137

With another impressive win, the Cubs are showing their strength and their depth.  The new hero of the club house is Matt Szczur, with his 8th inning grand slam (the first of his young career).  The Cubs pitching staff is still red hot as well, with veteran Jon Lester striking out 10 Atlanta Braves players.  The Pirates play tonight, so stayed tuned...the magic number could go down again.  Go Cubs!

138

It still wasn't a gorgeous day for baseball, but our Cubs still made the best of it beating the Brew Crew, 7-2.  Even the rainy weather could not stop Jake Arrieta.  No, it wasn't a no hitter, but give the man and this team a win fueled by another outstanding performance on the mound and 8 hits, including a homerun by "Grandpa" David Ross.  Go Cubs!  Bring on Atlanta.

139

Hey hey! Cubs beat the Brewers 4-3 at Wrigley. Kyle Hendricks held Milwaukee to 1 ER in 5 IP, Adam Warren picked up the W with 2 scoreless relief IP, and Hector Rondon (season ERA 0.00) picked up his 4th save in 4 chances. 

On a cold night with a stiff wind blowing in, Addison Russell hit a clutch 2-R triple in the 6th. But it was Javy Baez's incredible slide to evade being tagged out on a stolen base attempt in the 7th that led to the first place Cubs' deciding run.

First pitch of game two of the series between the MLB-best Cubs and the Brewers is at 7:05 p.m. Central time on Wednesday.

Let's go!

Image Credit: Chicago Cubs

NL Central Standings
Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       15   5   .750    --

Pirates    12   9   .571   3.5
Cards      11   9   .550   4.0

140

It was a rough night to be a Chicago sports fan, but the D-Backs gave the off-day Cubs something to be happy about with a 12-7 victory over the Cardinals.

The first place Cubs come home tomorrow to start their first series against the Brewers.

NL Central Standings
Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       14   5   .737    --

Pirates    11   9   .550   3.5
Cards      10   9   .526   4.0

*Photo Credit: CSN Chicago

141

Holy cow! Cubs take the series from the Reds, 3 games to 1, with a 9-0 win in Cincy today. Jason Hammel struck out 7 in 6 IP and Anthony Rizzo had a pair of 2-R HRs to pace the Cubs.

The bullpen trio of Warren, Wood, and Rondon didn't allow a baserunner, and Tommy LaStella went 3-for-5 with a homer in his spot start at 2B.

The first place Cubs have an off day Monday and bring the second-best record in baseball back home to Wrigley, where they start a three-game series with the Brewers on Tuesday.

Let's go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

NL Central Standings
Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       14   5   .737    --

Cards      10   8   .556   3.5
Pirates    11   9   .550   3.5

142

From ILuvMaddon: "Another fabulous game for the Cubs.  No hangover from Jake Arrieta's no-hitter, and we even had some 9th inning fireworks from some of the usual suspects (Fowler and Bryant helped out the cause)."

Lester pitched a great game and was backed up by 2 RBI from "Grandpa" Ross and a 2-for-4, 3 R night from Javy Baez.

The Padres even helped out tonight, knocking off the Cards 4-1 at Petco.  The North Siders face off against the Redlegs again tomorrow in Cincy.

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

NL Central Standings
Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       13   4   .765    --

Cards       8   8   .500   4.5
Pirates     8   8   .500   4.5

143

Another fabulous game for the Cubs.  No hangover from Jake Arrieta's no-hitter, and we even had some 9th inning fireworks from some of the usual suspects (Fowler and Bryant helped out the cause).  The Cardinals play later, and if they lose we go down one more notch.  Stay tuned.

144

Holy cow! NO HITTER! The Cubs crushed the Reds in Cincy, 16-0 behind another masterful performance by Jake Arrieta, who no-hit the Redlegs ... His line: 9 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, and 4 BB.

The Cubs backed him up with strong defense and five homers, including two by Kris Bryant (4-for-6 with a grand slam and 6 RBI). Dexter "You Go, We Go" Fowler reached base in 3 of 6 plate appearances, scoring 3 times.

The North Siders bring the best record in MLB back to the other Great American Ballpark tomorrow in game two of the four-game series.

Let's go!

Image Credit: Chicago Cubs

NL Central Standings

Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       12   4   .733    --

Cards       8   7   .533   3.5
Reds        8   8   .500   4.0

145

Tough loss in St. Louis Wednesday for the first place Cubs, but it's always nice to win a series against the Cardinals.

The Pirates lost late Tuesday night to the Padres, dropping the magic number by one.

The Cubs start a four-game set Thursday against the Reds at the other Great American Ballpark.

Let's go!

NL Central Standings

Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       11   4   .733    --

Reds        8   7   .533   3.0

Cards       8   7   .533   3.0

146

Cubs win! Cubs beat the Cards again in St. Louis, 2-1. Jason Hammel held the Redbirds to one run over 6 IP with 6 Ks. More importantly, his two-RBI single put the Cubs on top for good.

Hector Rondon picked up the save for the MLB-best North Siders.

The first-place Cubs return to Busch for the series finale tomorrow afternoon.

Image Credit: Chicago Cubs

NL Central Standings

Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       11   3   .783    --

Pirates     7   6   .538   3.5

Cards       7   7   .500   4.0

147

Cubs win! John Lackey took it to his former team, striking out 11 in 7 IP and adding an RBI single as the first place Cubs beat the Cards 5-0 in St. Louis.

Dexter "You Go, We Go" Fowler went 2-for-5 with a HR and Kris Bryant went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Wood, Strop, and Cahill kept the shutout intact by combining to pitch scoreless 8th & 9th innings.

The Cubs bring the best record in MLB back to Busch Stadium Tuesday night for game two of the three-game set.

Let's go!

Photo credit:  Chicago Cubs

NL Central Standings

Team        W   L    PCT    GB

Cubs       10   3   .769    --

Pirates     7   6   .538   3.0

Cards       7   6   .538   3.0

151

Cubs beat the Reds, 8-1, to complete the three-game sweep! They're off to their best start since 1969.

Jason Hammel picked up the win and an RBI, Dexter "You Go, We Go" Fowler reached base in four of five plate appearances, and Kris Bryant homered for the second consecutive game.

The first place Cubs host the Rockies this  weekend at Wrigley.

Photo Credit:  Chicago Cubs

153

Cubs win! A five-run first inning was all it took, as the Cubs beat the Reds 9-2. Six different Cubs tallied RBIs, with Heyward and Bryant knocking in two apiece including Bryant's first HR of 2016.

John Lackey picked up the win, and Cahill, Richard, and Ramirez combined for 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball.

The first place Cubs have tied their franchise record of a 7-1 start! Cincinnati returns to the Friendly Confines for the final game of the set tomorrow night.

155

Cubs win! Great comeback win over the Reds, 5-3. Despite 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball tossed by Reds rookie Brandon Finnegan and a 3-0 deficit, the Comeback Cubs did it again to win the home opener at Wrigley.

J-Hey hit a clutch two-out, two-run single in the 7th and Addison Russell blasted a three-run homer in the 8th to put the first place Cubs on top for good. The offense was efficient, scoring their five runs on only three hits (seven walks helped!).

Hector Rondon struck out the side -- all looking -- in the 9th to earn his second save of the season.

The NL-best Cubs face off again vs. the Reds on Wednesday night.

Image credit:  Chicago Cubs

157

Cubs win 7-3 and take the series from Arizona, three games to one! Jake Arrieta notched another quality start and also homered for the first place Cubs.

Munenori Kawasaki got a hit in his first-ever Cubs at bat, Jorge Soler blasted his first homer of the season, Miggy reached base in four of five plate appearances, and Tommy LaStella went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Only one of Chicago's seven runs came from the first four batters in the lineup (Heyward added an RBI). Gotta like the production from the middle and bottom of the line-up.

The Cubs' home opener is tomorrow night vs. the Reds, who are currently tied for first with the North Siders; both clubs are 5-1. Jon Lester will face off against Brandon Finnegan, and first pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

Let's go!

Photo credit:  Chicago Cubs

158

Cubs win! Kyle Hendricks picked up his first win of the season, Adam Warren his first hold, and Hector Rondon his first save as the first place Cubs beat the D-backs 4-2.

Ben Zobrist went 3-for-4, and Dexter "You Go, We Go" Fowler reached base in 2 of 5 plate appearances.

The final game of the four-game set wraps up tomorrow in Phoenix. Let's go!

159

The Pirates finally lost a game, dropping a 5-1 decision to the Reds in Cincy.

The Cubs had a bigger loss this week -- losing Kyle Schwarber for the season to a torn ACL & LCL. Lots of rehab in Schwarb's future, as the LCL is especially tough to rehab.

Good news: the Cubs' new state-of-the-art clubhouse has medical facilities that will allow him to rehab at the Friendly Confines.

Cubs continue their four-game set with Arizona at 5 p.m. Pacific tonight. Let's go!

Photo credit:  Gannett

160

Great comeback win tonight for the Cubs in Phoenix! The North Siders came back from deficits of 3-0, 4-2, and 6-4 to crush the D-backs 14-6.

Lackey picked up his first career win in blue pinstripes despite giving up 6 ER in 6 IP.  Strop, Wood, and Rondon combined for three scoreless innings of relief.

On the offensive side, Dexter "You Go, We Go" Fowler continued his hot start, reaching base in 4 of his 6 plate appearances. Rizzo had a huge night with a 3-R HR and 6 RBIs for the game.

Scarily, Kyle Schwarber was carted off the field after a collision with Fowler. Preliminary X-rays were negative, and the Cubs reported that Schwarb had a left ankle sprain. MRI to follow.

The four-game series continues Friday in Phoenix. Go Cubs!

161

Cubs win! Jon Lester paced the Cubs tonight with seven innings of one-run ball while Fowler, Rizzo, and Szczur each homered to beat the Angels 6-1.

J-Hey showed off his arm in right field, the Cubs' bullpen combined for two innings of shutout ball, and Dexter "You Go, We Go" Fowler reached base in two of four at-bats to lower his OBP to 0.667.

The Cubs have Wednesday off and head to Phoenix to face the Diamondbacks in a four-game set that starts Thursday.

Photo credit:  Chicago Cubs

162

Cubs win! 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta held the Angels to two hits over seven scoreless innings and the first place Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9-0 on Opening Night.

The Cubs' first-ever interleague Opening Day game featured plenty of offense, despite Schwarbryzzo going a combined 1-for-11. Miguel Montero homered and Matt Szczur added 3 RBI on a pinch-hit, bases-clearing double.

Travis Wood picked up where he left off last September, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning to finish off the Halos. Dexter Fowler had a helluva night in the leadoff spot, reaching base four times in five plate appearances and scoring three runs. As Joe Maddon says to Dexter before every at bat: "you go, we go!"

The Cubs wrap up the two-game series in Anaheim Tuesday night.

Photo credit:  Chicago Cubs