88

 The Chicago Cubs combined for a no hitter for the first time last night at Dodger Stadium.  It was the 17th no hitter in franchise history, but the first one ever to be a combined no hitter.  After a rough start his last time out Zach Davies threw 6 no hit innings and he was followed by Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Craig Kimbrel.

Javy Baez and Willson Contreras both went deep and Jake Marisnick had an RBI single to back the Cubbie hurlers.  Tip of the cap to Willson Contreras on catching his first ever no hitter and what a long way he has come both in his ability to call a game and defensively as well.

91

 Patrick Wisdom's 15 pitch at bat against Ross Detwiler netted the Cubs their first hit of the game and their second run as Joc Pederson followed with an RBI single after Jake Marisnick had a pinch hit single himself.  The bullpen pitched four shutout innings after Alec Mills made a good start of five scoreless, giving up 6 hits while striking out 3 and walking none.  Craig Kimbrel came on and got save 368, tying him for 9th all time with Jonathan Papelbon.

92

The first place Cubs dropped Saturday's game to the Marlins at Wrigley, and the Brewers are in action on Saturday night.

The Cubs-Marlins series wraps up on Sunday at the Friendly Confines.  71 games down, 91 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

98

Holy mackerel! The first place Cubs beat the Cardinals 2-0 on Sunday night at Wrigley to secure the series sweep. Zach Davies' quality start set the pace for the North Siders (6.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 K), who took advantage of a St. Louis error and back-to-back singles from Bryzzo to plate two runs in the third.

Tepera and Kimbrel combined to toss 2.1 scoreless innings to seal the win and the sweep.

The Cubs head to New York for a four-game set against the Mets that starts Monday. 65 games down, 97 to go.

Go Cubs go!

99

Holy cow! The first place Cubs downed the Cards 7-2 at Wrigley on Saturday behind a quality start from Kyle Hendricks (6 IP, 2 ER, 2 K) and home runs from Alcantara, Happ, and Pederson.

The Cubs' bullpen tossed three scoreless innings, including Craig Kimbrel's 17th save. Kimbrel's season ERA now sits at 0.68.

With the win, the Cubs secured another series victory. The series wraps up Sunday night at the Friendly Confines. 64 games down, 98 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

100

Hey hey! The first place Cubs beat the Cards 8-5 at Wrigley on Friday behind five scoreless relief innings from the bullpen and homers from Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras, & Joc Pederson.

It was Tony's homer -- on the 14th pitch of an at-bat against Daniel Ponce de Leon that had the crowd really rocking -- that tied the game at 5-5. From there, all it took was Bill Murray leading the stretch and tossing out an emphatic "LET'S GET SOME RUNS!" for Pederson (3-for 4, 3 RBI) to break the tie with a two-run double in the 7th.

Contreras's 8th inning blast provided an insurance run while the Cubs' bullpen continued its dominance: 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K. Tommy Nance (of the 0.00 ERA) tossed two scoreless, hitless innings and Craig Kimbrel (0.69 ERA) picked up his 16th save of the season.

The series continues Saturday at the Friendly Confines. 63 games down, 99 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Photo Credit:  Chicago Cubs

101

Hey hey! The first place Cubs beat the Padres 3-1 at Petco on Wednesday behind a strong start from Jake Arrieta (5 IP, 1 ER, 6 K), home runs from Joc Pederson and Sergio Alcantara, and Craig Kimbrel's 15th save.

The North Siders' offense was quite efficient, scoring three runs on four hits. Alcantara raised his average to .304 (1.016 OPS) since his late-May callup.

The Cubs now head home to Chicago and kick off a weekend homestand against the Cardinals on Friday. 62 games down, 100 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

103

Holy mackerel! The Cubs beat the Padres 7-1 on Tuesday behind a quality start from Zach Davies (6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 K), four RBI from Anthony Rizzo, and another home run from Patrick Wisdom.

Davies' start was arguably his best of the season, and Andrew Chafin & Tommy Nance continued their dominance out of the bullpen. Chafin's season ERA now sits at 1.98 while Nance has yet to yield an earned run in 2021.

On the offensive side, Tony's 4 RBI night included a 2-for-4 performance at the plate and a HR while Wisdom's homer was his 8th of the season in just 40 AB. Willson Contreras also homered for the North Siders, and Joc Pederson collected two hits from the leadoff spot.

The series wraps up Wednesday at Petco Park before the Cubs head back to Wrigley to kick off a weekend series against the Cardinals. 61 games down, 101 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

104

Hey hey! The first place Cubs came back to beat the Giants 4-3 in San Francisco on Sunday behind a quality start from Kyle Hendricks (6.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 K), 2.2 scoreless innings from the bullpen, and two homers from Patrick Wisdom.

Hendricks helped his own cause by stroking a double and later coming around to score, but it was Wisdom's hot bat that paced the North Siders. Wisdom is now batting .412 (1.533 OPS) and is locked in at the plate.

The trifecta of Tepera, Chafin, and Kimbrel continued their dominance as Kimbrel picked up his 14th save of the year while lowering his season ERA to 0.75.

The Cubs start a three-game set in San Diego on Monday. 59 games down, 103 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

105

It's been a rough start to the road trip for the first place Cubs, but the Brewers and Cardinals swapped places in the standings, dropping the CMN.

The Cubs - Giants series continues Saturday at Oracle Park. 57 games down, 105 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs

106

Holy cow! The first place Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Padres on Wednesday, beating them 6-1 at Wrigley. Adbert Alzolay's nice start (5 IP, 1 ER, 7 K) and four more scoreless innings from the bullpen kept the Friars in check while Anthony Rizzo's 3-for-4, 2 RBI day and a two-run blast from Javier Baez paced the Cubs' offense.

The win was the North Siders' ninth in their last ten games, and they've now won 21 of their last 29.

They kick off a seven-game road trip on Thursday in San Francisco. 55 games down, 107 to go.

Go Cubs go!

109

Holy mackerel! The first place Cubs whalloped the Padres 7-2 at Wrigley on Monday behind a solid spot start from Kohl Stewart (5 IP, 0 ER, 2 K) and two homers apiece from Javier Baez and Patrick Wisdom. Meanwhile, the Cards lost, giving the North Siders sole possession of first.

Baez's blasts tallied 3 RBI while Wisdom's were both solo shots. Wisdom is now batting .467 (1.633 OPS) in 15 games for the Cubs this season. And Kris Bryant continues to rake:  his 2-for-4 day raised his season average to .324 (1.016 OPS).

The bullpen continued to roll, allowing 1 ER with 6 K in 4 innings. Tommy Nance (1 IP, 0 ER, 2 K) has yet to allow an earned run in 2021 (6.2 IP), Andrew Chafin (0.2 IP, 1 K) dropped his season ERA to 2.22, and Keegan Thompson (2.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 K) is sporting a 0.52 ERA for the season.

The series continues Tuesday at Wrigley. 53 games down, 109 to go.

Go Cubs go!

Image Credit:  Chicago Cubs