Monday, September 15

Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. 

CHICAGO -- The Cubs are getting closer to punching their ticket to the postseason for the first time in five years, with the National League Wild Card race the most likely path to the October stage. As things currently stand, the North Siders would host games at Wrigley Field for the first round.

How the Cubs’ part in the playoff race shapes up -- as well as whether the Brewers can maintain their grip on the NL Central lead -- will be the primary storyline to watch over the final two weeks of this season. Here are four other things to monitor while Chicago looks to lock up its spot in the postseason:

1. Kyle Tucker’s return

Early this season, the Cubs’ offense as a whole was thriving while Tucker was playing at an MVP-candidate level. There seemed to be a clear impact not only by his own production, but Tucker’s influence on the overall functionality of the lineup. If Chicago wants to last deep into October, having Tucker back and producing is crucial.

Entering Sunday, the Cubs were averaging 4.96 runs per game with Tucker in the lineup and 4.25 runs without him. Looking at a more recent sample: the North Siders averaged 4.92 runs with a .252 average and .768 OPS with Tucker from Aug. 21-Sept. 2, and then averaged 4.0 runs with a .228 average and .707 OPS without him since Sept. 3. Thanks to MLB.com’s Jared Greenspan for the research assist there.

Tucker is currently on the injured list due to a left calf strain, but could be cleared to start testing things out again with running and agility work this week in Pittsburgh. If that goes well, the outfielder might see a quick ramp back to the lineup, giving him a run of games down the stretch to regain his rhythm ahead of October.

2. Cade Horton’s ROY push

Horton had a 4.80 ERA after allowing seven runs in a four-inning loss to the Astros back on June 27. The rookie was blunt in his self-assessment after that outing and has since made an incredible course correction for the Cubs. Since July 1, the righty has spun a 1.25 ERA, ranking first in the Majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings. Horton will have at least two more outings to keep building his case as the NL Rookie of the Year.

3. PCA’s quest for 30-30

Sammy Sosa is the only Cubs player to finish a season with at least 30 homers and 30 steals, achieving the feat in 1993 and again in ‘95. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong looked like a shoo-in to join him after collecting 27 homers and 28 homers in his first 100 games this season. Crow-Armstrong has endured a tough second half and has just one homer and six steals in his last 44 games. The center fielder needs just two home runs to join Sosa.

4. Daniel Palencia’s comeback bid

On the pitching front, there is obviously the discussion around how the Cubs will line up their rotation for a postseason series. In the bullpen, however, Chicago is waiting to see if Palencia can make a comeback in time for the playoffs. Palencia injured his right shoulder on Sept. 7 and landed on the IL. He has since resumed throwing and will test things on a mound this week. If Palencia can return, that is a big arm back to help a relief corps with no clear closer at the moment.

Anthony Rizzo returned to Wrigley Field on Saturday to officially retire as a member of the Cubs. As part of his day back at the Friendly Confines, Rizzo sat in the bleachers, where he nearly caught a home run ball, bought drinks for fans and had some fun heckling his old teammate, left fielder Ian Happ.

Happ counts Rizzo among his early-career mentors and still uses the locker near where they were neighbors in the clubhouse. Happ said when he arrived to the big leagues, Rizzo removed and tossed away the nameplate of the locker’s former occupant and made sure Happ was given that stall.

Happ said he will never forget how much support Rizzo gave him on Father’s Day in 2017, when the outfielder homered in his first trip to his native Pittsburgh with family in the stands. Happ’s father, Keith, passed away after a battle with brain cancer in October of 2015.

“He’s the type of guy that really gets to know his teammates and understands a lot about them,” Happ said of Rizzo. “My first year, we were in Pittsburgh playing on Father’s Day, which was a lot for me. I hit a homer on Father’s Day wearing those blue jerseys, and Anthony and [former strength and conditioning coordinator] Tim Buss were the two guys who could not have been more happy.

“They knew exactly what was going on. They were aware. He gave me a big hug and just a really, really cool moment that those guys were so in tune with. And he just always had that ability to know what was going on around him regardless of what was happening with himself.”

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner is hovering just under a .300 batting average and is not too far behind National League batting leader, Trea Turner (.305) of the Phillies. Who was the last Cubs hitter to win a batting title?

A. Billy Williams

B. Bill Madlock

C. Derrek Lee

D. Starlin Castro

• Hoerner in reach of NL batting title with surge. Read more >>  

• It was Rizzo-palooza at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Read more >>

• Moisés Ballesteros’ first MLB homer? Right to Rizzo! Read more >>

• Owen Caissie placed on MLB’s concussion list. Read more >>

• Latest moves and injury updates for the Cubs. Read more >>

“I always thought Rizzo and [Javier] Báez were kind of the heart of this thing and kind of the engine of those Cubs teams. That's how I remember it. I’d put Jon Lester in there, too. And it was because it just felt like [Rizzo] was impacting everything from the team’s personality to their play on the field, how they played. That’s kind of what you felt from them on the other side. And that’s a real tribute to Rizz. You don’t try to do that -- it’s just kind of who you are. And he made a big impact in that way.” -- Cubs manager Craig Counsell

C. Derrek Lee

Lee was the last Cubs hitter to take home a batting crown, doing so with a .335 average in 2005. Prior to Lee, Bill Buckner (1980), Bill Madlock (1975-76), Billy Williams (1972), Phil Cavarretta (1945) and Heinie Zimmerman (1912) were the other title winners for the Cubs, dating back to 1900.

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