Series win in 2016. That snapped a championship drought that went on for well over a century. Hoyer then took over as the team's president after the 2020 campaign when Epstein stepped down, and he signed a new five-year deal at the time. Hoyer largely broke up the Cubs' World Series group during his first season at the helm, too, sending away Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Kris Bryant in quick succession ahead of the 2021 trade deadline. But now several years later, the Cubs are back in the mix with several new young starts — including NL MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was part of those trades four years ago. Hoyer also hired manager Craig Counsell to take over in 2024. Though the Cubs haven't made the playoffs under Hoyer's leadership in the role yet, the team holds a 62-43 record entering Monday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. They are tied for first in the NL Central race with the Brewers, too, which is something they haven't won since 2020. While they aren't quite back to where they were a decade ago, the Cubs clearly believe that Hoyer is the man to get them there once again.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner shows off all-around game against the White Sox
CHICAGO — Nico Hoerner delivered for the Chicago Cubs on Sunday — at the plate and in the field. He even made the most of a rare baserunning mistake. Hoerner had two hits, drove in a run and made a heady defensive play in a 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. The all-around performance by the second baseman helped the Cubs to a second straight victory going into a big series at Milwaukee. The 28-year-old Hoerner — a Gold Glove winner in 2023 — started an unusual double play in the third at Rate Field. The White Sox had runners on first and second with one out when Chase Meidroth popped up toward the right side of the infield. Meidroth was called out via the infield fly rule, and Hoerner let the ball drop. 'First thought was just watching the hitter,' Hoerner said. 'Looking to maybe drop the ball and get him out and then hopefully get a double play. But they called infield fly, so the batter's out. Then kind of makes it possible is having my feet on the grass. I don't really like letting it drop in the dirt. Kind of chaos after that.' Hoerner was focused on Brooks Baldwin at first when shortstop Dansby Swanson pointed to Lenyn Sosa breaking for third. Hoerner turned and threw across the diamond to Matt Shaw, who applied the tag for the inning-ending double play. 'That was a huge play,' manager Craig Counsell said. Hoerner said he's constantly going over possible scenarios in his head. 'Got a group that likes talking the game,' he said. 'So it's really satisfying to get extra outs like that.' Hoerner also hit an RBI single in the sixth and scored from first on Shaw's double. He reached on an infield single in the second on the 14th pitch of his at-bat against Sean Burke. He walked in the eighth and was picked off first by Mike Vasil, but he stayed in the rundown long enough that the Cubs got a run when White Sox third baseman Colson Montgomery was called for interference, allowing Ian Happ to score. 'It started with a mistake on my end, just getting too far off,' Hoerner said. 'Fortunately, Ian's able to kind of capitalize on just some chaos out there and turn it into something.' Chicago improved to 62-43 to remain tied with Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central. The Cubs visit the Brewers for a three-game set beginning on Monday night. Hoerner has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games, batting .328 (21 for 64) with two triples and seven RBIs during the stretch. He is batting a team-high .289 on the season, to go along with his stellar defense. 'I'm just super grateful to have Nico as a teammate,' pitcher Ben Brown said. 'The baseball IQ out of him is, I mean it's Nico. It's just the way he is. It's just kind of like through his veins and through his blood.' ___ AP MLB:
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Cubs Showing Interest In Trade Deadline Deal For 2 Different Star Pitchers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Chicago Cubs desperately need to add some pitching ahead of the trade deadline, both to the starting rotation and the bullpen. The Cubs' bullpen has been a middle-of-the-pack unit for the entire season, and an upgrade should be expected. After bringing in Ryan Pressly in the offseason, the Cubs didn't do much else to upgrade the unit. The starting rotation is a much bigger issue. The Cubs came into the season with a hole in their rotation, and that hole has only gotten bigger. Jameson Taillon has missed time with an injury, and Justin Steele is out for the season with an elbow injury. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 19: Manager Craig Counsell #11 of the Chicago Cubs looks on before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Wrigley Field on July 19, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 19: Manager Craig Counsell #11 of the Chicago Cubs looks on before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Wrigley Field on July 19, 2025 in Chicago, reporter Ari Alexander recently reported the Cubs were showing interest in a trade for three different pitchers: Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan and Miami Marlins hurler Edward Cabrera. Finnegan would be the easiest player to acquire. The Cubs could slot him into the backend of the bullpen, manning either the seventh, eighth or ninth inning on any given night. The righty isn't a top closer in the league, but he's been a solid force for the Nationals. Cabrera would be another blockbuster move that would make the Cubs better in 2025 and beyond. He's under team control through 2028 and seems to only be getting better. The Cubs need to make a move. Adding any of these stars would push them in the right direction as the National League is up for grabs. More MLB: Padres' Trade Deadline Takes Wild Turn After Red Sox's Jarren Duran Decision
