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 -- Drew Pomeranz was warming up for the Giants at Citi Field last May, preparing to make his long-awaited return to a Major League mound. The veteran lefty was beginning to visualize the moment, which would complete a comeback from multiple arm injuries that cost him two-plus years on the shelf. “And then Patrick Bailey hit a home run,” Pomeranz said. Bailey launched a grand slam in the eighth inning of an 8-7 win for the Giants on May 24 against the Mets, swinging the momentum back San Francisco’s way. For Pomeranz, it robbed him of a chance to take the mound in a lower-leverage spot that night, and he was released a few days later without an appearance. |
The 36-year-old Pomeranz -- the latest addition to the Cubs’ bullpen -- stood in front of his new Major League locker on Wednesday, feeling like a rookie all over again in some ways. His last outing in the big leagues fell on Aug. 10, 2021, with the Padres before a flexor tendon injury that fall and an elbow issue in ‘23 got in the way.
“I would just get so close and then get knocked right back down,” Pomeranz said.
And after the Giants parted ways with Pomeranz last May, the southpaw went home and considered calling it a career after logging 289 games in parts of 11 seasons with six ballclubs. That moment in New York stayed with him, though, and Pomeranz signed a Minor League deal with the Mariners this season to give it one more shot.
“I’m just happy to be here right now,” Pomeranz said. “I was thinking I was done playing baseball last summer. I had a good Spring Training, and I pitched pretty well so far to this point. Good enough to get me here. Again, I’m just happy to be here. Literally, it feels like the first time all over again.” |
Pomeranz’s deal with Seattle included a clause that required the Mariners to either promote him this week or see if there might be a big league opportunity with another team. The Cubs liked what they saw within the reliever’s recent appearances with Triple-A Tacoma and traded for Pomeranz to help the team’s need for left-handed depth. It also helped that Cubs manager Craig Counsell knew Pomeranz from their time together with the Brewers in 2019. Milwaukee landed the lefty in a Trade Deadline deal, and he spun a 2.39 ERA with 45 strikeouts and eight walks in 26 1/3 innings down the stretch. Counsell has seen Pomeranz at his best and the lefty thrived under the manager’s approach. “It’s always good when he calls and the name pops up on your caller ID,” Pomeranz said with a smile. “I loved playing for Counsell. I was with him for two-and-a-half months, and that’s probably the best two-and-a-half months I’ve ever pitched, to be honest. I told him, ‘I was pretty good for you last time, so hopefully I can give you something like that again.’” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
The first battle of the 2025 Major League season featured Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga against Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in the Tokyo Dome. Imanaga induced a groundout off the slugger’s bat, continuing his dominance over the three-time MVP. Over the past two seasons, Imanaga has held Ohtani to an 0-for-10 showing with a trio of strikeouts. That included two punchouts in Tuesday’s wild win over the Dodgers. In fact, Imanaga is one of just four pitchers to allow no hits in at least 10 at-bats against Ohtani, alongside Wade LeBlanc (0-for-13), Clayton Kershaw (0-for-11) and Justus Sheffield (0-for-11). Asked about his success against Ohtani, Imanaga maintained a sense of perspective and humor. “With an amazing player like that,” Imanaga said via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry, “I’m up there with the mindset of, ‘He’s going to get a hit.’ I think the fact that he hasn’t is just a coincidence. And that coincidence has continued 10 times in a row. The next 10 at-bats, he might get 10 hits. For me, it’s just been a small miracle that’s happened 10 times in a row.” |
The Cubs’ 11-10 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday night marked the North Siders’ seventh game this season with at least 10 runs. In franchise history, only the 1891 club had more games (eight) with 10-plus runs within the first 25 games of a season, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. The only other team in the last 20 years to score 10-plus runs in seven of its first 25 games was the 2012 Red Sox. |
|
|
• Pete Crow-Armstrong does it all in win over Dodgers. Read more >> • Cubs outlast Dodgers in wild walk-off win at Wrigley. Read more >> • Nicky Lopez returns, joins Cubs’ third-base group. Read more >> • The Cubs plan to keep an eye out for bullpen help. Read more >> • Javier Assad to be evaluated after latest setback. Read more >> • Owen Caissie among Pipeline’s Statcast standouts. Read more >> |
|
|
As part of MLB’s Earth Day celebration on Tuesday, the Cubs handed out reusable tote bags to the first 10,000 fans in attendance for that day’s game against the Dodgers. The Cubs also partnered with the American Conservation Coalition and Hefty to create a “Green Team” at Wrigley Field to divert additional mixed recycling from landfills. Over the weekend, the Cubs also hosted a Neighborhood Grounds Crew event with Hefty to have volunteers help clean up a local park. |
|
|
“It’s a fun team to watch play. That's what I’d tell you: Come out to the park and watch the team play. This homestand, they’ve done some amazing things and some resilient things, most importantly. You win games like that early in the season. It’s a great carry-forward for the rest of the season.” – Counsell |
|
|
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
To subscribe to Cubs Beat, visit this page and mark "Cubs Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Cubs or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
Please review our Privacy Policy.
You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB.
Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.
Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
|
|
|
|
