The Rundown: Softer Upcoming Schedule Offers Chance at Redemption, Ramírez Promoted, Schwarber Gets Funky

“Now the sun’s gone to hell, and the moon’s riding high. Let me bid you farewell; every man has to die.” — Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits

Bring on the Astros! I thought today was Saturday and overslept by about three hours, so this is going to be a quick one.

The Brewers left town after showing the Cubs and their fans that they’re the class of the division. No worries, right? If I had told you back in March that Chicago’s North Side Baseballers would be nine games above .500 heading into Memorial Day weekend, you’d take that, right? That puts the Cubs on a pace to win 94 games, which bests Jed Hoyer’s annual goal of 90 victories.

Now, what if I told you that it included two 10-game winning streaks? That would mean Chicago is playing .300 baseball when not stacking wins. That’s pretty bad. It’s also worth noting that 90 wins haven’t been enough to capture the NL Central flag since the Cardinals did it in 2014. Though it’s a little too early to start scoreboard watching, it would behoove the Cubs to take advantage of the upcoming soft spot in their schedule.

The Cubs finish May with three at home against Houston (20-31) before traveling to Pittsburgh and St. Louis to play the Pirates and Cardinals (both 26-24). Then they get the Athletics (26-24) and Giants (20-30) at home, followed by a road trip to Colorado and San Francisco. After that, the Rockies (19-32) and Blue Jays (23-27) visit Wrigley Field before Chicago travels to New York to play the Mets (22-28). The month of June closes out with a three-game set at Milwaukee, followed by a home series with the Padres.

It makes no sense to analyze who the Brewers are playing because they’ve got the pitching to beat anybody. The Cubs, on the other hand, sorely need reinforcements in the rotation and the bullpen. They also have to be less streaky offensively. The danger isn’t being unable to catch the Brewers, but lacking the ammunition to leapfrog the Cardinals and stave off the Pirates. Pitching will determine who goes to the playoffs from this division. Chicago loses that arms race to all three of those teams.

A Moment of Silence, Please and Thank You

Condolences to the family of NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, who passed away suddenly on Thursday. The 41-year-old died after what had been described by family members as a serious illness that rendered him unresponsive on Wednesday. Busch was one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, twice winning the Cup Series (2015, 2019) and ranking ninth all-time in NASCAR Cup Series wins with 63. He is survived by his wife, Samantha, 11-year-old son Brexton, and 4-year-old daughter Lennix.

Cubs News & Notes

• The Cubs promoted hot-hitting outfield prospect Pedro Ramírez to replace the injured Matt Shaw.
• Shaw was placed on the IL due to mid-back tightness.
• The Cubs won 20 of 23 games after manager Craig Counsell reminded us that this team is built to hit. He’s reminding us again ($). “We are going to have 10-game stretches where we don’t hit well with runners in scoring position,” Counsell said. “The ’27 Yankees also had stretches where they didn’t hit well with runners in scoring position.”
• Counsell understands that the Cubs need to perform better with baserunners in scoring positions.
• The Astros could be the cure for what is ailing the Cubs, who have hit just .144 during their current 2-9 streak.
• Chicago’s farm system took a big leap forward this year, at least according to Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report. Reuter likes outfielder Josiah Hartshorn a great deal.
• More viewers tuned in to watch the White Sox broadcasts on CHSN and its affiliate than the Cubs broadcasts on Marquee. I prefer Cole Wright in the studio to Ozzie Guillén, but that’s me. I also prefer Jim Deshaies to Steve Stone, and I never thought I’d like anybody better than Stoney.

Ball Four

I was told that ABS would be a boon to Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. As Frank Sinatra would say, “You gotta swing, pal.”

In 2025, the Chicago Cubs ranked 6th in least called strikes taken (%).

In 2026, the Cubs rank 26th.

Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki lead the Cubs in called 3rd strikes, with Happ 5th overall in MLB. pic.twitter.com/CJglso19CY

— Nate Roper (@NateRoper_) May 22, 2026

Central Intelligence

• Milwaukee (29-18): A Kenosha family is suing the Brewers Community Foundation after missing out on a $13,000 prize from the team’s 50/50 raffle due to claim rules that required winners to act within a tight deadline.
• Chicago (29-21): Shaw’s name keeps popping up in trade rumors because the Cubs desperately need pitching.
• St. Louis (28-21): The Cardinals have an emerging star in right fielder Jordan Walker.
• Pittsburgh (26-24): The Pirates also made a surprise promotion announcement this morning. Outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, the team’s No. 9 prospect, will serve in a bench role, but is considered an upgrade to utility players Nick Yorke, Billy Cook, and Jake Mangum.
• Cincinnati (26-24): The Reds and Marlins agreed on a trade that sends outfielder Rece Hinds to Florida for pitching prospect Zach McCambley.

How About That!

Kyle Schwarber held his annual block party benefiting first responders and military families. Schwarber even played a little bass guitar.

With so many teams competing for playoff spots, a dealer void could develop — which could lead to the opportunity for a progressive owner or general manager to unload players and reset their future. Rival executives look at the Astros as a team that could choose this route and do well for itself.

What would it take to land Tarik Skubal in a trade with the Tigers? A top 15 overall prospect or a couple of top 10 organizational players seems to be the consensus. Who would pay that? The usual suspects are Dave Dombrowski (Phillies), AJ Preller (Padres), and Andrew Friedman (Dodgers).

The race to win the NL Central should be one of the more entertaining storylines for the rest of the summer. The AL East and NL West may also provide some extra drama.

Extra Innings

I’m happy to see Ramírez get the call, but I wish Hoyer had some pitching studs in reserve instead.

Pedro Ramírez (CHC) has opened the season with a 152 wRC+ and a 1.005 OPS. He's clubbed 8 HR while running a Whiff% under 16% and making plenty of Z-Contact (94.2%). Plenty of elevated pull-side BBE's with above-average quality of contact results (106.4 MPH 90th% EV @TJStats). pic.twitter.com/WfvyU2M2KY

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) April 30, 2026

Apropos of Nothing

My girlfriend loves to cook, and she makes me gourmet meals three times each day. She’s out of town on a girls’ trip, however, so I had two cinnamon Pop-Tarts for breakfast, and lunch and dinner aren’t looking much better. Oh, the humanity. I guess I’ll renew my love affair with…Portillo’s.

They Said It

• “We’re in a funk right now and it’s up to us to change it. We’re the ones who are going to change it.” – Counsell
• “The offensive situations we’ve created have been excellent. If we can reproduce what we have the last (50) games in terms of runners we’re producing, getting on base, I’m in. If we can do that the rest of the season, we’re in good shape. We’re in really good shape.” – Counsell

Friday Walk-Up Song

I love The Staple Singers. Someday I’ll tell you all about a heartwarming Thanksgiving that includes the Staples, the Neville family, and The Rolling Stones. The video embed isn’t working this morning, so just click here and PLAY LOUD.