I'm a day late on this one, so I'll keep it brief. The Cubs got reinforcements in the forms of Kyle Hendricks returning from the IL and Tauchman joining the outfield mix. They'll plan three against the Reds this weekend as both struggle to stay out of the bottom of the NL Central dog pile.
The Cubs return to Wrigley to begin a nine-game homestand sandwiched between a pair of days off. The 25-23 Mets will be their first visiting team. With Atlanta pulling away from the NL East early, the Mets look to be jockeying with the Marlins and Phillies to see who else can stay in contention for a playoff spot. See below for the matchups.
Game 47, Tuesday, May 23, 6:40 pm central
NYM: RHP Kodai Senga (4-2, 3.77 ERA)
CHC: LHP Drew Smyly (4-1, 2.86 ERA)
The Cubs' offense tallied seven walks and thirteen hits, but pushed across one too few runs to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Astros. They fly into Philly with a record of 19-24. Nico Hoerner is expected to return to the active roster this weekend, and Cody Bellinger remains listed day-to-day after injuring his knee following a leaping catch at the wall in Houston. The 20-23 Phillies are coming off four losses in a row and have sunk to fourth in the NL East. See below for matchups.
Game 44, Friday, May 19, 6:05 pm central
CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (2-4, 3.24 ERA)
After taking the series opener, the Cubs lost two blowouts to the Minnesota Twins. They'll try their luck in Houston next, arriving in Texas with a 19-21 record opposing the 21-19 Houston Astros. See below for matchups.
Game 41, Monday, May 15, 7:10 pm central
CHC: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-2, 6.41 ERA)
HOU: RHP Framber Valdez (3-4, 2.38 ERA)
Game 42, Tuesday, May 16, 7:10 pm central
CHC: LHP Justin Steele (6-0, 1.82 ERA)
HOU: RHP Cristian Javier (3-1, 3.47 ERA)
Game 43, Wednesday, May 17, 7:10 pm central
The Cubs staged multiple comebacks but came up just short of a sweep against the Marlins. Next they greet an underperforming Cardinals team for three games at Wrigley. The Cards just ended an eight-game skid and must be desperate to claw their way back into the division race. Former Cubs Willson Contreras might be at the center if the drama this weekend as his defensive role is under discussion. See below for matchups.
The Cubs get a quick rematch against the Marlins, who swept them on the road to end the month of April. This time, the Cubs are reinforced by designated hitter and first baseman Matt Mervis, who is likely to make his MLB debut, and catcher Miguel Amaya, who debuted on May 4 collecting his first MLB RBI on a sac fly but still in search of his first time reaching base safely. See below for the matchups in this weekend series at Wrigley.
Game 32, Friday, May 5, 1:20 pm central
MIA: RHP Edward Cabrera (2-2, 4.67 ERA)
CHC: LHP Justin Steele (4-0, 1.49 ERA)
The Cubs suffered a three-game sweep in Miami to end the month of April, lowering their 2023 record to 14-13. Cody Bellinger continued his recent showing of power by hitting his 7th homerun of the season. Patrick Wisdom homered in the series as well to push his 2023 total to 10. Nico Hoerner has stretched his on-base streak 25 games, having reached base safely in every game except for his 0-4 with no walks on April Fools Day. The Cubs have had a strong showing in offense, starting pitching, and defense.
The Cubs take their first 2023 road trip to the east coast. There, they will meet the 13-13 Marlins for a three-game series. Call-ups from Iowa Velasque and Killian get their early season auditions, with Velasquez already having made a notable first few appearances. Bellinger returns from paternity leave, hopeful to resume his recent power surge. See below for matchups.
Game 25, Friday, April 28, 5:40 pm central
CHC: RHP Marcus Stroman (2-2, 2.17 ERA)
MIA: LHP Jesus Luzardo (2-1, 3.62 ERA)
Game 26, Saturday, April 29, 3:05 pm central
The Cubs took advantage of the series in Oakland to boost their offensive statistics and their standing in the NL Central. They are still behind the Brewers, but the favored Cardinals are now 4th in the division at 8-11 while the Cubs are five over .500 at 11-6. The Dodgers will visit them at Wrigley, having lost two of three to the Cubs in L.A. See below for matchups int he four-game set.
Game 18, Thursday, April 20, 6:40 pm central
LAD: RHP Michael Grove (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
CHC: RHP Jameson Taillon (0-2, 4.50 ERA)
The Cubs and their trio of former Dodgers took two out of three from the Dodgers in L.A. They next travel north to take on the 3-13 Oakland Athletics. Cody Bellinger and Patrick Wisdom have each begun to heat up a bit, and along with Seiya Suzuki reinforce the middle of the Cubs' lineup, which was carried by the table setters in the early going. See below for the daily matchups.
Game 15, Monday, April 17, 8:40 pm central
CHC: RHP Hayden Wesneski (0-0, 7.50 ERA)
OAK: LHP Kyle Muller (0-0, 5.23 ERA)