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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 85

Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images The Cubs return home and pick up a 5-2 win. If any part of you thinks the Cubs front office doesn’t understand this team and what is has to offer, then you have to appreciate the way the last couple of weeks have played out. It feels like a single solitary variable. Good start? If yes, then they win. I suppose Sunday’s game was the one exception. But ev...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 84

Photo by Scott Kane/Getty Images No offense in Houston, and the Cubs lose 2-0. Two things can be true at once. Framber Valdez is a very good pitcher, having a very good season who executed very well on Sunday. I think it would be unfair not to start there. That’s really the story of this game. That said, at some point, an offense should break through against a left handed starter. Right h...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 83

Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images The Cubs pound the Astros 12-3 to even the series. The Cubs poured it on and put away the Astros Saturday night in Houston. The Cubs scored right out of the gate, had a huge inning in the middle and then kept adding on late. The Cubs had one nice win in St. Louis earlier on this trip. This comes after a double digit game last weekend agains...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 82

Photo by Kevin M. Cox/MLB Photos via Getty Images A rough start dooms the game and the Cubs lose 7-4. After two days of respite, a number of problems resurfaced. Primary among them was a rough start. The struggles against left-handed pitching were on display as well. The Cubs fought to the end but were just overmatched in this one. The Cubs have a tough road to get even one win out of this...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 81

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Cubs split their series against the Cardinals behind their second straight shutout. Last year’s Rizzo Award winner, Shōta Imanaga, returned and threw five scoreless innings. A Cubs bullpen coming off of one of their worst stretches of the year stopped the momentum on a dime and didn’t allow a run in this series. The bullpen came up huge in this series. They kep...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 80

Tim Vizer-Imagn Images The Cubs pummel the Cardinals to halt their skid in an 8-0 win. Score one for numerology. The Cubs win game number 80 by a score of 8-0. This game feels like the sports equivalent of turning your computer off and back on again. The system rebooted and things rolled back to an earlier boot of this season. I don’t have delusions that this just magically fixes what’s ...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 85
2025

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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 77

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images A little trouble in paradise: The Cubs lose 14-6. A little while back, I dropped my Cubs DEFCON to 4. I saw warning signs that suggested a slump might be coming. If you aren’t following me every day, I’m not in possession of any magic formula or inside info. The last time I saw the signs, I was dead wrong and they turned it on a dime and started dominating ag...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 76

David Banks-Imagn Images The Cubs homer their way to a 10-7 victory. Not much better following a frustrating loss than a scoreless first and two homers on the first four pitchers. Kudos to Cade Horton, Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker for getting the game off on the right foot. Two veterans who you look for leadership from and a rookie who has burst onto the scene for this team. Let’s start with...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 72

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images It was not pretty, but the Cubs took care of business with a 3-2 win. Had these last 13 games occurred in a different order, say reversed, I’m not sure that the Cubs wouldn’t have lost seven or even more. The Cubs didn’t play great during this stretch. To be clear, they didn’t play badly either. I’ve got the score over 13 games at 47-36 combined. Using...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 60

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images The Cubs continue to roll with an 8-3 win in Washington. I talked over the weekend about the Cubs and answering challenges. The Washington Nationals are still rebuilding. They aren’t Mt. Everest. Also, winning on the road is hard. The Nationals are under .500 at home, but they aren’t the Rockies. Also, even the Rockies have six wins at home (and a two-...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 59

Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images The Cubs take the series from Reds with a 7-3 win. It’s always funny to me when finding my story feels like a visit to the psychiatrist. I’ve been flipping things over for a while and I feel like I’ve had a very patient psychiatrist who just patiently just kept asking for me to tell them more. Maybe scribbling a few notes, but not particularly interjec...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 57

Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images The Cubs drop the series opener 6-2 to the Reds. Before Friday, the Cubs had won every series opener that they had played at Wrigley Field. On the last homestand, they finally broke the streak of losing every Sunday. Do you know what those things are? Totally arbitrary outcomes. There is no reason to believe either thing will continue. Consi...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 55

Photo by Griffin Quinn/Getty Images The Cubs win 4-3 in 11 innings. If Monday’s night made part of Cubs fandom antsy, then a lot of skin was crawling Tuesday night in Chi-town. Always hear me clearly, I’m not throwing it back just because it may not have been a fully satisfying victory. There was a lot of good. No one gifted the Cubs a win. Certainly, over 162 games, there will be games w...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 54

Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images The Cubs win the series opener 3-1 over the Rockies. I did secretly hope this series would be a little more “boring.” In one manner of looking at things, things were boring. The Rockies didn’t put up a ton of fight. More, they just hung around all day. Of course, that means that in the other way of looking at things, it wasn’t boring. Every p...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 53

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images Cubs comeback magic continues in an 11-8 win. On your Memorial Day, while you are remembering the fallen heroes that make the life that you are used to possible, how about also thinking of a couple of other blessings? First, you aren’t a Reds fan. The Reds were a trendy pick the last couple of years as a team on the upswing. That fandom wakes up this Mon...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 30

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images The Cubs offense revives in a 9-0 trouncing of the Pirates. After Phillies pitching stifled the Cubs offense for the most part over the weekend, it was a refreshing sight to see the Cubs offense come out in force Tuesday night. It was what you hoped would happen and happen it did. After being mowed down the first time through the order, the Cubs offens...2025
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• 2024 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 148

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images The Cubs falter late, losing 6-5 to the Rockies. This feeling this morning, it’s different than it has been in a while. The beauty of an in-season vacation is that I was out of contact during the Cleveland series. Because of that, I’m having trouble remembering the last time that things were so frustrating that I’m looking for where the ride ends so th...2024
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• 2024 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 117

Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images The Cubs win 8-2 to take the series from the Twins. I mean no disrespect to the Twins, but when I was looking into them ahead of this series, I saw a team that has feasted on bad teams with an unusual fervor. On the one hand, all you can do is beat the team in the other dugout. This isn’t college football and you aren’t lining up cupcakes to boost your...2024
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2025
"Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5) The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall."

2024
"Rizzo Award Cumulative Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3) The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall."

2023
"195) Yesterday’s winners: Cody Bellinger (Game 1) and Hayden Wesneski (Game 2) - [Superhero is 91-44] Rizzo Award Cumulative Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5) The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall."

2022
"123) Rizzo Award Cumulative Standings: (Top 3/Bottom 3) The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall."

• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 85
2025

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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 84
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 83
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 82
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 81
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 80
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 77
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 75

Matt Marton-Imagn Images Cubs pitching lets down in a 9-4 loss to the Mariners. With a day game Saturday after a Friday loss, you’ll pardon me if this one is pretty brief. I’m going to start with some data around runs scored. The Cubs are 17-0 when they score eight or more runs. To be clear, the story there is that they’ve reached that mark 17 times. They are 7-3 when they score exactly ...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 72
2025

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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 68

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images The Cubs lose 7-2 to the Phillies and so, lose the series and the road trip. For the first seven games of this road trip, the Cubs were pretty good at not getting behind on pitching. Last night, going after the win in the eighth game, they got behind. So we knew going into this game that if Ben Brown didn’t start strong, they might have some trouble. He...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 85
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 84
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 83
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 82
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 81
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 80
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 79

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images The Cubs come up short against the Cardinals in an 8-7 loss. Another day, another loss. No question at this point that the Cubs have entered free fall. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone that nearly every team in baseball has had a stretch where they lose five of six. But it’s never comfortable when you are in the middle of it. The worst part, of course, is that this team pla...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 78

Joe Puetz-Imagn Images The Cubs’ woes continue in an 8-2 loss. The Cubs suffered their fourth loss in five days. Ironically, I think Craig Counsell has been doing a terrific job managing this team, I just think that every button he pushes isn’t working right now. I see the moves he’s making. The efforts to manage the roster. Keeping arms fresh. So many decisions, but at the end of the day...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 77
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 76
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 81
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 60
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 52

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images The Cubs stumble early again and come up short on a comeback in a 6-4 loss. It’s been years since I was anywhere close to a “watch 162 games closely” person. There definitely was a point in life where if at all possible I was either watching or listening. A combination of parenting and adulting along with a dose of really bad Cubs baseball pushed me to so...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 45

Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images The Cubs win 13-3 behind PCA and some sloppy White Sox play. The Cubs continue to excel in the first game of each series, particularly at Wrigley Field. I still suspect most of this is random sequencing. It’s ironic, because the way the Cubs can make other pitching staffs work, I might expect them to do well at the end of a series. But that h...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 41

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images The Cubs tease a series win but come up short in a 6-2 loss. Today’s shocking fact is that the Cubs weren’t quite good enough against the Mets in New York in a series where they were without Justin Steele, Shōta Imanaga and Ian Happ. Ryan Pressly hasn’t worked out at closer and the Cubs are at the tail end of what has been and probably will remain the tou...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 34

Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images The homers just keep coming in a 6-2 win over the Brewers. The Cubs had been winning more frequently against right-handed starters than left. Jose Quintana had only allowed one homer. He had won all of his starts this year. And none of those things are true any longer. The Cubs took him deep three times in rapid succession, scoring six runs in all against ...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 25

Matt Marton-Imagn Images The Cubs win a wacky, wild one 11-10. I looked at my wife in the eighth inning. I said it’s 10-7 and the Dodgers bullpen is really good. Then I said, there have been 17 runs scored, I don’t know how anyone can assume there won’t be more scoring. That’s also about the time I started muting some people on social media. I’ve already written this year and many times ...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 19

David Frerker-Imagn Images The Cubs’ sloppy play leads to a 10-4 loss. Monday night’s game has an awful lot to unpack. If you are an impulsive reactor, I’d say today is a day to take a deep breath. Recall that this team has played terrific baseball over the first few weeks. The frustrating aspect to the start of this season has been that the losses have been like this. The Cubs were leadi...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 7

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images The Cubs pummel the A’s as they open their new home. On Sunday, the Cubs missed an opportunity to have a signature win. They could have taken three of four from a legitimate playoff contender, in their ballpark and even the season record at three wins and three losses. We’ve seen so many bullpen collapses in recent years, particularly early season ones, that it...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 6

Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images Fright Show: The Cubs bullpen immolates in Arizona. You always know there are going to be games like this. There are always going to be some games that you should have won and let get away and some games that you should have lost and flip the script. In and of itself, I don’t lose more than a moment’s thought about a game like this. So many things. Every ye...2025
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• 2023 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 136

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images For the second game, the Reds rally in the ninth to beat the Cubs. Heavy sigh, part two. I’m invoking early day game after a night game formation. As in, an abridged Heroes and Goats today. I’m going to give you bullet points rather than a full narrative. The Cubs lost consecutive games for the first time since August 13 and 15 against the Blue Jays and W...2023
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• 2023 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 1
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images Hope springs eternal! Welcome back for the 10th season of Heroes and Goats. I can remember back to 2014 when Al Yellon asked the Bleed Cubbie Blue faithful if any of them had ideas for new features. Me? I wouldn’t describe myself as particularly creative. But I well remember when Russ La Croix conceived Heroes and Goats. I was from the beginning a fan o...2023
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• 2023 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 19
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports The nearly perfect one Nothing like a little afternoon baseball on in the background while you are finishing your work day. By the time I got off of an afternoon call, the Cubs were already battering Dodgers starter Julio Urias. I tuned in just in time for the top of the third, as Drew Smyly was recording his fifth and sixth consecutive strikeouts. Sometimes yo...2023
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• 2023 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 138

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports Justin Steele dominates in a holiday 5-0 win. It was a long holiday weekend for me here in the Tampa area. I had an old friend in town and Sunday night was a very late night. There were a few drinks and only a few hours of sleep. I appreciate you all bearing with me while I gave you somewhat abridged versions of Heroes and Goats the last couple of days. The C...2023
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• 2022 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 162
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images The Cubs win going away to close out the season All’s well that ends well, right? That probably doesn’t work here. But, I’m certainly glad this season ended with a win, and an emphatic one at that. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t mean anything. Not losing 90, winning more than last year, none of it actually means anything. Nothing you can hang you...2022
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• 2023 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 64
Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images Class dismissed! Kyle is vintage Professor in a 4-0 win Some of you might not remember, but when your team wins back-to-back games, that’s called a winning streak. Yeah, it’s not really that long. Somehow, they won two straight against the Rays. I mean, not really just “somehow.” This team basically has one way it wins games: A domina...2023
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• 2023 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 116

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports Back in the win column in Toronto with 6-2 win. I have just one hope. Let’s hope the Cubs don’t become one of “those” teams. You know, the kind of team that beats the good teams but then does less than exceptional against the lesser teams. Instead, I like to think that the core of the Mets team that was put together with an eye on getting back to the World ...2023
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• 2023 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 53
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports A win! An impressive one at that! Well, here in the Heroes and Goats department of Bleed Cubbie Blue, this was hands down the performance of the year. Long time followers of this series know that at the end of the year, I bring you a list of top 10 and a bottom 10 games by WPA. I track scores +/- .400. To date, there had been no scores over .400. I certainly w...2023
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1. White Sox

2. World Series

3. Red Sox

. . .

711. Rizzo Award

• 2024 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 25

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images The Cubs sweep the Astros to close a successful homestand. Every season is an entity onto its own. You watch enough seasons and they start to feel like one long homogenous mass. But when you sort them out, or more specifically when one is going on, you can really feel that individuality. And so, as we sit in front of this currently unfolding season, th...2024
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• 2022 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 109
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Cubs rally late only to falter and lose 6-5 I quit playing fantasy baseball somewhere between 15 and 20 years ago. Somewhere around that time, I also quit playing Strat-O-Matic baseball. When I ceased those activities, I basically stopped paying attention with any detail as to the comings and goings of any particular roster or players. I’m overtly aware o...2022
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 85
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 84
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 83
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 82
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 81
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 79
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 78
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 77
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 76
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 74

Photo by Griffin Quinn/Getty Images A Cubs comeback effort falls short in an 8-7 loss to the Brewers. Al did a nice job talking about this team and its heart. This team doesn’t quit. They don’t see themselves as out of it. They have so much thunder available. One has to wonder if the next time the Cubs play the Brewers, they see a shadow hanging over their shoulder. I have no doubt they’l...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 80
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 77
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 75
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 66

Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images A little short in Philly and the Cubs lose 4-3 in 11. My thoughts on modern extra inning baseball are well known. I won’t belabor that. The Cubs are 3-4 in extra innings. In what is a coin flip game (more or less regardless of talent level), that’s not awful. But, there aren’t a lot of splits in which the Cubs have a negative expecta...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 59
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 53
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 41
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 35

Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images Another frustrating Sunday, the Cubs lose 4-0. When does something arbitrary become something significant? If you haven’t been keeping track, the Cubs are now just 1-5 on Sundays. I don’t particularly think it is a getaway day issue. They are 3-3 in midweek series-enders. So it is at least a passing thought that there is something with Sundays. It sure w...2025
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• 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 16

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The offense was stifled in Los Angeles, as the Cubs lose 3-0. This is a frustrating one to write. That cover photo should be Matthew Boyd. Coming off of two strong starts against quality opponents, in his third start he drew the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. And that’s not any ordinary defending champion, that team is a poor man’s All-Star team...2025
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• 2024 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 141

Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images The Cubs come up empty in a 3-0 loss to Anthony Rizzo and the Yankees. The Cubs were so happy to see their old pal Anthony Rizzo that they rolled over and played dead to give his team a win. Not really, but it might as well have been true. It was a generally well played game and neither team was able to generate a whole lot of offense. Unfort...2024
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