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Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod Agree to New Contracts with Cubs: Details, Reaction

September 30, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

After locking up president Theo Epstein, the Chicago Cubs are keeping the rest of their dynamic front-office trio together with extensions for general manager Jed Hoyer and vice president Jason McLeod.   According to the Cubs' official Twitter account, Hoyer and McLeod each received five-year extensions through 2021.  The trio of Epstein, Hoyer and McLeod joined the Cubs in October 2011 after previously working together with the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2009.  As part of the team's announcement on Friday, Epstein praised the work of Hoyer and McLeod to help make the Cubs into what they are, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com: Jed and ...

Jake Arrieta Has Gone from NL Cy Young Winner to Just Another Guy

September 29, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

Through the first two months of the MLB season, it seemed as if Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta was cruising toward a nine-figure contract and recognition as one of baseball’s best at his position. Arrieta followed up his 2015 Cy Young campaign by posting a 1.74 ERA through his first 15 starts, the highlight of which was a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on April 21. Then on June 27 against the same Cincinnati team he no-hit a little more than two months earlier, it all came to a screeching halt, and Arrieta’s surging stardom took a U-turn. That day, Arrieta needed ...

Is Arrieta, Lester or Hendricks Cubs’ Most Deserving 2016 Postseason Ace?

September 23, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

There's a saying in baseball: "A team never wants to lead the league in meetings." The implication being that when a club holds a meeting, it's almost universally to discuss what is going wrong and how to repair it. But teams rarely find themselves where the Chicago Cubs stand, having already clinched the NL Central and preparing for the playoffs. Manager Joe Maddon had three scheduled meetings on the books in the past few days, two of which were to answer a question most playoff-bound franchises would love to ponder: Which of his three starters—Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester or Kyle Hendricks—should be ...

Cubs Justify the Hype with Easy NL Central Clinch, Now Comes the Hard Part

September 17, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

It looked like a heck of a party at Wrigley Field, and why not? It's not every day the Chicago Cubs can spray some champagne. Hey, Chicago hadn't clinched a playoff spot in about 12 months, and that's a long time to go without a party. The Cubs hadn't celebrated a division title in eight years, and that can feel like a lifetime. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with a celebration, especially for a team that has had as perfect a season as the Cubs have had (and a perfect clinching day with a walk-off home run). The Cubs spent the spring listening ...

Cubs Clinch NL Central: Highlights, Twitter Reaction to Celebration

September 16, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

The Chicago Cubs took a step toward ending their World Series drought Thursday night when they clinched the National League Central. The milestone came by virtue of the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants despite Chicago's 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.   The Cubs not only clinched the division; they ran away with it. No team in baseball holds as commanding of an advantage as Chicago’s 17-game lead over the Cardinals. In fact, St. Louis is closer to the last-place Cincinnati Reds (30.5 games back) in the division than it is to Chicago, and it is still a legitimate ...

Kyle Hendricks’ No-Hit Bid Shines Light on Viable NL Cy Young Front-Runner

September 13, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

Kyle Hendricks didn't make history Monday night at Busch Stadium. But he did make his National League Cy Young Award case loud and clear. Hendricks came within three outs of becoming just the second Chicago Cubs pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the hated-rival St. Louis Cardinals. He carried a no-no through eight innings before Jeremy Hazelbaker ended it with a solo home run to lead off the ninth. After a sideshow dust-up between umpire Joe West and Cubs skipper Joe Maddon that led to Maddon's ejection, closer Aroldis Chapman jogged in to nail down the 4-1 victory. The Cubs (92-51) kept rolling ...

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