26

Kyle Hendricks went 6 2/3 giving up two runs to the Braves Thursday night and was backed by 4 hits from Jon Jay and Kris Bryant's 25th HR, which gives KB three straight seasons of 25, only the 12th player to do that in his first three seasons and the first ever Cub.

Game two will be tomorrow afternoon as John Lackey takes the mound to try to deliver the 5th straight Cubs win.

28

Hey hey! The Cubs downed the Pirates 4-1 at Wrigley on Tuesday behind a quality start by Jake Arrieta (6 IP, 0 ER, 4 K) and a 3-for-4 night from Anthony Rizzo (R, RBI).

Ben Zobrist homered and Wade Davis picked up his 27th save of the season in 27 chances, a franchise record.

The series wraps up Wednesday night in Chicago.

Go Cubs go!

30

Hey hey! The Cubs downed the Pirates 6-1 at Wrigley Monday night to gain a half-game on the NL Central. Mike Montgomery had a dominant start (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) and the offense played small ball, taking advantage of Pittsburgh's miscues in the 7th to put the game away.

All nine Cub starters reached base, and Almora, Avila, Happ, and Rizzo each tallied an RBI. CJ and Wade Davis combined for two innings of scoreless, hitless relief.

The series continues Tuesday in Chicago. Follow CMN on Twitter!

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit: Chicago Cubs

Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune

31

Holy cow! The Cubs offense exploded on Saturday night in Philadelphia in a 17-2 win. Kyle Hendricks had a dominant start (7 IP, 8 K, 2 ER) and six Chicago home runs put the game out of reach.

Tommy LaStella hit two homers (3-for-5, 2 R, 4 RBI), as did Anthony Rizzo (3-for-5, 3 R, 5 RBI). Kyle Hendricks supported his own cause with his bat (2 hits & 2 RBI -- both in the same inning!), and KB & Zobrist also homered for the Cubs. Chicago's offense was a model of efficiency, as 17 of their 20 baserunners touched home.

The series wraps up Sunday in Philly before the Cubs head back to Wrigley for a six-game homestand.

Go Cubs go!

33

Holy cow! The Cubs kept rolling on Wednesday night, beating the Reds 9-3 in Cincy. Mike Montgomery picked up the win, tossing a quality start (6 IP, 0 ER, 4 K) and both Kyle Schwarber and Tommy LaStella homered for the Cubs.

J-Hey and Jon Jay each had two-hit nights, Heyward's with 2 RBI and Jay's with 2 runs scored. The Cubs bullpen held Cincinnati scoreless until garbage time, when Rondon gave up three solo homers before finishing the game.

The series wraps up on Thursday at the Great American Ballpark before the Cubs head to Philadelphia for a weekend series. Follow CMN on Twitter!

Go Cubs go!

35

Hey hey! The Cubs beat the Reds 13-9 Tuesday night. The series continues Wednesday in Cincinnati.

Go Cubs go!

36

Holy cow! Epic comeback win by the Cubs on Sunday followed by a Brewers loss on Monday takes the CMN down to 36.

The Cubs hit the road starting Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Go Cubs go!

38

Hey hey! The first place, defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs downed the Blue Jays 4-3 on Saturday behind another quality start from Jose Quintana (6 IP, 8 K, 2 ER) and Ian Happ's 18th homer of the year.

The Cubs went up 1-0 early before Toronto took a 2-1 lead. Happ's homer tied the game 2-2 in the 4th, and the Cubs tallied a run in both the 6th & 7th innings to seal the win. Felix Peña, recently recalled from Iowa, struck out the side in the 7th, and Wade Davis notched his 26th save in 26 appearances to close out the game.

Former Cubs Darwin Barney and Miguel Montero were in the lineup for the Jays again on Saturday. The series wraps up Sunday at Wrigley before an off day Monday. The Cubs start a six-game road trip to Cincinnati & Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Follow CMN on Twitter!

Go Cubs go!

40

Hey hey! The Cubs got back on track Friday at Wrigley, downing Toronto 7-4. Jake Arrieta tossed his seventh quality start in a row, Javy Baez drove in three and played spectacular defense, and Wade Davis picked up his 25th save in 25 chances.

Caratini went 3-for-3 with a run scored while Rizzo, Baez, and Almora had two hits apiece. Arrieta has been on a tear, and today's game was no exception:  6 IP, 6 K, 1 ER.

The series continues Saturday in Chicago. Follow CMN on Twitter!

Go Cubs go!

41

Holy cow! The Cubs beat the Reds 7-6 on a two-out, walk-off wild pitch. Anthony Rizzo got the Cubs on the board early with a first inning grand slam, and John Lackey tossed a quality start (6 IP, 6 K, 1 ER).

The Cubs built a 6-1 lead before the Reds got to the Chicago bullpen for five runs, tying the game in the 8th.

In the 9th, the Cubs got the first two batters aboard. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Ben Zobrist got hit by the 0-1 pitch, apparently loading the bases with nobody out.

Cue the Ump Show.

First base umpire Chris Conroy overruled the call, saying that Zobrist, who had squared to bunt on both pitches he saw, had offered at the pitch. Zobrist definitely jumped to avoid getting hit, but not even Henry Rowengartner would have offered at that pitch, considering that it was nearly thrown behind him.

Joe Maddon got tossed for arguing (and he got his money's worth), Zobrist grounded out, and Almora struck out, bringing Kris Bryant to the plate. The first pitch to KB was in the dirt, kicked toward the Cincinnati dugout, and brought Javy Baez home to score the winning run. Whew.

From Joe's postgame: "I don't even know what to say about that call ... that call cannot be made under those circumstances ... that's asinine ... it almost cost us the game ... that was wrong ... to influence the game like that is wrong ... you can't make that mistake." Amen, brother.

The four-game series wraps up Thursday at Wrigley. Follow CMN on Twitter!

Go Cubs go!

42

Holy cow! The first place, defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs offense was on display Monday night at Wrigley, as they crushed the Reds 15-5. Bryzzo went back-to-back, and Rizzo had a 3-for-5, five RBI night. That's Cub.

Jon Jay went 3-for-5 with a BB, RBI, and three runs scored while Kris Bryant went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Tommy LaStella's 3-for-5 night raised his season average to .313.

J-Hey also went 2-for-4, Javy Baez went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer off of Scooter Gennett (yes, you read that correctly), and Mike Montgomery stroked a two-run double in a six-run seventh inning.

Jose Quintana had a solid start (5 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) before turning the game over to the Cubs bullpen.

Game two of the four-game series is Tuesday in Chicago. Follow CMN on Twitter!

Go Cubs go!

45

Holy cow! The first place, defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs beat Arizona 7-2 behind a quality start by Jake Arrieta and homers from Javy Baez, Ian Happ, and Kris Bryant.

The Cubs scored early and didn't look back, adding four insurance runs in the 7th, when Javy & Happ went back-to-back. KB added the final Chicago tally in the 9th. 

Arrieta's tossed his sixth quality start in a row. During that stretch, he's got a 2.09 ERA a 33/10 K/BB ratio. That's Cub.

The Cubs now return to Wrigley for a seven-game homestand that starts on Monday vs. the Reds.

Go Cubs go!

46

Holy cow! The Cubs beat the D-Backs 8-3 Friday night behind 2 RBI from Alex Avila, a 3-for-3 night from Kris Bryant, and another strong outing from the bullpen.

John Lackey had a strong start (5.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 K), but the Cubs' bullpen was lights out (3.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K).

Chicago took an early lead and never looked back, with Schwarber and Avila hitting back-to-back homers in the 6th to put the game away. And ... five of the North Siders' eight runs scored with two outs. That's Cub.

The weekend series continues Saturday in Phoenix.

Go Cubs go!

48

The last three series have been tough.  Here's hoping that Willson is healthy soon and that the Cubs can get back on track in Phoenix.

Go Cubs go!

52

Hey hey! The first place Cubs downed Washington 7-4 at Wrigley behind Alex Avila's first homer as a Cub, another round-tripper by a red-hot Willson Contreras, and nice offensive days from Jon Jay and Kris Bryant.

John Lackey had a solid start (5 IP, 2 ER) and the bullpen was sharp, tossing four innings of one hit, one run ball. Wade Davis picked up his 23rd save in 23 chances. That's Cub.

The rubber game of the series is Sunday at Wrigley.

Go Cubs go!

53

Rubber game vs. the D-Backs Thursday at 1:20 at Wrigley.  Jose Quintana on the mound for the Cubs.

Go Cubs go!

54

Holy cow! The first place Cubs busted out the bats on Tuesday, kicking off a six-game homestand with a 16-4 routing of the D-Backs. Jon Lester hit his first career homer and Anthony Rizzo belted two. Ian Happ and Javy Baez also homered while Albert Almora drove in three.

Lester struggled to complete 4 innings; despite striking out 9 (including his 2000th career K), he piled up 104 pitches and gave up 3 ER in four frames. The Cubs' bullpen combined for five innings of one-run relief to pick him up. That's Cub.

The series continues Wednesday at Wrigley.

Go Cubs go!