It’s Tuesday evening here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad to see you this evening. Come on in and join us. Your name is on the guest list. The dress code is casual. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
The Cubs game was suspended after ten innings tonight. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
OK, seriously, the Cubs lost 14-5 in 11 innings. It was a game that the Cubs had no business winning, then they almost won it. Next, they badly lost a game they shouldn’t have. I don’t know what they were saying in the Cubs booth because I have to watch the Giants broadcast, but the Dave Fleming and Hunter Pence were speculating that Ryan Pressly was tipping pitches in the 11th. Or maybe he was just bad.
Last night I asked you who you thought should start against the Mets on Saturday. Fifty-two percent of you said that you would start Chris Flexen whereas 39 percent went with Cade Horton. Just for the record, 52 percent of you are wrong.
On Tuesday nights/Wednesday morning. I don’t normally bother with movies. But I always have time for jazz. You can skip that. you won’t hurt my feelings.
Tonight I have a brand-new video from the all-woman supergroup Artemis in support of heir new album. Renee Rosnes is on piano, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Nicole Glover on tenor sax, Noriko Ueda on bass and Allison Miller on drums.
This is “Komorebi.”
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music. Or to those who listen to the music while you read this.
With tonight’s loss, the Cubs now hold a three-game lead in the National League Central over the Brewers. The Reds and Cardinals are both four games back and the Pirates trail the Cubs by ten.
Tonight is a simple question. Which NL Central team is the biggest threat to the Cubs winning the division? I think most of us came into the year thinking that the Brewers would be the team the Cubs had to beat, but the Brewers don’t look so fearsome right now. Oh, they’ve somehow managed to put together a solid pitching staff with duct tape and bailing wire, but their offense looks weak. (Although somehow they are currently in the top half of NL teams in scoring.) Christian Yelich looks old and Jackson Churio doesn’t quite look like the superstar that a lot of us thought he was going to be. At least not so far this year. They lost Willy Adames to free agency. Brice Turang looks like he might be an on-base machine, but other than that, it’s a lineup that lacks a big threat. Kind of like the Cubs before this year.
The Reds lineup is Jekyll and Hyde, with featuring budding star Elly De La Cruz with Noelvi Marté and Gavin Lux providing some strong support. Jose Trevino is off to a strong start too. But they’ve also got several players in the lineup hitting significantly below the Mendoza line. On the mound, they’ve got Hunter Greene putting in an early bid for the Cy Young and Nick Lodolo proving to be a strong starter. But there’s a lot of young, unproven arms on this team and you know what they say about young arms: They’ll break your heart.
The Cardinals looked at 2025 as a gap year, a chance to let longtime team president John Mozeliak have one last year at the helm. As such, Mozeliak has been reluctant to make any major moves that would hamstring his designated successor Chaim Bloom. Victor Scott II is finally living up to his hype. Jordan Walker is not. But I suspect that the Cardinals are currently hanging around because of a weak early-season schedule.
The Pirates are a bit of a joke of a team, with owner Bob Nutting willing to cash revenue-sharing checks and not write any of them. They have arguably the best pitcher on the planet in Paul Skenes and they’re just counting down the days until he starts getting expensive and they can trade him.
So which team do you think is the Cubs biggest threat to take the division? When they play each other, which one do you want to lose?
Poll
Which NL Central team is the biggest threat to the Cubs winning the division?
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Cincinnati Reds
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Milwaukee Brewers
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Pittsburgh Pirates
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St. Louis Cardinals
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0 votes total
Thank you for stopping by this evening. It’s been a rough night, but you made it better. Please get home safely. Let us know if you need us to call you a ride. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.