<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-news-jed-hoyer-gets-painfully-honest-disappointing-2024-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jed Hoyer gets painfully honest on disappointing 2024 Cubs season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Cubs-news-Jed-Hoyer-gets-painfully-honest-on-disappointing-2024-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Jed Hoyer gets painfully honest on disappointing 2024 Cubs season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-01T12:22:26-07:00">October 1st, 12:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-01T12:23:16-07:00">October 1st, 12:23pm</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The president of the Chicago Cubs is not pleased with how it all went down during the 2024 season. Cubs President Jed Hoyer is speaking out about his frustrations with the team.</p><p>“<a href="https://x.com/TonyAndracki23/status/1841147547374555536" rel="noopener">We have to be better</a>,” Hoyer said, per the Marquee Sports Network.</p><p>Hoyer is hopeful for the future and optimistic in where the team is going, per the outlet. The team president says getting to the postseason again is a top priority for his management team.</p><p>Chicago <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-nico-hoerner-gets-brutally-honest-on-missing-2024-playoffs">finished the year</a> with a winning record, despite the disappointment from Hoyer and Cubs fans. The team finished the year with a 83-79 mark, although Cubs fans want the team to win much more regularly. Chicago is one of the oldest and most prolific franchises in Major League Baseball.</p><h2>The Cubs are already making moves for next season</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Cubs-president-Jed-Hoyer-talking.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Chicago has already started cutting staff in preparation for the 2025 campaign. First-base coach Mike Napoli is leaving along with two strength coaches, an assistant hitting coach <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41540082/1b-coach-mike-napoli-chicago-cubs-staff-cuts" rel="noopener">and the bullpen coach</a>, per ESPN.</p><p>Others may be moving on as well. Chicago has now missed the postseason five of the last six seasons and fans are restless for success. The Cubs won a World Series in 2016, after going more than a century without one. The last thing fans want is to have to wait another 100 years for success.</p><p>There are going to be some big name free agents available this offseason, for the Cubs to try and grab. Juan Soto is arguably the biggest name out there, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/orioles-news-corbin-burnes-reveals-free-agency-research-he-must-complete">there are others too</a> like Corbin Burnes. There are also plenty of veteran arms like Blake Snell becoming available.</p><p>“I think characterizing what we are going to do this winter, I think <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/jed-hoyer-s-answers-about-roster-improvement-will-infuriate-cubs-fans" rel="noopener">it is too early</a> for that,” Hoyer said, per Sports Illustrated. “I think in general, the goal is to build something sustainable.”</p><p>The Cubs last won the NL Central in 2020. The goal is to be at a place where the team can expect to go to the playoffs every season, Hoyer said. Cubs fans certainly agree. While the team won six of their last 10 games, Chicago went through scoring droughts during the season that led to losses.</p><p>“<a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-sports-bears-sox-cubs-bulls-blackhawks/jed-hoyer-cubs-offseason-plans-disappointed-with-lack-playoffs/3562336/" rel="noopener">We dug ourselves a hole</a> that was much too big,” Hoyer said, per NBC Sports. “We did that collectively. It wasn’t just one factor.”</p><p>Chicago finished 10 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the NL Central. The Brewers play the Mets Tuesday in Game 1 of a NL Wild Card Series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jed Hoyer gets painfully honest on disappointing 2024 Cubs season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-news-bonkers-kyle-hendricks-fact-emerges-as-he-likely-makes-final-chicago-start');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bonkers Kyle Hendricks fact emerges as he ‘likely’ makes final Cubs start');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Bonkers-Kyle-Hendricks-fact-emerges-as-he-likely-makes-final-Chicago-start.jpg"></figure><h1>Bonkers Kyle Hendricks fact emerges as he ‘likely’ makes final Cubs start</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-29T10:21:03-07:00">September 29th, 10:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-29T10:21:03-07:00">September 29th, 10:21am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Despite the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-nico-hoerner-gets-brutally-honest-on-missing-2024-playoffs">Chicago Cubs missing the 2024 MLB Playoffs,</a> there was a celebratory moment as pitcher Kyle Hendricks likely pitched his last start for the ball club. While the future of Hendricks is uncertain, what’s true is an eye-opening statistic that encompasses the greatness of his career with Chicago.</p><p>According to Matthew Trueblood, he posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Hendricks is one of two pitchers in the playoff history <a href="https://x.com/MATrueblood/status/1840025680039354430" rel="noopener">“in which one team faced the minimum in defeating the other”</a> which was in Game 6 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that outing, Hendricks struck out six, only allowing two hits in 7.1 innings to lead to the win.</p><p>Hendricks likely made his last start with the Cubs Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds where he had a nice outing throwing 7.1 innings while striking out two batters, allowing two hits, and zero unearned runs. He spoke after the contest <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41498974/kyle-hendricks-honored-fans-likely-final-start-cubs">about the feelings he experienced during the game</a> according to ESPN.</p><p>“You feel it all, you feel all the emotions,” Hendricks said. “Just so, so lucky. And so happy. Just for the fans to give me that … part of me hates it. I hate all that attention, but at the end, I know I have to soak in these moments … I’m such a lucky guy.”</p><p>“I did not expect to be here after April and May,” Hendricks continued. “There are moments I should not have been on this team. Things happened a certain way where luckily they kept giving me opportunities.”</p><h2><b>Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks on future in baseball</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kyle-Hendricks-on-Sept.-28-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-kyle-hendricks-breaks-silence-on-bullpen-demotion">Hendricks had a point where he went to the bullpen</a>, but found a nice groove throughout the rest of the season. Cubs manager Craig Counsell would talk about that stint and how it challenged Hendricks.</p><p>“You have to get through that first part,” Counsell said. “Kyle did a heck of a job with it. I told a couple of our young players before the game that this is going to be a memorable day. You’re going to remember this day.”</p><p>“Since the stint in the bullpen, he’s turned this around,” Counsell continued. “The league cuts you no breaks. He was up to the challenge of having to be better.”</p><p>After Sunday, Hendricks’ four-year extension runs out with the expectation that he doesn’t return, though there is no doubt that he wants to keep pitching and if he had a choice, it would be for Chicago.</p><p>“If I had my choice, I would love to be a Chicago Cub,” Hendricks said. “But that’s so tough. We have so many good, young arms coming up. In this game, you have to perform. I just didn’t do it this year, I didn’t have a great year, so there are ramifications for that. I could end up somewhere else.”</p><p>“The door isn’t closed here,” Hendricks continued. “But it’s most likely going to end up being someplace else.”</p><p>At any rate, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/reds-vs-cubs-prediction-odds-pick-9-29-2024">the Cubs play the Reds in the season finale</a> Sunday afternoon as going into the game, they have a 83-78 record which puts them second in the NL Central to the Milwaukee Brewers who won the division. One has to wonder if besides Hendricks if Chicago will change coaches, trade players, and more, but in any sense, they look to be better next year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bonkers Kyle Hendricks fact emerges as he ‘likely’ makes final Cubs start

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-mariners-cubs-viewed-as-pete-alonsos-top-options-if-he-leaves-mets');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Mariners, Cubs viewed as Pete Alonso’s top options if he leaves Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mariners-Cubs-viewed-as-Pete-Alonsos-top-options-if-he-leaves-Mets.jpg?w=1024"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Mariners, Cubs viewed as Pete Alonso’s top options if he leaves Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-29T08:59:16-07:00">September 29th, 8:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-29T08:59:16-07:00">September 29th, 8:59am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the 2024 MLB regular season drawing to a close, free agency is right around the corner. Once the World Series is over, the frenzy begins. Numerous high profile free agents, most notably outfielder Juan Soto, starting pitcher Corbin Burnes and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-pete-alonso-suitor-nl-east">first baseman Pete Alonso.</a> While Alonso could certainly return to the New York Mets on a long-term, big money contract, is it a possibility he could leave. If he does, then two teams that could chase him would be the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/09/29/mlb-awards-2024-shohei-ohtani-aaron-judge-mvp/75437739007/" rel="noopener">according to a report</a> from USA Network’s Bob Nightengale.</p><p>“If All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso doesn’t return to the Mets, rival executives believe he will wind up in Seattle or with the Cubs,” reported Nightengale on Sunday.</p><p>Alonso is the top first baseman on the market, and he loves playing for New York. However, money talks. This could <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-pete-alonso-new-york-outlook-loss-brewers">be Alonso’s last chance</a> to cash in on a high dollar pact. The Mets are owned by billionaire Steve Cohen, and he has shown a willingness to spend many times in the past. He would undoubtedly do so to keep the man known as “Polar Pete” in Queens. Would a team like the Mariners or Cubs try to outspend Cohen? If so, Alonso could call Wrigley Field or T-Mobile Park home for the foreseeable future.</p><h2><b>Would Pete Alonso go to the Cubs or Mariners?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mets-1B-Pete-Alonso.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Finishing off his sixth season in Queens, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mets-news-pete-alonso-moment-fans-viral">Alonso is undoubtedly looking forward</a> to the upcoming free agency period. In five of those seasons, he has hit over 30 home runs (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign). This year, he’s hit .241 with 34 home runs and 88 RBIs for a Mets team that is looking to clinch a spot in the postseason. Heading into Sunday’s games, New York is neck and neck with the Arizona Diamondbacks (last year’s NL champions) and the Atlanta Braves for the last two wild card spots.</p><p>Will the Mets make it back to the postseason in their first season with manager Carlos Mendoza at the helm? Winning the rest of their games would help, especially since they are playing the Braves. The San Diego Padres have already locked up the first wild card spot, so winning out would ensure that New York controls its own destiny.</p><p>Yet, these last couple of games could be the final time Mets fans see Alonso in orange and blue, especially if the team doesn’t make the playoffs. The Mariners and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/chicago-cubs-2024-over-under-regular-season-win-total">Cubs are also potential</a> playoff teams in 2025 and beyond, as each club could use a slugging first baseman to help solidify the middle of their order.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-why-mets-pete-alonso-faces-biggest-skepticism-free-agency">Alonso turns 30 in December,</a> so he might be on the back side of his prime at this point. If that is the case, then it might suit the Mets to let him go. Although he’s beloved at Citi Field, a fresh start might be needed for both sides moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Mariners, Cubs viewed as Pete Alonso’s top options if he leaves Mets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/reds-vs-cubs-prediction-odds-pick-9-29-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Reds vs Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Reds-vs.-Cubs-prediction-odds-pick-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Reds vs Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-28T22:24:37-07:00">September 28th, 10:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-28T22:24:58-07:00">September 28th, 10:24pm</time><address><a href="http://patreon.com/zemek">Matthew Zemek</a>Matthew Zemek is part of ClutchPoints' Betting team and has written for various sports websites and publications since 2001. He was the editor of the NBA site Crossover Chronicles in the 2016 NBA season. He was a contributing editor to the now-defunct site FanRag Sports in 2017. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Reds-Cubs prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Reds Cubs.</p><p>The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs conclude their 2024 season this Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The two teams were part of the four-team pack which unsuccessfully chased the Milwaukee Brewers all season long. None of those four teams — the Cardinals and Pirates alongside the Reds and Cubs — could sustain good baseball for any meaningful length of time. Among those four teams, the Cubs have to rate as the biggest disappointment. The Cardinals were underachievers, but the Cubs underachieved more in 2024. The reason is that Chicago’s starting pitching was really good. Kyle Hendricks had a bounce-back year. Justin Steele was once again a high-level starter. Javier Assad was solid. Shota Imanaga was a superstar. All that pitching should have translated into a better season and a more improved record, but it didn’t. The Cubs were extremely bad in hitting with runners in scoring position, their main flaw this season. Their bullpen also gave up a lot of leads and did not do its part to help the starting rotation. New manager Craig Counsell could not figure out a path to success, but it wasn’t primarily his fault. His hitters and his relievers consistently failed, and there’s only so much a manager can do when that is the case. Chicago needs roster upgrades with smart trades throughout the lineup in order to field a better roster for 2025.</p><h2><b>Reds-Cubs Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Hunter Greene</b> vs. <b>TBD</b></p><p><b>Hunter Greene</b> (9-5) has a 2.83 ERA. Hunter Greene is an elite pitcher. His ERA shows that. However, Greene has not been able to stay consistently healthy. That will be his central challenge for 2025. If he can pitch the full season next year, Greene will give the Reds a chance to be good and make a real run at the National League wild card. Getting the most out of Greene over six full months is a necessity for the team and for the manager who is hired to replace David Bell next season.</p><p>Last Start: Sunday, September 22 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 4 K</p><p>2024 Road Splits: 11 starts, 66 1/3 IP, 36 H, 16 R, 3 HR, 25 BB, 69 K</p><p>The Cubs are expected to go to a bullpen game for their season finale. None of their regular 2024 starters are scheduled to pitch on Sunday.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Reds-Cubs <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Reds-Cubs Odds</b></h2><p>Cincinnati Reds: -1.5 (+146)</p><p>Moneyline: -126</p><p>Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-176)</p><p>Moneyline: +108</p><p>Over: 7 (-122)</p><p>Under: 7 (+100)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Reds vs. Cubs </b></h2><p>Time: 3:20 p.m. ET/12:20 p.m. PT</p><p>TV: Bally Sports Ohio (Reds) / Marquee Sports (Cubs) / MLB Extra Innings</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Click for free trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Reds Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Hunter Greene is an ace-level pitcher who will want to end his season on a high note. Greene has elite stuff. The question is not whether he can pitch well; it is whether he can stay healthy. Expect Greene to dominate and end his 2024 season in style.</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Cubs just did shut out the Reds on both Friday and Saturday. No matter how well the Reds pitch, they might not hit well enough to win.</p><h2><b>Final Reds-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The pitching matchup is in favor of the Reds, and moreover, Cincinnati just got shutout in back-to-back games. A lot of meaningless baseball games aren’t worth betting on this Sunday, but Cubs-Reds might be the exception. Take Cincinnati.</p><p><i><b><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">Click here</a> for more betting news and predictions</b></i></p><p><b>Final Reds-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick: Reds -1.5</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Reds vs Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/29/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-news-nico-hoerner-gets-brutally-honest-on-missing-2024-playoffs');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Nico Hoerner gets brutally honest on missing 2024 playoffs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cubs-news-Nico-Hoerner-gets-brutally-honest-on-Chicago-missing-2024-playoffs.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs’ Nico Hoerner gets brutally honest on missing 2024 playoffs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-28T11:57:18-07:00">September 28th, 11:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-28T11:57:18-07:00">September 28th, 11:57am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/reds-vs-cubs-prediction-odds-pick-9-28-2024">Chicago Cubs take on the Cincinnati Reds Saturday</a> in the penultimate game of the season, it comes in dreadful fashion as the team has missed the playoffs. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jameson-taillon-gets-real-on-disappointing-cubs-season">Cubs players like Jameson Tailon expressed their disappointment</a>, add star Nico Hoerner who spoke about if this season for the team was a failure or not.</p><p>This season marks the fourth straight that Chicago will miss the postseason as last season was more brutal since they were one game shy of making it. Back then, Hoerner said easily it was a failure, but this time around, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5800243/2024/09/28/cubs-nico-hoerner-trade-speculation/?source=emp_shared_article%20Nico%20Hoerner%20on%20if%20this%20Cubs%20season%20is%20a%20failure,%20trade%20speculation%20and%20more" rel="noopener">he talked about the aspects that were successful</a> according to The Athletic.</p><p>“We’re definitely short of where we want to be,” Hoerner said. “That’s pretty black and white. I don’t think I need to find the perfect phrasing for that. We didn’t make the playoffs. We didn’t even give ourselves a chance to win the World Series, which is the goal.”</p><p>“I am proud of a lot of things that were done internally this year,” Hoerner continued. “I’m proud of the direction of things on this team. It’s the respect that I have for my teammates and the way that people have improved as the year has gone on. The young guys that have stepped up. The re-creation of an entire bullpen. The consistency from our starters. The position-player group went through really extended stretches of not getting results or producing pretty much collectively. It feels like almost everybody has responded to that just by continuing to look for the good version of themselves and steadily improve.”</p><h2><b>Nico Hoerner speaks on future of the Cubs and possible trade rumors</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nico-Hoerner-on-Sept-27-2024.jpg"><figcaption>David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This season, Hoerner hit a .276 batting average with seven home runs and 48 RBIs in 149 games. There was bluntness and optimism though for the 27-year old second baseman in his analysis of this year and beyond.</p><p>“We’re obviously short of the ultimate standard of what we want to do,” Hoerner said. “We can process that in different ways. But I do think that the commitment to winning is extremely high. We’re going to improve.”</p><p>Since they won the NL Central in 2020, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-craig-counsell-admission-brewers-win-nl-central">the Milwaukee Brewers have beat out the Cubs in the division</a> three of the four seasons following that. With the disappointment of the season will come possible trade rumors, maybe even including Hoerner, though he’s motivated to be in Chicago.</p><p>“I signed an extension here for a reason,” Hoerner said. “I obviously want to be here. Winning here would be about as satisfying as it gets. Being in the organization that you’re drafted by — and to go through challenges like we talked about — you want to see and be a part of the full arc of that. That’s about the coolest thing you can do in your career. To do it alongside people that you’ve really worked with for a long time — from staff and trainers to the clubhouse guys and teammates that have come up with you — that’s the real special part about the celebrations in the playoffs. When I see other teams do that, I think about what that would be like to share with the people here.”</p><p>The Cubs looks to end the year on a positive note facing the Reds tomorrow afternoon in the regular season finale.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Nico Hoerner gets brutally honest on missing 2024 playoffs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-vs-phillies-prediction-odds-pick-9-25-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs vs Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/25/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cubs-vs-Phillies-prediction-odds-pick-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs vs Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/25/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-24T23:33:13-07:00">September 24th, 11:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-24T23:33:35-07:00">September 24th, 11:33pm</time><address><a href="http://patreon.com/zemek">Matthew Zemek</a>Matthew Zemek is part of ClutchPoints' Betting team and has written for various sports websites and publications since 2001. He was the editor of the NBA site Crossover Chronicles in the 2016 NBA season. He was a contributing editor to the now-defunct site FanRag Sports in 2017. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Cubs-Phillies prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Cubs Phillies.</p><p>The Philadelphia Phillies have clinched the National League East Division championship, but that is not their ultimate goal in the regular season. There is still one very important piece of business left for the Phils to tend to. Philadelphia wants to lock up a wild card bye and a spot in the National League Division Series. The Phillies lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 2.5 games. The Phillies have four games left to play, the Brewers five. Philadelphia just needs a few more wins (or Milwaukee losses) to wrap up the wild card bye and a ticket to the NLDS, which would give the Phillies a few days to rest before they make another run at the World Series.</p><p>It is also noteworthy that the Phillies are half a game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top seed in the National League playoffs. The Phillies would win a tiebreaker with the Dodgers if the two teams finish with the same record. However, the No. 1 seed in the National League would potentially have to play the San Diego Padres in the NLDS. The No. 2 seed would have a good chance of bypassing the Padres and instead facing the Milwaukee Brewers, a much more favorable draw. The Phillies do want the wild card bye, but they might not necessarily want the No. 1 seed, preferring instead to be the second seed. At any rate, though, the Phillies can’t worry too much about that. They need to win a few ballgames to wrap up the bye and go straight to the NLDS. This game against the Cubs isn’t win-at-all-costs, but it certainly is an important game for a team which had a hangover on Tuesday from its division title celebration on Monday. Now the Phils need to get back to business and stack a few more wins.</p><h2><b>Cubs-Phillies Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Javier Assad</b> vs. <b>Christopher Sanchez</b></p><p><b>Javier Assad</b> (7-5) has a 3.34 ERA. He has been a terrific starting pitcher for a Cubs team which has received very good performances from its starting rotation in 2024. The Cubs were betrayed by their offense and bullpen. Assad is throwing in his final game of the 2024 season. He will want to make this performance count as he prepares for the offseason and what the Cubs hope will be a much better 2025 campaign.</p><p>Last Start: Thursday, September 19 versus the Washington Nationals: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 5 K</p><p>2024 Road Splits: 14 starts, 73 1/3 IP, 75 H, 35 R, 13 HR, 25 BB, 63 K</p><p><b>Christopher Sanchez</b> (11-9) has a 3.25 ERA. The Phillies could not have asked for more from their back-end rotation starter. Sanchez has excelled at the back end of the Phillies’ rotation behind staff ace Zack Wheeler, No. 2 Aaron Nola, and No. 3 Ranger Suarez. Sanchez should be available for long relief if needed, and he could get the ball in Game 4 of the NLDS. If the Phillies reach the National League Championship Series, Sanchez will definitely start Game 4 if Wheeler doesn’t have to pitch twice in the NLDS. This is a huge weapon the Phillies will bring into October.</p><p>Last Start: Friday, September 20 versus the New York Mets: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 HR, 5 BB, 7 K</p><p>2024 Home Splits: 16 starts, 105 1/3 IP, 85 H, 28 R, 5 HR, 16 BB, 95 K</p><p><b><i>Here are the Cubs-Phillies <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Cubs-Phillies Odds</b></h2><p>Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-140)</p><p>Moneyline: +146</p><p>Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+116)</p><p>Moneyline: -174</p><p>Over: 8 (-110)</p><p>Under: 8 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Cubs vs. Phillies</b></h2><p>Time: 6:05 p.m. ET/3:05 p.m. PT</p><p>TV: Marquee Sports (Cubs) / Comcast/NBC Sports Philadelphia (Phillies) / MLB Extra Innings</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Assad can match Sanchez in a pitching duel, and with the Phillies still reveling in their division championship, they might not have the winning edge they need.</p><h2><b>Why The Phillies Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Christopher Sanchez has been cash money for the Phillies, who do want to pick up a few more wins to secure a berth in the NLDS and bypass the wild card series. The Phillies lost to the Cubs on Tuesday in a bullpen game. Now they’re back to having a top starter on the mound. It should be the difference for them.</p><h2><b>Final Cubs-Phillies Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The game means enough to the Phillies that as the better team, they should win and cover. Take the Phils.</p><p><i><b><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">Click here</a> for more betting news and predictions</b></i></p><p><b>Final Cubs-Phillies Prediction &amp; Pick: Phillies -1.5</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs vs Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/25/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-vs-phillies-prediction-odds-pick-9-24-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs vs. Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/24/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cubs-vs-Phillies-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs vs. Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/24/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-24T04:50:38-07:00">September 24th, 4:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-24T04:50:38-07:00">September 24th, 4:50am</time><address><a>Bryan Logan</a>Bryan Logan decided to jump into his passion for Sports Betting in 2022 after spending years in the world of education. With a love for analytics and all sports, he began working on models for daily sports picks. This led him to ClutchPoints in 2023, where he is a part of the betting editorial team.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Justin Steele heads to the mound for the Chicago Cubs as they face the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Cubs-Phillies prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Cubs-Phillies Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Justin Steele </b>vs. <b>Tanner Banks</b></p><p><b>Justin Steele</b> (5-5) with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP</p><p>Last Start: Steele went 2.2 innings in his previous start, giving up two hits and three walks. He would not allow a run but take the no-decision as the Cubs lost to the Athletics.</p><p>2024 Road Splits: Steele is 2-2 on the road with a 2.77 ERA and a .221 opponent batting average.</p><p><b>Tanner Banks</b> (2-2) with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP</p><p>Last Start: Banks has been primarily used out of the bullpen, but did start back on April 8th for the White Sox. He went 2.1 innings giving up two hits and a run in a loss.</p><p>2024 Home Splits: In 26 appearances at home this year, Banks is 2-0 with a 4.03 ERA and a .277 opponent batting average.</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Cubs-Phillies Odds</b></h2><p>Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+132)</p><p>Moneyline: -120</p><p>Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-160)</p><p>Moneyline: +102</p><p>Over: 8.5 (-110)</p><p>Under: 8.5 (-110)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Cubs vs. Phillies</b></h2><p>Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT</p><p>TV: MARQ/NBCSP</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Cubs are 13th in runs scored this year while sitting 16th in batting average, tenth in on-base percentage, and 15th in slugging. Ian Happ led the way this year. He is hitting .247 this year with a .343 on-base percentage. Happ has 25 home runs and 85 RBIs. Further, he has stolen 13 bases and scored 89 times. Seiya Suzuki is also having a solid year. He is hitting .279 on the year with a .350 on-base percentage. Suzuki has 21 home runs and 71 RBIs while scoring 71 times on the year. Rounding out the top bats on the year is Cody Bellinger. Bellinger is hitting .266 this year with a .326 on-base percentage. He has 18 home runs, 73 RBIs, and has scored 70 times.</p><p>Dansby Swanson has been solid in the last week. He is hitting .345 in the last week with two home runs, six RBIs, and seven runs scored. Meanwhile, Seiya Suzuki has been great in the last week. He is hitting .364 in the last week with a home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored. Ian Happ rounds out the best bats in the last week. He is hitting .269 in the last week with two home runs, three RBIs, and five runs scored. The Cubs are hitting .274 in the last week with nine home runs and 31 runs scored in seven games.</p><h2><b>Why The Phillies Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Phillies are fourth in majors in runs scored while sitting fourth in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, and sixth in slugging. Kyle Schwarber has led the way this year. He is hitting .249 this year with a .367 on-base percentage. He has 36 home runs with 99 RBIs. He has also scored 106 times this year. Meanwhile, Bryce Harper is playing well. He is hitting .283 on the year with a .370 on-base percentage. He has 29 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 82 runs scored. Rounding out the top bats on the year is Nick Castellanos. He is hitting .247 this year with 22 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 75 runs scored.</p><p>Alec Bohm comes into the game hot. He is hitting .250 in the last week with two home runs, six RBIs, and three runs scored this week. Meanwhile, Nick Castellanos is hitting well. He is hitting .333 in the last week with two home runs, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Bryce Harper is not hitting well, but driving in runs. He is hitting just .179 but with a .258 on-base percentage. He has a home run, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Rounding out the top bats on the week is Trea Turner. He is hitting .355 in the last week with a home run, four RBIs, and four runs scored. The Phillies are hitting .245 in the last week with nine home runs and 20 runs scored in the last seven games.</p><p>Current Phillies have 44 career at-bats against Justin Steele. They have hit .227 against Steele. Nick Castellanos is 6-14 with three doubles, a home run, and an RBI. Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber is one for seven with a home run and an RBI.</p><h2><b>Final Cubs-Phillies Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>Justin Steele has been solid since the start of August. He has given up just six earned runs in 29.1 innings of work. Further, the Cubs are 5-1 in those games. Further, the Phillies will be going with a bullpen game with Tanneer Banks starting. Still, the two offensive units have been similar in the last week. They are both scoring just over four runs per game in the last week. The Phillies should be able to get on base against Justin Steele. He is giving up over a base runner per inning, and the Phillies will capitalize on that. With their offense, they should be able to get an early lead in this one. The Phillies are in the chase for the top seed and the Cubs <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/brewers-news-craig-counsell-cubs-mocked-after-milwaukee-wins-nl-central">have been eliminated from playoff contention</a>, so take the Phillies in this one.</p><p><b>Final Cubs-Phillies Prediction &amp; Pick: Phillies ML  (+102) </b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs vs. Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/24/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs vs. Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/23/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <p>The Chicago Cubs will begin a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday at Citizen&#8217;s Bank Park. There is playoff seeding on the line as we share our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">series</a> and make a Cubs-Phillies prediction and pick.</p><h2><strong>Cubs-Phillies Projected Starters </strong></h2><p><b>Justin Steele </b>vs. <b>Aaron Nola</b></p><p><b>Justin Steele </b>(5-5) with a 3.03 ERA</p><p>Last Start: Steele lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his last outing, allowing two hits, walking three, and striking out one in a no-decision against the Oakland Athletics.</p><p>2024 Road Splits: Steele is 2-2 with a 2.77 ERA over 11 starts away from home.</p><p><b>Aaron Nola </b>(12-8) with a 3.54 ERA</p><p>Last Start: Nola dominated in his last outing, going seven innings, allowing one earned run and three hits while striking out nine and walking one in a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers.</p><p>2024 Home Splits: Nola is 6-4 with a 3.31 ERA over 16 starts at home.</p><p><strong><em>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </em></strong></p><h2><strong>MLB Odds: Cubs-Phillies Odds</strong></h2><p>Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-160)</p><p>Moneyline: +150</p><p>Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+132)</p><p>Moneyline: -178</p><p>Over: 8 (-105)</p><p>Under: 8 (-115)</p><h2><strong>How to Watch Cubs vs. Phillies</strong></h2><p>Time: 6:40 PM ET/3:40 PM PT</p><p>TV: Marquee</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" target="_blank" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><strong>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</strong></h2><p>The Cubs have been eliminated from the postseason, which is unsurprising. While they have hovered around .500 for much of the season, they have not had enough to put themselves into contention. The Cubs just don&#8217;t have the quality hitting to get anything going. Moreover, they just have not had a good history against the Phillies.</p><p>Nico Hoerner has been one of the reliable bats in the Chicago lineup. Yet, he is batting just .254 with 15 hits, one home run, nine RBIs, and five runs over 15 games against the Phillies. Ian Happ has also been one of the better hitters. However, he is hitting only .202 with 21 hits, three home runs, 16 RBIs, and 13 runs over 34 games against Philadelphia. No one else in this lineup has produced good numbers against the Phillies, and that needs to change for the Cubs to have a chance.</p><p>It&#8217;s been the opposite with Steele. Remarkably, he has gone 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA over two starts against the Phillies. When Steele finishes, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is 12th in baseball in team ERA. There has not been an established closer for the Cubs this season.</p><div class="g"><div lang="en" data-hveid="CBcQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjLmZnr7taIAxVLJEQIHZR4GaEQFSgAegQIFxAA"><div class="tF2Cxc"><div class="yuRUbf">The Cubs will cover the spread if their offense can cobble together some runs and take an early lead over the Phillies. Then, they need Steele to dominate them and not allow their big bats to get anything going.</div></div></div></div><h2><strong>Why The Phillies Will Cover The Spread/Win</strong></h2><p>The Phillies came into this battle trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by one game for the top spot in the NL. While they are playing the Cubs, they are also keeping an eye on the scoreboard. They can gain the upper hand with the Dodgers having the day off and getting the victory today. To do that, they need their offense to come alive.</p><p>Trea Turner is exceptional. Additionally, he is batting .287 with 43 hits, three home runs, 17 RBIs, and 31 runs over 36 games against Chicago. Bryce Harper remains one of the best hitters in baseball. Furthermore, he is hitting .309 with 68 hits, 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 46 runs over his career against the Cubs. Kyle Schwarber has had a great season. Yet, he has been boom-or-bust against the Cubs, batting .170 with nine hits, five home runs, nine RBIs, and 10 runs over 16 games against the Cubs.</p><p>Nola has made three quality starts in five outings. However, he has struggled in his career against the Cubs, going 6-2 with a 4.69 ERA over nine starts. When he concludes his start, he will turn it over to a struggling bullpen. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-rob-thomson-issues-demand-bullpen-meltdown-mets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rob Thompson is not happy</a> with this bullpen. Unfortunately, they recently blew another game and don&#8217;t have an established closer. That might be their weakness in the playoffs if they hold a tight lead. Therefore, they must figure out a way to maintain that lead.</p><p>The Phillies will cover the spread if their top bats can clobber the baseball and build a large lead. Then, they need Nola to go deep into this game to prevent putting too much pressure on this bullpen, which has struggled recently.</p><h2><strong>Final Cubs-Phillies Prediction &amp; Pick</strong></h2><p>The Cubs are 75-81 against the run line, while the Phillies are 77-79. Additionally, the Cubs are 46-32 against the run line on the road, while the Phillies are 36-41 at home. Steele has done well against the Phillies, while Nola has struggled against the Cubs. Thus, it is easy to see a trend here. This makes me believe that the Cubs will put up a fight. Expect the Cubs to find a way to cover the run line on the road in this one.</p><p><strong>Final Cubs-Phillies Prediction &amp; Pick: Chicago Cubs: +1.5 (-160)</strong></p>    </body></html>

Cubs vs. Phillies prediction, odds, pick – 9/23/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-vs-cubs-prediction-odds-pick-9-21-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nationals vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/21/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nationals-vs.-Cubs-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Nationals vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/21/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-20T19:39:28-07:00">September 20th, 7:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-20T19:39:28-07:00">September 20th, 7:39pm</time><address><a>Nate Duffett</a>Nate Duffett is a writer for ClutchPoints and a sports junkie at heart, especially for the Boston sports scene. In his spare time, he coaches hockey and is also a Hockey Scout at FCHockey and NeutralZone. Whether it's covering the NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL, or College Football and Basketball, there is not a sport Nate isn't able to discuss.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs are in their series of the season, and the Cubs have been dominating so far. The Cubs have won all five games, including two to begin this four-game series. The Nationals have lost five consecutive games to the New York Mets and Cubs, while the Cubs have won four of their past six. The Cubs are falling out of the playoff race, sitting six games behind the last wild-card spot. It’s been over for a while for the Nationals, as they are 24 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Nationals-Cubs prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Nationals-Cubs Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>MacKenzie Gore</b> vs. <b>Kyle Hendricks</b></p><p><b>MacKenzie Gore</b> is 9-12 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.</p><p>Gore’s last start was at home against the Miami Marlins. He pitched 6 innings with 5 strikeouts, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, and no earned runs. Gore hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs since August 17th, five starts ago. He has quality starts against the New York Yankees and two against the Atlanta Braves over that span.</p><p>Gore is 2-6 on the road, with a 4.41 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.</p><p><b>Kyle Hendricks</b> is 4-11 with a 6.25 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.</p><p>Hendrick’s last start was on the road against the Colorado Rockies. He pitched 6 innings with 7 strikeouts, allowing 2 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run. He is in the worst season of his career, with his previous career-worse ERA being 4.80 in 2022.</p><p>Hendricks is 1-6 at home with a 5.15 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Nationals-Cubs Odds</b></h2><p>Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-180)</p><p>Moneyline: +120</p><p>Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+150)</p><p>Moneyline: -140</p><p>Over: 8.5 (-120)</p><p>Under: 8.5 (+100)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Nationals vs. Cubs</b></h2><p>Time: 2:20 PM ET/11:20 PM PT</p><p>TV: MASN2, Marquee Sports Network</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>MacKenzie Gore could be the equalizer in this game to slow a hot Cubs offense. Gore hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in five consecutive starts and pitched a two-hit, zero-run outing against the Marlins in his last game. The Nationals must keep this game close to have a chance as an underdog, and Gore should put them in a position to do that.</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Cubs’ offense has been abysmal for most of the season, so they are nearly out of the playoff race. However, in a cruel twist of fate, their offense begins to get hot when it’s too late. The Cubs are batting .290 with a .358 on-base percentage over their last ten games, averaging 5.6 runs/nine. The Nationals will struggle to keep up with the Cubs in this matchup, as they are batting just .215 with a .272 on-base percentage over the same span.</p><p>Kyle Hendricks is also beginning to turn his season around when it’s too late. He allowed two or fewer earned runs in three consecutive starts, and the Cubs have won two of those three games. Their only loss was when they were shut out at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.</p><h2><b>Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Cubs’ offense has been hot recently, but they can go cold at any moment. Gore has been pitching well for the Nationals and could shut down the Cubs in this matchup. The one concern is that both bullpens have ERAs above 5.00 over their last three games, but we’ll hope the starters can go deep.</p><p><b>Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick: Under 8.5 (+100)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nationals vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/21/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jameson-taillon-gets-real-on-disappointing-cubs-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jameson Taillon gets real on disappointing Cubs season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Jameson-Taillon-gets-real-on-Chicagos-disappointing-season.jpg"><figcaption>9/20/24</figcaption></figure><h1>Jameson Taillon gets real on disappointing Cubs season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-20T18:22:34-07:00">September 20th, 6:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-20T18:22:34-07:00">September 20th, 6:22pm</time><address><a>Steve Silverman</a>Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly, and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including "Who's Better, Who's Best in the NFL." He has won multiple awards from the Pro Football Writers of America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-pitching-boost-2024-season-winds-down">Chicago Cubs</a> had high hopes of winning the National League Central Division this year. The addition of manager Craig Counsell was supposed to be the move that tipped in a playoff appearance and a serious challenge to the Milwaukee Brewers, but the Cubs have lacked the consistency needed to make the playoffs. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon is unhappy with the way the team has performed this season, and he believes the team could have been <a href="https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/jameson-taillon-delivered-a-passionate-stance-on-how-the-cubs-can-flip-the-script-in-the-future/">quite a bit better</a>.</p><p>“I do feel like we underperformed this year,” Taillon told Tony Andracki of the Marquee Sports Network. “I do feel like we’re better than what our record shows – and that doesn’t matter, because your record’s your record.</p><p>“But I do feel like this group’s capable of a lot more. And whatever [the front office and coaching staff] diagnose and want to do to get better, I’m all ears and ready to see what they have in store.”</p><p>Taillon was on the mound for the Cubs Friday and he gave up just two hits while pitching six innings for the North Siders in a 3-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. Taillon has pitched well in his most recent starts as he has struck out four Nationals while walking two and hitting a batter. Taillon allowed the Nationals to load the bases in the third inning, but Jose Tena failed to deliver and he lined out. He retired the last 10 batters he faced.</p><p>Taillon is 3-0 in his last five starts, and he has a 1.99 earned run average over that streak. He has been able to keep hitters off balance, depending on his cutter to provide him an edge.</p><h2><b>Taillon would like to see the Cubs do more from an offensive perspective</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Jameson-Taillon-is-unhappy-with-the-Cubs-performance-this-season.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-craig-counsell-admission-brewers-win-nl-central">The Cubs</a> have had failings in every area this season, but the team’s lack of offense appears to have been the team’s biggest issue. Taillon had been with the Pittsburgh Pirates when the Cubs had their most dangerous teams — including the 2016 World Series champions — and those teams were quite dangerous from an offensive perspective. Taillon said the Cubs <a href="https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/jameson-taillon-delivered-a-passionate-stance-on-how-the-cubs-can-flip-the-script-in-the-future/">should strive</a> to return to that style of baseball.</p><p>“I played against those Cubs teams back in the day and it felt like when you’re in the National League Central, we were kind of the little guys coming in here and they were playing bully ball against us, a little bit like star power,” Taillon said. “It was scary to come to Wrigley and play. You didn’t want to catch them on a day where they’re swinging it hot.”</p><p>That’s what Taillon would like to see from the Cubs in the future.</p><p>Counsell also believes the Cubs need to be more productive on offense if they are going to become a more dangerous team in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jameson Taillon gets real on disappointing Cubs season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-news-craig-counsell-admission-brewers-win-nl-central');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs’ Craig Counsell makes brutal admission after Brewers win NL Central');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cubs-news-Craig-Counsell-makes-brutal-admission-after-Brewers-win-NL-Central.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs’ Craig Counsell makes brutal admission after Brewers win NL Central</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-20T07:40:06-07:00">September 20th, 7:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-20T07:40:06-07:00">September 20th, 7:40am</time><address><a>Andrew Meyers</a>Andrew Meyers is an avid sports fan with a fondness for Philadelphia teams that rarely love him back. He has two degrees from Quinnipiac University, including a master's in sports journalism. Outside of ClutchPoints, Meyers does play-by-play broadcasting for various colleges in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If you had Craig Counsell, the Chicago Cubs manager, talking about the Milwaukee Brewers winning the NL Central in 2024 on your bingo card, you’re probably a lucky person. When Counsell, widely regarded among the best managers in the sport, left Milwaukee at the expiration of his contract to join Chicago, it sent shockwaves through the league.</p><p>Along the same lines, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-craig-counsell-blunt-take-brewers-set-to-win-nl-central">odds for the NL Central</a> significantly shifted in the Cubs’ favor. The Brewers were the darlings of the division while Counsell was in charge, winning it three times while reaching the postseason five times in nine seasons. Losing Counsell and trading ace pitcher Corbin Burnes swung the odds away from Milwaukee after they claimed the title last year.</p><p>As we enter the second-to-last weekend of the regular season, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/brewers-news-craig-counsell-cubs-mocked-after-milwaukee-wins-nl-central">Brewers have already celebrated clinching the division</a> and thus a playoff berth. The Cubs meanwhile are a little over a week away from an offseason of reflection and hopefully improvement following a disappointing season.</p><p>Counsell didn’t mince words regarding his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5780975/2024/09/19/craig-counsell-cubs-brewers-gap/" rel="noopener">assessment</a> of his team against his former club. He acknowledged it will be challenging to compete with the Brewers next season.</p><p>“There’s a big gap,” Counsell said, per The Athletic. “They’re ahead of us by a lot. It’s a talented team. On and off the field, that’s a talented team. There’s a big gap, and we got room to make up. There’s no question about it. Frankly, that makes it daunting.”</p><p>Counsell doesn’t seem to hold a grudge over his former team. There’s no reason he should as his departure appeared mutual and the relationship post-employment has remained cordial. Given the Cubs’ expectations entering the year, he has to feel some sort of angst.</p><h2><b>Cubs left wondering what could have been</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Chicago-Cubs-celebration.jpg"><figcaption>Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s always a hard pill to swallow when a team knows they were the favorite and ultimately fell short of expectations. The Cubs entered Spring Training undoubtedly thinking they’d make the playoffs. Baseball is a tough game though and the reality of a long season is hard to grasp sometimes.</p><p>Chicago was unable to get through its pitfalls and to much dismay wasn’t in the division race after the first couple of months. The Cubs made things interesting in August with a winning stretch that brought them within a few games of a Wild Card spot. However, the gap was too much for them to overcome.</p><p>Chicago is set for a bright future with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-shota-imanaga-thankful-message-to-craig-counsell-after-achieving-rookie-season-goal">several franchise cornerstones</a>. The complementary pieces have to mesh together and play well because the expectations won’t change in 2025. The Cubs want to be winners and want to compete in October. That’s why they brought Craig Counsell in and made him the highest-paid manager in baseball.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs’ Craig Counsell makes brutal admission after Brewers win NL Central

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/brewers-news-craig-counsell-cubs-mocked-after-milwaukee-wins-nl-central');   ga('set', 'title', 'Craig Counsell, Cubs mocked after Brewers win NL Central');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Brewers-news-Craig-Counsell-Cubs-mocked-after-Milwaukee-wins-NL-Central.jpg"></figure><h1>Craig Counsell, Cubs mocked after Brewers win NL Central</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-19T07:27:15-07:00">September 19th, 7:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-19T07:27:15-07:00">September 19th, 7:27am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-craig-counsell-blunt-take-brewers-set-to-win-nl-central">Milwaukee Brewers have done it</a>. Despite going through plenty of changes both on an organizational-level and in the big-league roster this past offseason, the Brewers have secured the NL Central crown on Wednesday by virtue of a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies and a 5-3 loss for the Chicago Cubs. And this turn of events is very satisfying for the Brewers faithful. After all, seeing Craig Counsell, who left the team to manage the Cubs, fall short of the postseason feels very poetic.</p><p>Brewers fans wasted no time letting Counsell hear that he made the wrong decision in choosing the Cubs. They <a href="https://x.com/TrentScheids/status/1836511410957787392" rel="noopener">flocked in droves</a> to X, formerly known as Twitter, and clowned the Brewers’ former manager.</p><p>“Craig Counsell’s Cubs losing 2 straight to the ATHLETICS!!! to hand the Brewers the Division? I mean, you can’t write it any better than that,” X user @TrentScheids wrote.</p><p>“Counsell’s Cubs losing to clinch the division title for the Brewers is some goddamn beautiful stuff,” @barryisthedon added.</p><p>“Cubs lost today to secure the Brewers winning the division. The Brewers followed that up by walking off the Phillies. Probably the most fun baseball season I’ve ever had. I wonder how dumb Counsell feels,” @Wiscodsin furthered.</p><p>Sometimes, when a door closes, a window of opportunity opens. Some Brewers fans are thankful for Counsell’s decision to leave the team, as it paved the way for Pat Murphy to take over and keep the train rolling.</p><p>“If it wasn’t for Craig Counsell jumping ship to the Cubs for more money, Pat Murphy would’ve never had a full time managerial opportunity. First season managing the Brewers results in an NL Central division crown,” @Jason_Shetler wrote.</p><p>But perhaps in the most impressive turn of events for the Brewers, they have managed to do all of this despite all of the <a href="https://x.com/PaulHembo/status/1836561806963208270" rel="noopener">roster-building adversity</a> they have had to overcome.</p><p>“Craig Counsell to Chicago Corbin Burnes traded to Baltimore Brutal injury luck for Christian Yelich Didn’t matter. The Brew Crew runs the NL Central,” @StoolBaseball wrote.</p><p>“David Stearns went to the Mets and Craig Counsell went to the Cubs and Corbin Burnes went to the Orioles and Christian Yelich is out for the season and Devin Williams missed four months and the Brewers won the NL Central anyway,” @PaulHembo added.</p><p>The Brewers will now be hoping that they manage to improve upon last year’s exit in the NL Wild Card series. But for now, the vibes surrounding the team are as immaculate as it can get.</p><h2>Why did Craig Counsell leave the Brewers for the Cubs in the first place?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Craig-Counsell.jpg"></figure><p>The Brewers have consistently been one of the best teams in the NL under Craig Counsell’s watch. Since taking over prior to the start of the 2016 season, the Brewers have had six winning seasons with Counsell as the head decision-maker in the clubhouse — even winning the division thrice.</p><p>Of course, the Brewers haven’t exactly gotten far in the playoffs, save for 2018, when they almost made it to the World Series. But Counsell has been one of the best managers in the MLB for the nearly the past decade, and yet he chose to bolt for a division rival in the Cubs despite being from Wisconsin and despite being a former player for the Brewers. For him, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-craig-counsells-real-reason-accepting-chicagos-manager-job">it all boiled down</a> to taking on a new challenge.</p><p>“I think as I was going through this process, it became clear that I needed and wanted a new professional challenge,” Counsell said back in November 2023.</p><p>Indeed, managing the Cubs — and overcoming the Brewers in the next few years — will provide a challenge that Counsell must be ready to take on.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Craig Counsell, Cubs mocked after Brewers win NL Central

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nationals-vs-cubs-prediction-odds-pick-9-19-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nationals vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/19/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nationals-vs.-Cubs-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Nationals vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/19/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-19T04:46:41-07:00">September 19th, 4:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-19T04:47:02-07:00">September 19th, 4:47am</time><address><a href="http://patreon.com/zemek">Matthew Zemek</a>Matthew Zemek is part of ClutchPoints' Betting team and has written for various sports websites and publications since 2001. He was the editor of the NBA site Crossover Chronicles in the 2016 NBA season. He was a contributing editor to the now-defunct site FanRag Sports in 2017. He currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Nationals-Cubs prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Nationals Cubs.</p><p>The Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs are playing out the string at this point. The Cubs are one of the biggest disappointments in baseball this season, missing out on the playoffs in the first year of manager Craig Counsell’s tenure in the Windy City. The Cubs paid Counsell big money to get this ship turned around, but this season was not a failure of the manager so much as it was a failure of the players. The Cubs just weren’t that good. Their hitters just weren’t up to par. The Cubs had one of the worst batting averages in the majors with runners in scoring position. That has been the dominant, consistent theme of the 2024 season. Managers can do a lot of things to help their teams win games, but they can’t do the hitting for the players in big spots, and when players consistently fail in key moments the way Cub hitters have in 2024, it’s clear that the guys on the field have not done their job. Chicago has to find a way to upgrade at a number of positions and bring in a lot more offense for 2025.</p><p>When you look at the six National League teams likely to make the playoffs — the Phillies, Dodgers, Brewers, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Mets — you will notice they all have at least 726 runs scored entering play on September 19. The Cubs are under 700 runs, and that’s pretty much the difference between them and the teams ahead of them. If the Cubs had scored 50 more runs this season — two more runs in 25 different games they narrowly lost — they would either be in position to make the playoffs or, in a worst-case scenario, would be right there with the Atlanta Braves in close pursuit of Arizona and the Mets for the final playoff spot. As it is, the Cubs’ offense — which stalled late in a typical 5-3 loss to the Oakland A’s on Wednesday at Wrigley Field — just hasn’t been good enough this year. Changes have to be made for next season.</p><h2><b>Nationals-Cubs Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Patrick Corbin</b> vs. <b>Javier Assad</b></p><p><b>Patrick Corbin</b> (6-13) has a 5.45 ERA. Corbin continues to be a pitcher who gives the Nationals a lot of innings and occasionally looks really good, but whose flaws just keep emerging in ways which give him no place to hide. Corbin’s key weakness is that he just doesn’t get hitters to swing and miss enough. In the modern iteration of baseball, that’s so important. Hitters put the ball in play quite often against Corbin, and that simply catches up with him. Corbin has to find ways to get hitters off balance more regularly.</p><p>Last Start: Saturday, September 14 versus the Miami Marlins: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 K</p><p>2024 Road Splits: 15 starts, 79 1/3 IP, 116 H, 62 R, 11 HR, 22 BB, 59 K</p><p><b>Javier Assad</b> (7-5) has a 3.27 ERA. The Cubs have gotten really good starting pitching this season, which underscores how much their offense has failed them. The starters have done the work in Chicago. The hitters and the bullpen have faltered. Assad will try to finish his season in style. He is part of the solution for the Cubs next year.</p><p>Last Start: Friday, September 13 versus the Colorado Rockies: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 K</p><p>2024 Home Splits: 13 starts, 64 1/3 IP, 53 H, 18 R, 4 HR, 34 BB, 53 K</p><p><b><i>Here are the Nationals-Cubs <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Nationals-Cubs Odds</b></h2><p>Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-134)</p><p>Moneyline: +160</p><p>Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+112)</p><p>Moneyline: -190</p><p>Over: 8.5 (-105)</p><p>Under: 8.5 (-115)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Nationals vs Cubs</b></h2><p>Time: 7:40 p.m. ET/4:40 p.m. PT</p><p>TV: MASN (Nationals) / Marquee Sports (Cubs) / MLB Extra Innings</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Click for free trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Cubs’ offense simply can’t be trusted. That’s all which needs to be said here.</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Assad versus Corbin is a pitching mismatch in favor of the Cubs.</p><h2><b>Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>Assad over Corbin is a major pitching mismatch, a difference of more than two whole runs in ERA. Take the Cubs on the run line.</p><p><i><b><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">Click here</a> for more betting news and predictions</b></i></p><p><b>Final Nationals-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick: Cubs -1.5</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nationals vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/19/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-news-craig-counsell-blunt-take-brewers-set-to-win-nl-central');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s blunt take with Brewers set to win NL Central');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/0-Craig-Counsells-blunt-take-with-Brewers-set-to-win-NL-Central0.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s blunt take with Brewers set to win NL Central</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-18T12:58:02-07:00">September 18th, 12:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-19T08:17:04-07:00">September 19th, 8:17am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If the Chicago Cubs lose to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday, the Milwaukee Brewers will officially win the NL Central. While it’s a humbling thought for most Cubs fans, Craig Counsell seems to have already considered the possibility.</p><p>Chicago sits 10 games behind Milwaukee for the NL Central lead with their 77-74 victory. Even if the Cubs do earn a win on Wednesday, Counsell still believes the Brewers <a href="https://x.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1836468935970963829" rel="noopener">will win the division</a>, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN.</p><p>“They’re likely to win the division, and we didn’t win, so they earned it,” Counsell said. “They deserve it. They beat us.”</p><p>Counsell <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/why-cubs-were-right-hire-brewers-craig-counsell-fire-david-ross">joined the Cubs</a> prior to the 2024 campaign after spending the first nine years of his managerial career with the Brewers. While many of the pieces have changed, he knows the organization well. Still, he decided to join Chicago in hopes of breathing new life into the franchise.</p><p>That didn’t happen in year one as the Cubs are poised to miss the postseason for the fourth year in a row barring a late Wild Card push. Craig Counsell has now seen the Brewers’ success up close and from afar. The next step is helping the Cubs get over the hump and reclaim the NL Central.</p><h2><b>What Cubs must do to catch Brewers in NL Central</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Craig-Counsell.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Chicago has found themselves right in the middle of the past two seasons. They seemed to find some momentum when they won 83 games in 2023. They technically still have a winning record in 2024. But mediocrity will not win the NL Central. Counsell knows the Cubs need excellence.</p><p>They’ve found some in their pitching staff, starting with Shota Imanaga. He was named an All-Star in his first year with the Cubs, posting a 14-3 record with a 3.03 ERA and a 170/28 K/BB ratio. Chicago will continue to build their rotation around him.</p><p>Players like Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon will also help carry the load. Steele holds a 3.09 ERA and a 131/34 K/BB ratio while Taillon has a 3.54 and a 119/29 K/BB ratio. Holding the eighth-best team ERA (3.80), the Cubs will be leaning on their pitching staff as they look to bounce back in 2024.</p><p>When it comes to their lineup, the status of Cody Bellinger will be crucial. He has an opt-out in his contract after the season. If he were to stay, it would be crucial for Chicago, as he has hit .270 with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs.</p><p>Players like Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch – who all have 20+ home runs on the season – should all play a major role in the lineup. As should <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-cubs-rays-blockbuster-isaac-paredes-trade">Isaac Paredes after the Cubs acquired him</a> at the deadline. But while they have a solid core, it’s clear Chicago could use some offensive help.</p><p>The Cubs are tied for 12th in runs scored with 695. They rank 15th in batting average (.243) and 19th in home runs (162). While there’s never a thing as too much good pitching, Chicago should be looking for a bat or two throughout the offseason.</p><p>Craig Counsell took the Cubs job for a reason. He sees their vision. In 2024, he has watched the Brewers control the NL Central. But come next season, Counsell is prepared for a Chicago uprising.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs manager Craig Counsell’s blunt take with Brewers set to win NL Central

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-news-shota-imanaga-thankful-message-to-craig-counsell-after-achieving-rookie-season-goal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shota Imanaga’s ‘thankful’ message to Craig Counsell after achieving rookie season goal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cubs-Shota-Imanaga-Craig-Counsell.jpg"></figure><h1>Shota Imanaga’s ‘thankful’ message to Craig Counsell after achieving rookie season goal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-17T07:57:19-07:00">September 17th, 7:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-17T07:57:19-07:00">September 17th, 7:57am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Shota Imanaga’s rookie MLB season with the Chicago Cubs <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-cubs-shota-imanaga">has been a success</a>.</p><p>The 31-year-old Imanaga made the All-Star team and has a 3.03 ERA across 166.1 innings. He has remained effective down the home stretch of the season, pitching seven innings in four of his nine starts since the calendar flipped to August. Although he probably won’t get to take the mound in the postseason, his first MLB journey went very well.</p><p>Imanaga was very thankful for Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who helped him <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/shota-imanaga-strikes-out-season-high-11-vs-a-s" rel="noopener">reach the innings total</a> he aimed for before the season, according to Casey Drottar of MLB.com.</p><p>“Starting the year, I had the goal to throw 162 innings,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry, via MLB.com. “Back in April, and before in Spring Training, I talked with Craig about the importance of being able to pitch throughout the season and into September. With him, he’s been very helpful in how he manages with me staying healthy being able to throw the innings that I can, so I’m very thankful for him.”</p><p>Imanaga missed some time in May and July but is still going to blow past his goal easily.</p><h2><b>Shota Imanaga pitched great rookie season for Cubs</b></h2><p>Counsell has widely been seen as one of the very best managers in MLB. The Cubs made a massive effort to get him. The immediate effects have not been anything insane but Imanaga’s insight <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-craig-counsell-opens-about-shota-imanaga-decision-no-hit-bid">shows his value to the team</a>. It certainly isn’t the fault of Counsell that Chicago is so close to slipping out of the playoff race.</p><p>The Cubs want to be a playoff contender and will lean on the pitching duo of Imanaga and 2023 All-Star Justin Steele, who battled injury in 2024. There is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-cubs-front-office-dealing-with-internal-friction">a lot of pressure</a> for the Cubs to put a winning team out there in the friendly confines but the team is not without stars.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Shota Imanaga’s ‘thankful’ message to Craig Counsell after achieving rookie season goal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/athletics-vs-cubs-prediction-odds-pick-9-17-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Athletics vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/17/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Athletics-vs-Cubs-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Athletics vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/17/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-17T07:23:40-07:00">September 17th, 7:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-17T07:23:40-07:00">September 17th, 7:23am</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>We’re back with yet another betting prediction and pick for Tuesday’s MLB slate as we turn our attention towards this interleague series matchup. The <b>Oakland Athletics </b>will visit the <b>Chicago Cubs </b>for Game 2 of their current three-game series. It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with an Athletics-Cubs prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Athletics-Cubs Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Mitch Spence (RHP)</b> vs. <b>Jordan Wicks (LHP)</b></p><p><b>Mitch Spence</b> (7-9) with a 4.33 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 113 K, 137.1 IP</p><p>Last Start: 9/12 @ HOU (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 K</p><p>2024 Road Splits: (3-4) with a 4.82 ERA, .261 OBA, 45 K, 65.1 IP</p><p><b>Jordan Wicks</b> (2-3) with a 5.27 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 38 K, 41.0 IP</p><p>Last Start: 9/11 @ LAD (L) – 3.0 IP, 7 ER, 2 K</p><p>2024 Home Splits: (1-2) with a 3.63 ERA, .265 OBA, 17 K, 17.1 IP</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Athletics-Cubs Odds</b></h2><p>Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-164)</p><p>Moneyline: +134</p><p>Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+136)</p><p>Moneyline: -158</p><p>Over: 8.5 (+102)</p><p>Under: 8.5 (-124)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Athletics vs. Cubs</b></h2><p>Time: 7:40 p.m. ET/ 4:40 p.m. PT</p><p>TV: NBC Sports California, Marquee Sports Network, MLB.TV</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Oakland Athletics are currently fourth in the American League West and sit 16.5 games back of the leading Houston Astros. They’re 14.5 games back of AL Wild Card contention and they’ll have to look towards next season for better luck. It’ll be another offseason of changes for the Athletics as they try to revamp their roster and prepare for their move out of Oakland. They have a chance to spoil the Cubs’ Wild Card chances with Chicago in the NL mix, but they’ll have to rebound after dropping two of three to the worst team in the majors just a series ago.</p><p>The Athletics will send Mitch Spence to the mound in hopes of picking up a win in his twenty-second start of the season. He’s made nine other appearances in relief and has been used in numerous situations for this pitching staff. He was solid through seven innings of his last start, but the Athletics couldn’t muster enough runs to outscore the Houston Astros. Expect Spence to have another deep outing into this one as he tries to silence one of the best-scoring clubs of the last month.</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Chicago Cubs are currently second in the National League Central and trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 10 games. The Brewers have really pulled away within the divisional race, but the Cubs are still alive within the NL Wild Card race, sitting just five games back of the New York Mets occupying the final spot. With series against the Athletics, Nationals, Phillies, and Reds remaining on their schedule, the Cubs can certainly make this a tighter race if they’re able to gain momentum and string wins together. The Mets still have Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Atlanta remaining on their schedule, so the time is now for the Cubs to lock in and make a push for the Postseason.</p><p>The Cubs will send Jordan Wicks to the mound for his tenth start of the season. He missed about three months of action due to injury and returned in early September, making three starts and going 1-2 in the time since. His last time out, Wicks allowed seven runs through just three innings of work, so he’ll be determined to put forth a better showing in this one. He’s still working on getting movement within his pitches and these games will prove to be important in returning him back to his previous form.</p><h2><b>Final Athletics-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>With the Oakland Athletics effectively out of Postseason contention, this series will prove massive for the Chicago Cubs as they try to make a run at the final NL Wild Card spot. This will be the first and only season meeting between these two teams and the Athletics come into this one riding back-to-back losses while the Cubs search for back-to-back wins.</p><p>The Cubs certainly have the advantage here with their bats, but it’s been no secret that Jordan Wicks has struggled in returning to his peak form after injury. He’s still good to give the Cubs a few solid innings of work, but he’s had trouble keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard. He’ll need every bit of help in finding runs from their own side as he tries to do damage control early.</p><p>For our final prediction, we have to roll with the Chicago Cubs to get this win and inch one step closer to the Wild Card. While Jordan Wicks may not see action deep into this game, the bats should wake up at home in Chicago as the Cubs know what they have to play for.</p><p><b>Final Athletics-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick: Chicago Cubs -1.5 (+136)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Athletics vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/17/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/athletics-vs-cubs-prediction-odds-pick-9-16-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Athletics vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/16/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Athletics-vs.-Cubs-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Athletics vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/16/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-16T06:16:19-07:00">September 16th, 6:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-16T06:16:19-07:00">September 16th, 6:16am</time><address><a>Cameron Zunkel</a>Cameron Zunkel is a former college athlete for the University of Illinois, Springfield. During that time, he earned his masters degree in Communication. After graduating in 2022, Cameron signed to play independent professional baseball with the Joliet Slammers, but his time was cut short due to injury. Nonetheless, his love for baseball and all sports never faded.Cameron loves the sports media and sports journalism side of things and does some light writing for a Chicago Cubs blog, as well. To go along with that, he loves sports betting and fantasy sports. He also loves digging on the research and creating content for both sports betting and fantasy sports!</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Oakland Athletics are in the Windy City to take on the Chicago Cubs Monday night. This game will continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> as we hand out an Athletics-Cubs prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.</p><h2><b>Athletics-Cubs Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Joey Estes</b> vs. <b>Shota Imanaga</b></p><p><b>Joey Estes</b> (7-7) with a 4.36 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 117.2 innings pitched, 88K/24BB, .242 oBA</p><p>Last Start: at Houston Astros: Win, 6.2 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts</p><p>2024 Road Splits: 12 games, 11 starts, 6.18 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 55.1 innings pitched, 45K/16BB, .286 oBA</p><p><b>Shota Imanaga</b> (13-3) with a 3.03 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 160.1 innings pitched, 159K/25BB, .225 oBA</p><p>Last Start: at Los Angeles Dodgers: Win, 7 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs, o walks, 4 strikeouts</p><p>2024 Home Splits: 14 starts, 2.93 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 83 innings pitched, 95K/9BB, .209 oBA</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: </b><b>Athletics-Cubs </b><b>Odds</b></h2><p>Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-132)</p><p>Moneyline: +158</p><p>Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+110)</p><p>Moneyline: -188</p><p>Over: 7.5 (-112)</p><p>Under: 7.5 (-108)</p><h2><b>How to Watch </b><b>Athletics vs. Cubs</b></h2><p>Time: 7:40 PM ET/4:40 PM PT</p><p>TV: NBC Sports California, Marquee Sports Network</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Joey Estes has actually thrown the ball well lately. In his last eight starts, Estes has a 3.50 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 35 strikeouts, and just five walks in 46.1 innings pitched. He will not strike a lot of batters out, but he can get them off balance and force weaker contact. Expect Estes to attack the zone, but also get some batters to chase. If he can continue to pitch well, the Athletics will have a great chance to win this game.</p><p>The Cubs are coming off a pretty bad weekend series loss against the Colorado Rockies. Needless to say, they are not playing their best baseball. Chicago really struggles at the plate, so it is not a surprise that they are cooling down. Chicago does not have a high slugging percentage, and they do not hit the ball very hard. Estes just needs to keep attacking and the Cubs will get themselves out.</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>Shota Imanaga is the Cubs best pitcher this season. He gives the Cubs their best chance to win when it comes to starting pitchers. In fact, the Cubs are 21-6 in Imanaga’s 27 starts this season. Imanaga has had a lot of success, and a lot of that is due to his chase rate. He gets opposing teams to chase 34.8 percent of the time. That is in the 97th percentile in the MLB. Along with that, Imanaga has a good whiff rate, and he does not walk batters. With him on the mound, the Cubs should have no problem winning this game.</p><p>The Athletics are not a good offensive team, so do not be surprised if Imanaga goes six or seven strong innings. Oakland has the third-highest whiff rate in the entire MLB, and they do not make a lot of contact if they happen to chase out of the zone. The only real threat in their lineup is Brent Rooker. Imanaga has a great chance to have another really good start.</p><p>One small thing to keep in mind is Estes is a flyball pitcher. He does not do a good job keeping the ball on the ground, and the Cubs have to take advantage of that. Chicago will put the ball in the air, and if the wind is blowing out at Wrigley, those balls are going to leave the yard.</p><h2><b>Final Athletics-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>I am not going to overthink this game. Yes the  Cubs are not playing their best baseball right now, but they are the better team. Along with that, the Cubs hardly ever lose when Shota Imanaga is on the mound. I am going to take the Cubs to win this game by at least two runs.</p><p><b>Final Athletics-Cubs Prediction &amp; Pick: Cubs -1.5</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Athletics vs. Cubs prediction, odds, pick – 9/16/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-cody-bellinger-opt-out-plan-excite-cubs');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Cody Bellinger’s opt out plan will excite the Cubs');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/MLB-rumors-Cody-Bellingers-opt-out-plan-will-excite-the-Cubs.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Cody Bellinger’s opt out plan will excite the Cubs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-15T17:03:35-07:00">September 15th, 5:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-15T17:03:35-07:00">September 15th, 5:03pm</time><address><a>Derek Hryn</a>Derek Hryn is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints specializing in NFL and NCAA Football coverage. Derek was previously a fantasy football expert at DK and SB Nation, and he has been featured at FanSided, USA Today, NBC Sports, The New York Post, and others.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago Cubs received some fortunate news on Cody Bellinger this weekend. The 28-year-old outfielder is fully expected to remain with the Cubs instead of opting out of his contract.</p><p>Bellinger is in the first year of a three-year, $80 million contract, and he <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/09/15/another-world-series-hangover-rangers-fail-to-repeat/75228742007/" rel="noopener">will make $27.5 million next year</a>, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.</p><p>Following San Francisco Giants third baseman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-players-benefit-giants-matt-chapman-contract-extension">Matt Chapman’s gigantic extension</a> from a week ago, it was expected that Bellinger would plan for a long-term deal to remain in Chicago, or seek a future with another club. That has changed in a hurry, as Bellinger won’t opt out of his current contract and is “fully expected” to remain with the Cubs.</p><p>Bellinger is having a decent season (.269/.332/.468), despite it being far from his previous output. The Cubs shopped around, albeit subtly, at the trade deadline in July to possibly move Bellinger after his slow start since he signed his three-year contract. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-cody-bellinger-injury-return-chicago">finishing top-10 in the MVP race</a> last season, the Cubs (75-73) are hoping that Bellinger can return to form as they attempt to make a playoff push this month.</p><h2><b>Cubs postseason chances come down to September</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Cody-Bellinger.jpg"><figcaption>Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Cubs are chasing the Milwaukee Brewers (86-62) in the NL Central. However, it’s not much looking like the Brewers will be caught. The Cubs are six games back on the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets in the NL Wild Card, but mainly they need some sort of collapse from the Mets in order to secure a spot.</p><p>Bellinger should be a huge part of what the Cubs attempt to accomplish for the final month of the season. Second baseman Nico Hoerner weighed in regarding the team’s playoff chances.</p><p>“<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5764416/2024/09/13/cubs-playoff-odds-clubhouse-reaction/" rel="noopener">There’s no hiding that</a>,” Hoerner said, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. “Of course, I’m looking to see if the Mets and Braves have won. Mathematically, it’s not in our control, right? We could win every game the rest of the year, and if they also win every game — like the Mets (seemingly) have — then you don’t go to the playoffs. Do we think we can do it? Yeah, we think we can continue to play really high-level baseball.</p><p>“I like the schedule that we have in front of us. I like how our group is playing. And I like our chances of having a really high winning percentage the rest of the season. We can’t control what the other teams do, especially when we don’t play them. That’s where you wish you had those head-to-head opportunities to make up ground.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Cody Bellinger’s opt out plan will excite the Cubs

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-vs-rockies-prediction-odds-pick-9-13-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs vs. Rockies prediction, odds, pick – 9/13/2024');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Cubs-vs.-Rockies-prediction-odds-pick-how-to-watch.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs vs. Rockies prediction, odds, pick – 9/13/2024</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-13T08:00:06-07:00">September 13th, 8:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-13T08:00:22-07:00">September 13th, 8:00am</time><address><a>Dominik Zawartko</a>Dominik Zawartko is a Michigan State graduate with a degree in Political Science and English. Having previously worked in the nonprofit and legal sectors, he decided to pursue his true love of writing with ClutchPoints. Dominik's hobbies include painting, cooking food, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and always having a laugh. His main focus areas are UFC coverage and all things sneakers.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>We’re set for yet another betting prediction and pick for this upcoming slate of MLB action as we head to the National League for this next matchup. The <b>Chicago Cubs </b>will continue their current road series against the <b>Colorado Rockies </b>as both teams open this new series. It’s time to continue our MLB odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Cubs-Rockies prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Cubs-Rockies Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Javier Assad (RHP)</b> vs. <b>Austin Gomber (LHP)</b></p><p><b>Javier Assad</b> (7-5) with a 3.14 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 111 K, 131.2 IP</p><p>Last Start: 9/7 vs. NYY (L) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 K</p><p>2024 Road Splits: (4-3) with a 4.01 ERA, .263 OBA, 58 K, 67.1 IP</p><p><b>Austin Gomber</b> (5-10) with a 4.50 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 108 K, 152.0 IP</p><p>Last Start: 9/5 @ ATL (W) – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 K</p><p>2024 Home Splits: (1-3) with a 4.43 ERA, .264 OBA, 39 K, 63.0 IP</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: Cubs-Rockies Odds</b></h2><p>Chicago Cubs: -1.5 (+106)</p><p>Moneyline: -142</p><p>Colorado Rockies: +1.5 (-128)</p><p>Moneyline: +120</p><p>Over: 10.5 (-120)</p><p>Under: 10.5 (-102)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Cubs vs. Rockies</b></h2><p>Time: 8:40 p.m. ET/ 5:40 p.m. PT</p><p>TV: Marquee Sports Network, MLB.TV</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Cubs Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Chicago Cubs are currently second in the National League Central, sitting 8.5 games back of the leading Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs are also just five games back of the final NL Wild Card slot and they’ll have to overtake the Atlanta Braves in the process if they want to squeeze into the Postseason. They’ve split their last 10 games at 5-5, but they’ve improved their stock with a recent 2-1 series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a number of peaks and valleys throughout the season, the Cubs are now within striking distance of the Postseason, but it’ll take some heroic efforts over these last few series in order to keep their hopes alive. They’ve scored 26 runs over the last four games and their bats have been producing, so it’ll be all about a strong pitching performance for them to be successful here.</p><p>The Cubs will send Javier Assad behind his winning record and solid marks on the road. He’s alternated wins and losses over the last five starts he’s made and he’s coming into this contest following a loss in his last outing. Still, he managed a solid start and only allowed one run through the loss, so it’s expected that he should put together another strong showing here. The Cubs lead this season series against the Rockies 3-0 and with this final series coming in a crucial time of the season for them, expect them to try and go for another sweep here in Colorado.</p><h2><b>Why The Rockies Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Colorado Rockies are currently fifth in the NL West and continue to hold one of the worst records in baseball. Their Postseason hopes diminished quite some time ago and the rest of the season will be about ending on a high note for morale purposes. They’ve gone just 4-6 over their last 10 games and most recently took down the Detroit Tigers 4-2 on the road. They can thank Jacob Stallings for lifting them to the win with his RBI in the ninth inning and he’s been a rare bright spot throughout this squad’s run this season. Expect them to carry some positive momentum into this series against Chicago.</p><p>The Rockies will send Austin Gomber to the mound after placing him on paternity leave earlier in the week. As the case is with all new fathers, we should see Gomber return refreshed and motivated in making this start in return to the game. He had a great outing his last appearance, pitching eight innings against the Atlanta Braves and only allowing one run in the process. He also struck out six batters, which was his highest total in over a month and a solid indication that he’s trying to get his record back on track.</p><h2><b>Final Cubs-Rockies Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>The Cubs will visit the Rockies for this upcoming three-game series and the meetings between these two teams this year have been all about the Chicago Cubs. They’re 3-0 against the Rockies this season and they’ve outscored them 26-10 through those three games. None of the contests have been particularly close and if the Cubs manage to continue scoring runs in this hitter-friendly ballpark, they should be able to contest for another series sweep in this one.</p><p>For our final prediction, we have to roll with the Chicago Cubs to get the win on the road here. They still have a small chance at catching the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card race and they should be determined to lock-in and put together a winning run of games during September. For now, let’s ride Chicago to find success during this series on the road.</p><p><b>Final Cubs-Rockies Prediction &amp; Pick: Chicago Cubs -1.5 (+106)</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cubs vs. Rockies prediction, odds, pick – 9/13/2024

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cubs-news-closer-deals-heart-scare-dodgers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cubs closer deals with heart scare vs. Dodgers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Closer-deals-with-heart-scare-vs.-Dodgers.jpg"></figure><h1>Cubs closer deals with heart scare vs. Dodgers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-11T09:47:45-07:00">September 11th, 9:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-11T09:47:45-07:00">September 11th, 9:47am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-pete-crow-armstrong-sounds-off-heroic-move-vs-dodgers">Chicago Cubs earned a 6-3 victory</a> over the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. But before the game was made final, closer Porter Hodge had to battle through a worrying health scare.</p><p>With the Dodgers down to their last out, Hodge <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41219511/cubs-closer-porter-hodge-heart-scare-gets-save" rel="noopener">stepped off the mound</a>. He was greeted by catcher Miguel Amaya, manager Craig Counsell and Chicago’s training staff. Hodge eventually went down to one knee and began rubbing his chest.</p><p>The closer was dealing with elevated heart rate, something that has been a recurring issue. Hodge ultimately was able to work through his scare and got Max Muncy to pop out, earning his fifth save of the season.</p><p>Hodge has been cleared to pitch, despite ongoing elevated heart rate issues. Still, Counsell said the team is considering further testing. After the scary sight, he was relived to see Hodge close out the game, via MLB.com.</p><p>“We noticed he was just going super fast, and then at some point, his heart was racing, and just to the point where he was concerned a little bit,” Counsell said. “He said it had happened to him before, and it would go away, and nothing would be of it. So it took him a couple minutes, but it went away and he said, ‘I’m good to go.'”</p><p>Porter Hodge was named closer <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-craig-counsell-stance-on-closer-role-after-hector-neris-latest-debacle">after Hector Neris’ poor performance in the role</a>. He has converted five saves since his role change, holding a 1.66 ERA and a 46/17 K/BB ratio over his 34 appearances overall. Still a 23-year-old rookie, Hodge could play himself into permanent Chicago closer.</p><p>But to do so, he must be on the mound. Craig Counsell and the Cubs will be mindful of Hodge’s heart problems for the remainder of his tenure with the team. They’re thankful Tuesday’s scare didn’t turn into anything more serious.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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