Steele Was Great, Two Key Cubs Are Day-to-Day, I-Cubs Get Homer Happy, South Bend Walk-Off, and Other Cubs Bullets

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The two bigger kiddos have performances all weekend, so that’s going to be a lot of fun. Busy. Extremely busy. But fun.

Justin Steele was really good last night, and if not for a dropped third strike that Miguel Amaya really should have blocked, or a poor throw to second base from Michael Busch after a pick-off, then his performance would look even better (and the Cubs might’ve won). It really doesn’t feel like the two runs that scored that inning should be earned, since Steele himself did everything right – struck a guy out, and picked a guy off. Yet he gets worse stats because of it.

It’s mostly nice to see that Justin Steele is pretty much himself now. Maybe a touch of rust early on after returning from the hamstring injury, but last night he really looked like who we know he can be. (Something something the offense has to make it matter something something.)

Craig Counsell on Justin Steele’s effectiveness, and how close the Cubs came in the 9th:

Nico ho*rner, who pinch-ran in the 9th, is considered day-to-day after x-rays were “somewhat inconclusive” about that hit by pitch the other night. There will be additional testing (there are other scans you can use to detect very subtle fractures … ), but ho*rner said he couldn’t quite swing the bat the way he would want to. That seems not great. (Also, if this requires a minimal IL stint, the Cubs just cost themselves an entire day by having him pinch-run in the 9th for one batter. Not saying it was the wrong decision, just pointing it out.)

Meanwhile, Seiya Suzuki is also day-to-day after taking a throw off his left side at second base, and then having it tighten up on him. He was pulled from the game, and you’ll obviously be thinking about how he has a history of oblique injuries (left last year, right this year). Cubs had a good reason to be extra cautious, but they cannot lose both of these guys at the same time. The offense is already in dire straights.

Also: someone tell Suzuki to never, ever steal second base in Cincinnati again. Remember his finger injury in 2022 that cost him over a month? Yeah, that was ALSO on a steal of second base in Cincinnati.

The Iowa Cubs hit three homers last night, and they were all clobbered:

That mark 10 Brennen bombs this season! pic.twitter.com/3t17sgusdq
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) June 8, 2024

If he hit your car, BJ Murray didn't mean to. pic.twitter.com/2TcerrXin2
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) June 8, 2024

Let us know when Mervis bomb comes down, please! pic.twitter.com/ANUBc2zHA4
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) June 8, 2024

Murray’s homer didn’t register a distance (likely because it was so freaking high – 37-degree launch angle), but Davis’s was just shy of 400 feet, and Mervis’s was the longest in Triple-A on the day, at 437 feet.

Brian Kalmer with the walk-off homer for South Bend:

Goodnight, South Bend!
The @SBCubs walk it off in the 10th inning with a mammoth home run from Brian Kalmer: pic.twitter.com/1oIunqDquT
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 8, 2024

Alek Manoah finally looked like he was turning it around, and then this happened:

Alek Manoah will undergo UCL surgery June 17, said John Schneider. Exact procedure TBD, could be TJ, could be repair with brace. Either way his season is over.— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) June 7, 2024

The streak is over: the White Sox beat the Red Sox last night, ending a franchise-record 14-game losing streak. Of note, the White Sox are ineligible to receive a draft pick any higher than number 10 after the season, which is something that pops into my head every time the awfulness of the Sox comes up this year. At least the Cubs are still eligible for the lottery if they keep losing … *stifles tears* …

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

Steele Was Great, Two Key Cubs Are Day-to-Day, I-Cubs Get Homer Happy, South Bend Walk-Off, and Other Cubs Bullets - Bleacher Nation (2024)