Sahadev Sharma

CHICAGO — With 16 games for the over 16 days, Craig Counsell knows what he needs to do. “What’s clear for me in this stretch is that we’re going to have to push our starting pitching a little farther in games,” Counsell said before Tuesday’s 7-2 win over the . “I think we’re in pretty good shape with the bullpen, but for the first 22 games, I’ve got some guys with 10 appearances and that’s a little on the high end for me. That means starters have to cover more innings. I think we’re equipped to…

BOSTON — With a banged-up team missing two of its best bats heading to Boston, where pitching has been on a roll, it felt like a rough patch could be coming. may not be a big name, but with a 0.66 ERA entering Friday night’s game, it could have been a daunting task for the Cubs offense. Advertisement For now, gone are and . is working his way back from his Opening Day injury, tossing 47 pitches in 2 1/3 innings in an extended spring training game in Arizona. But the Cubs keep finding ways t…

BOSTON — Nearly every fan knew who was before he ever took an at-bat with the big-league club. That’s just how life is for top prospects in today’s world. The publicity they receive grows by the year, and the hype surrounding Crow-Armstrong was hard to miss. “For young players today and players that achieve the ‘prospect status,’ that’s just a real thing right now,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It can put expectations on a player that frankly aren’t fair. Just understanding that the game…

NEW YORK — For seven innings, the offense was nonexistent. starter was dominating, striking out five batters while walking just one and hitting another. Outside of that, the bats were quiet. The team wasn’t just getting no-hit; it was barely making the Mets defense work. Advertisement Still, the team remained within shouting distance because of a brilliant performance by starter , who nearly equaled Severino for much of the evening. Taillon gave up a leadoff homer to , then mostly shut down t…

NEW YORK — continued what has been a brilliant start to his career, tossing seven shutout innings Wednesday night in the 1-0 victory over the at Citi Field. In recent years, the teams have made a habit of playing close, crazy and intense games here, and this one proved to be no exception. The outcome came down to a in the bottom of the ninth. Advertisement Yet, when it was all over, Imanaga’s sense of humor came through, just as it has through much of his charmed opening month in the big le…

NEW YORK — is out to prove with his play that his 2023 performance wasn’t just a summer fling. fans dubbed 2023 The Summer of Tauchman. It was meant as a term of endearment and most took it that way, including Tauchman. But it very easily could have been looked at as suggesting that Tauchman’s success was merely a fad. A fleeting moment during a fun few months when the Cubs looked like surprising playoff contenders. Advertisement “I took it as support from the fans and some recognition,” Tauch…

CHICAGO — The loudest cheers at Wrigley Field this season might have come Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t for ’s 430-foot home run in the third. Nor was it for three innings later when he topped Morel’s shot by 8 feet. The moment when the crowd got the loudest probably shouldn’t come as a surprise to most Chicago sports fans: It was when Caleb Williams was shown on the video board. Advertisement Expectations are high for the Chicago Bears and their young quarterback. But as the get healthy and g…

CHICAGO – At 6.37 pm on Monday, dug his left foot into the dirt of the Wrigley Field mound. As Steele threw his warmup pitches, Johnny Cash’s “God’s Going to Cut You Down” played in the background. It had been 38 days in between starts for Steele. This would mark his first appearance at Wrigley this season. Steele injured himself on Opening Day, yet somehow the had won 21 of the 34 games their ace missed. Advertisement “Our starting pitching has been excellent,” manager Craig Counsell said. “…

CHICAGO — In a wild, walk-off 3-2 victory for the , there were almost too many storylines to follow. continued his brilliant start to the season. returned to the lineup after being shelved since April 23 and delivered three hits, including a solo homer. And there was the first-pitch homer drove into the right-field bleachers to kick off the ninth and end the game, sending everyone at Wrigley Field home happy. Advertisement But it’s the start of Imanaga’s career that’s hard to ignore. Around 3…

was always the type of prospect to dream on. The talent was obvious, but everything needed to click. Most systems across the game have players like that. Very few see it all come together to blossom into a star. But what Morel has done early in 2024 has people wondering whether he’s starting to figure it out. Advertisement That might feel like hyperbole considering Morel’s surface numbers (his 114 wRC+ would be below last year’s pace), but there are reasons to believe he’s made major strides dev…