{"id":10503,"date":"2025-05-08T11:24:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T11:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/10503\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T11:24:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T11:24:11","slug":"big-cubs-questions-vargas-sox-streak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/10503\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Cubs questions; Vargas’ Sox streak"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Cubs couldn\u2019t take advantage of securing the series opener against the San Francisco Giants, dropping the next two games to lose the series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Cubs get Thursday\u2019s off day to regroup before taking on the New York Mets for three games at Citi Field.<\/p>\n

A quirky part of the schedule continues for the White Sox. They wrap up the series against the Royals<\/a> on Thursday in Kansas City, Mo., then are home for three over the weekend against the Miami Marlins before going back on the road to face the Cincinnati Reds beginning Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Every Thursday during the regular season, Tribune baseball writers will provide an update on what happened \u2014 and what\u2019s ahead \u2014 for the Cubs<\/a> and White Sox<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Want more? Sign up for our Cubs Insider<\/a> and White Sox Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cubs right-hander Ben Brown finds good moments in latest start
\n\"ChicagoChicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown delivers to the San Francisco Giants in the first inning Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Things could have gotten away from right-hander Ben Brown on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n

Brown walked the first batter of the game, Mike Yastrzemski, who came around to score for an early Giants lead. Both of Brown\u2019s two walks in the Cubs\u2019 3-1 loss scored, a reminder of how free passes can hurt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just lost a little bit of aggressiveness,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI had a really good bullpen leading up into the game, walking the first guy out of the game is a mistake and then kind of get back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Brown pulled it together in the fifth inning and finished with nine strikeouts while throwing a career-high 103 pitches.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there were some bright spots, the strikeouts certainly were bright spots,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said.<\/p>\n

Brown isn\u2019t satisfied with his performance, but was encouraged by the outing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw a lot of fastballs taken in the zone, curveballs that were effective really weren\u2019t being swung at,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThat led me to kind of step off the gas a little bit on the curve. Ultimately, I really liked where I was at in the fifth inning after the double. It\u2019s like, why did it take 100 pitches for me to get to where I wanted to be? But it\u2019s all part of growing, and definitely some good moments and definitely some learning moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cubs will need more from Brown in the coming weeks following the loss of left-hander Shota Imanaga to a left hamstring strain<\/a>. As of postgame Wednesday, it still wasn\u2019t clear who<\/a> would take his starting turn Saturday against the Mets. Counsell didn\u2019t rule out right-hander Chris Flexen getting the ball despite pitching the ninth inning in the last two games against the Giants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel like there\u2019s another level that I can unlock a little bit earlier in the game,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWe can see where I\u2019m at after 100 pitches, I felt way better after 100 than I felt after zero. So just staying on that constant attack and kind of what I did in Milwaukee and just trying to replicate that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut overall today, I\u2019d want this to be the outing that I had to grind through, and I\u2019m going to have the grind outings, and I\u2019m going to have the really good ones, and I\u2019m happy to be able to grind through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miguel Vargas is riding a 14-game on-base streak
\n\"WhiteWhite Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas hits a single during the eighth inning against the Royals on May 5, 2025, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Jay Biggerstaff\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Miguel Vargas singled sharply to left field in the eighth inning Monday against the Royals.\u00a0The hit extended an on-base streak to a career-best 12 games.<\/p>\n

\u201c(I\u2019m) trying to help the team put some guys on base and score some runs,\u201d the third baseman said afterward.<\/p>\n

Vargas walked in the seventh inning of Tuesday\u2019s game as the streak reached 13 games. A sixth-inning double in Wednesday\u2019s game made it 14. He is slashing .348\/.444\/.500 during the period, which has come with adjustments at the plate, including starting his hands in a higher position.<\/p>\n

Hitting coach Marcus Thames said the work began a while ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started even in spring training, even last year, at the end of the season,\u201d Thames said Sunday. \u201cWe sent him home with a lot of different drills and stuff just to see what he liked. Didn\u2019t have success right away, but we just kept pounding, we didn\u2019t stop working and just kept giving him different things. And kudos to him, he put in the work. I always give all of the players all the credit because they have to want it and they have to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thames said Vargas has \u201creally put in the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s good to see him have some confidence after last year, getting beat up a little bit, and coming over in a big trade<\/a> (from the Los Angeles Dodgers) and wanting to do well,\u201d Thames said. \u201cHe\u2019s a good kid and he cares and kudos to him for coming out and working hard and starting to see some really good results.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd starting to see that smile that he\u2019s always had even when he was in the Dodgers organization. So it\u2019s good for him to be going in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Number of the week: 2-13<\/p>\n

After Tuesday\u2019s crushing 4-3 loss to the Royals, in which defensive miscues paved the way<\/a> to a walk-off defeat, and Wednesday\u2019s 2-1 loss, the Sox fell to 2-13 in night games. They are 8-14 in day games.<\/p>\n

Week ahead: Cubs<\/p>\n

Thursday: Cubs off
\nFriday: at Mets, 6:10 p.m., Marquee
\nSaturday: at Mets, 6:15 p.m., Marquee
\nSunday: at Mets, 11:05 a.m., Roku
\nMonday: vs. Marlins, 6:40 p.m., Marquee
\nTuesday: vs. Marlins, 6:40 p.m., Marquee
\nWednesday: vs. Marlins, 6:40 p.m., Marquee<\/p>\n

\"ChicagoChicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ takes the field Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

As the Cubs\u2019 offense continues to hit among the best of any in the majors, the depth of the lineup deservedly gets a lot of attention.<\/p>\n

But it starts at the top with Ian Happ in the leadoff spot, where he helps set the tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIan\u2019s just a tough at-bat always,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cThe pitcher knows he has to be competitive with pitches. There\u2019s going to be walks in there, there\u2019s power \u2014 I always love damage from the leadoff spot. I think the pitcher knowing that there\u2019s a home run in there is important, and Ian\u2019s executed really, really well this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the 28 big-league hitters with at least 60 plate appearances in the leadoff spot this year, Happ\u2019s 123 wRC+, .347 wOBA, and .370 on-base percentage all are 11th-best in their respective statistical categories, while his .287 average and 12.1% walk rate rank ninth. His 29 runs scored only trail Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani (37).<\/p>\n

The depth of the Cubs\u2019 lineup compared to last year helps lessen some of the focus centered on hitters like Happ and shortstop Dansby Swanson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about that a little bit, it\u2019s just a little less pressure, frankly, of \u2018I\u2019ve got to be the guy,\u2019 and it\u2019s kind of covering for each other and picking each other up, however you want to say it,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cBut it\u2019s nice when it feels like one through nine can do something on that day to maybe carry the load.\u201d<\/p>\n

Week ahead: White Sox<\/p>\n

Thursday: at Royals, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
\nFriday: vs. Marlins, 6:40 p.m., CHSN
\nSaturday: vs. Marlins, 6:10 p.m., CHSN
\nSunday: vs. Marlins, 1:10 p.m., CHSN
\nMonday: off
\nTuesday: at Reds, 5:40 p.m., CHSN
\nWednesday: at Reds, 6:14 p.m., CHSN<\/p>\n

\"WhiteWhite Sox reliever Mike Vasil delivers during the sixth inning against the Red Sox on April 12, 2025, at Rate Field. (Audrey Richardson\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The Sox led by one run in the seventh inning Sunday against the Houston Astros at Rate Field.<\/p>\n

Reliever Mike Vasil had to battle the rainy conditions and the Astros lineup. With a runner on first and one out, Vasil got Victor Caratini to hit a grounder to first.<\/p>\n

Miguel Vargas scooped it up, fired to second and then scrambled to first to receive the throw from shortstop Chase Meidroth for an inning-ending double play.<\/p>\n

Vasil pitched the 2 1\/3 scoreless innings and earned the first win of his major-league career as the Sox rallied for a rain-shortened 5-4 victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vasil has a 0.92 ERA in 10 relief outings. The Sox claimed the right-hander, a Rule 5 draft pick, off waivers just before the start of the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s awesome,\u201d Vasil said Sunday of his Sox experience. \u201cBut I think more importantly, I\u2019m learning a lot as I go. There\u2019s great guys out there in the bullpen. There\u2019s great guys on the staff to help with that, including the coaching staff and everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny situation they put me in, I view it as an opportunity to get better. But also, they have trusted me to get the job done, whatever it is. It\u2019s been pretty special so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

What we\u2019re reading<\/p>\n

Quotable<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gets you out of your natural rhythm, and that\u2019s where mistakes happen, and that\u2019s the benefit of speed, and that\u2019s what it does. That\u2019s the impact. In our measure everything game, it\u2019s a difficult thing to measure \u2014 not measurable, but it has impact on the game. We\u2019ve seen it multiple times this year.\u201d \u2014 Cubs manager Craig Counsell on how speed, like Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s, can cause opposing teams to commit errors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Chicago Cubs couldn\u2019t take advantage of securing the series opener against the San Francisco Giants, dropping the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2399],"tags":[5,734,1001,138,6279,6280,24,49,4245,161,4154,6278,4,35,411],"class_list":{"0":"post-10503","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-cubs","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-ben-brown","10":"tag-chase-meidroth","11":"tag-chicago","12":"tag-chicago-baseball","13":"tag-chicago-baseball-report","14":"tag-chicago-cubs","15":"tag-chicago-white-sox","16":"tag-chicagocubs","17":"tag-cubs","18":"tag-miguel-vargas","19":"tag-mike-vasil","20":"tag-mlb","21":"tag-pete-crow-armstrong","22":"tag-ryan-pressly"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/114471965081540793","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}