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  3.    <title>Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago Cubs: News, scores, updates and analysis</title>
  4.    <updated>2024-03-28T20:45:51.301-05:00</updated>
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  10.    <published>2024-03-28T20:45:51.301-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-03-28T20:45:51.301-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Cubs&#x27; Craig Counsell has a new team — and a Game 1 problem — to manage</title>
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  14.        
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  55.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cubs manager Craig Counsell sits in the dugout before the season opener against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gareth Patterson/AP Photos&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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  61.            &lt;p&gt;ARLINGTON, Texas — Before his very first regular-season game as manager of the Chicago &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;, Craig Counsell straightened his new uniform and stood in front of a mirror. His heart skipped a beat. A lump caught in his throat. A tear came to his eye and …&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Oh, forget it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look, some writerly narratives are meant to die a quick and painful death.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Yeah, that’s not me,” Counsell said in the visitor’s dugout at Globe Life Field. “I hate to say it, but that’s just not me. That’s just not how I’m wired. I love the game. I love trying to put it together. I love trying to help a group of guys win. This is our group of guys, man, and I’m fired up to go into a season — a journey — with them. But sentimental feelings? I’m not good at them.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What is he good at? Let’s remember &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2023/11/14/23960625/cubs-craig-counsell-jed-hoyer-david-ross-contract&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;how Cubs president Jed Hoyer put it&lt;/a&gt; after inking Counsell to a five-year, $40 million contract, blowing a hole in baseball’s managerial-compensation ceiling:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Pretty much the whole job.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;OK, that works.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Joe Maddon was such a gifted storyteller, he made you think and made you feel things. David Ross could be so warm and fuzzy — and real — his emotions never seemed to live far from the surface. Counsell is, it seems, a different kind of cat than either former manager. A bit more measured. A bit more stoic. That’s cool; now we know.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here’s something else that sets Counsell apart from his predecessors: How this season — this five-year experiment — goes is very much on him. At least in terms of public perception, it will be.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maddon was a rock-star manager, especially when he first arrived on the North Side, but he was just one part of a wonderful, winning package Theo Epstein was delivering to long-suffering Cubs fans. Ross was a first-timer, hired with the expectation that he would implement the directives and wishes of his bosses. But Counsell has swapped shades of blue to usher the Cubs into a new era. With all due respect to pitcher Kyle Hendricks, the last remaining member of the club’s first World Series-winning team in 108 years, 2016 might as well be eons ago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Counsell inherited a comparatively tiny drought, but Cubs fans will expect it to end on his watch just the same. There’s pressure that comes with his reputation, his contract and an enormous, emotionally invested fan base, and it isn’t going anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs aren’t supposed to be among the top World Series contenders quite yet, though. They aren’t even a consensus favorite in their division. One of those doesn’t seem to exist.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I will tell you I don’t really care what the consensus is or what prognosticators say,” Counsell said. “We’re going to try to win the Central. We’re going to try to get to October is what we’re going to try to do … [and] winning the Central is the best way to do it.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Besides, said the veteran of many a battle for the top of the National League Central, “I don’t think anybody’s been right for years.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Right off the bat, Counsell’s Cubs were dealt a potentially damaging blow when &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/cubs-opening-day-starter-justin-steele-exits-game-against-rangers-with-apparent-injury&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;starting pitcher Justin Steele went down&lt;/a&gt; in agony, holding the area of his left hamstring, after fielding a bunt in the fifth inning. Counsell — who talked before the game about how healthy the team was — paced grimly in the dugout, head down, as he often does when he’s thinking, processing. Perhaps this Steele episode will give us a better sense early on of what the new skipper is made of.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“He gets it,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “He’s really great. I think he’s going to be so good at piecing it all together for us.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s why Hoyer kneecapped Ross to go get Counsell, after all. That and, perhaps, the chance for Hoyer to escape Epstein’s long shadow once and for all.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Has Counsell had even a whisper of a second thought about leaving his hometown of Milwaukee after all those terrific years?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He shook his head side to side at that one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“[This] has been fun, been challenging, been uncomfortable in the way you want something to be,” he said. “I think it brings out the best in yourself when you have to be on point and you know there’s a new group that hasn’t heard what you’ve had to say, hadn’t heard the way you want something done. So you’ve got to be better, and I like that feeling. I think it’s a good feeling, and it’s a big part of why I’m here.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A wisenheimer reminded him an hour before the game that it wasn’t too late — there was still time to say to hell with the new job and go get a beer and watch the NCAA Tournament.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“It’s a good time to have some fun, start the journey and start the roller-coaster ride,” he said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The man is ready.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I’m in a good place,” he said. “I’m in a good place.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  62.        
  63.    </content>
  64.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/cubs-craig-counsell-justin-steele-rangers-mlb-opening-day" />
  65.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/cubs-craig-counsell-justin-steele-rangers-mlb-opening-day</id>
  66.    
  67.        <author>
  68.            
  69.                <name>Steve Greenberg</name>
  70.            
  71.        </author>
  72.    
  73. </entry>
  74.        
  75.            <entry>
  76.    <published>2024-03-28T20:09:36.433-05:00</published>
  77.    <updated>2024-03-29T00:19:38.758-05:00</updated>
  78.    <title>Cubs Opening Day starter Justin Steele exits game against Rangers with hamstring strain</title>
  79.    <content type="html">
  80.        
  81.            &lt;figure class=&quot;Figure&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;image-610000&quot; name=&quot;image-610000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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  112.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;Chicago Cubs v Texas Rangers&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cbaa7c2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F7c%2F73a6ca734b4caa4459c2378b1f02%2F2121193665.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c16b81d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ffa%2F7c%2F73a6ca734b4caa4459c2378b1f02%2F2121193665.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
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  121.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 28: Justin Steele #35 of the Chicago Cubs leaves the field after an injury during the fifth inning of the Opening Day game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on March 28, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776098042&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stacy Revere/Getty&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  122.    
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  124.  
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  127.            &lt;p&gt;ARLINGTON, Texas — What was shaping up to be a defining start in &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt; left-hander Justin Steele’s career ended with him lying on his back, clutching his left hamstring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steele exited the Cubs’ 4-3 loss in 10 innings Thursday to the &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/rangers-word-series-banner-ceremony-opening-day-gives-cubs-something-aim-for-ian-happ-leadoff-christopher-morel-nick-madrigal&quot;   &gt;Rangers on Opening Day&lt;/a&gt; with what manager Craig Counsell called a left hamstring strain after a bunt in the fifth inning. Steele is scheduled for an MRI exam Friday, but Counsell said he likely will land on the injured list.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“He’s pitching really, really well,” Counsell said. “Obviously an important member of the team. It looks like we’re going to miss him for a little bit here.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steele had held the Rangers to one run through the first four innings. Then with a runner on first and one out in the fifth and the game tied 1-1, the Rangers’ Leody Taveras put down a bunt up the first-base line.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steele chased after it, fielding the ball and flipping it to first base for the out. But as Steele made the play, he stumbled and rolled into foul territory. Immediately, he grabbed his left hamstring. Steele walked off the field with head athletic trainer Nick Frangella.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“When I was leaning over and backhanding the ball, just kind of felt something grab,” Steele said. “So just went down with it and didn’t want to do anything to risk further injury.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The timeline of Steele’s recovery was not immediately clear. Counsell said the Cubs hadn’t yet discussed who would fill in for Steele while he is out.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs have starting depth in the bullpen, where lefty Drew Smyly began the season, and in Triple-A, where Hayden Wesneski was optioned late in spring training. But the rotation is already without right-hander Jameson Taillon (strained lower back).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“You’re going to have things like this happen during the season,” Counsell said. “First day of the season, it probably stings a little worse. But this is going to be part of our season, and it’s testing us immediately.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steele said he was nervous leading up to his &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/09/justin-steele-chicago-cubs-opening-day-starter-craig-counsell-texas-rangers&quot;   &gt;first Opening Day start&lt;/a&gt;. But he didn’t show it on the mound.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“It was good to feel all those emotions and get back out there, get on the horse again,” Steele said, “and have a speedy recovery from this and get right back out there.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The first pitch Steele threw was a strike, a fastball at the top of the strike zone that Rangers leadoff hitter Marcus Semien fouled off. Steele fell behind 3-2, but he came back with two sliders. The first, Semien watched for a strike. The second, he swung at and missed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Steele was similarly dominant through the first three innings, holding the Rangers hitless. The Cubs took the lead on a second-inning sacrifice fly by Dansby Swanson.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“It was typical Justin Steele,” Counsell said. “They were super-aggressive swinging, but he was still getting a ton of swing-and-miss, which is really impressive against a very good offensive team.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Rangers finally ended their hitless streak in the fourth inning. Josh Jung won an eight-pitch battle against Steele, lining a double into right-center field. Adolis Garcia, the next batter, hit the ball sharply at third baseman Nick Madrigal, who couldn’t quite handle what was ruled a single.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With runners on the corners, Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford hit a game-tying sacrifice fly. Then Steele recovered to strike out Jonah Heim on four pitches, ending the inning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After giving up a leadoff double to Ezequiel Duran in the fifth inning, then inducing Evan Carter to ground into a fielder’s choice, Steele had thrown 66 pitches.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The next pitch he threw, Taveras bunted. And that play spelled the end of Steele’s night. The Cubs would go on to lose the game on a walk-off single by Heim in the 10th inning.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  128.        
  129.    </content>
  130.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/cubs-opening-day-starter-justin-steele-exits-game-against-rangers-with-apparent-injury" />
  131.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/cubs-opening-day-starter-justin-steele-exits-game-against-rangers-with-apparent-injury</id>
  132.    
  133.        <author>
  134.            
  135.                <name>Maddie Lee</name>
  136.            
  137.        </author>
  138.    
  139. </entry>
  140.        
  141.            <entry>
  142.    <published>2024-03-28T19:27:23.676-05:00</published>
  143.    <updated>2024-03-29T00:26:49.038-05:00</updated>
  144.    <title>Rangers&#x27; Word Series banner ceremony on Opening Day gives Cubs something to aim for</title>
  145.    <content type="html">
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  178.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;Chicago Cubs v Texas Rangers&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6f4785e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F38%2F74%2F4749462d4719a1c0bc05d6d82a77%2F2121127341.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b9bd91f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3367+0+316/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F38%2F74%2F4749462d4719a1c0bc05d6d82a77%2F2121127341.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
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  187.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 28: The Texas Rangers unveil their 2023 World Series Champions banner prior to the Opening Day game against the Chicago Cubs at Globe Life Field on March 28, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776098042&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stacy Revere/Getty&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  188.    
  189. &lt;/figure&gt;
  190.  
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  193.            &lt;p&gt;ARLINGTON, Texas — The &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt; looked on from the visitors’ dugout at Globe Life Field as the Rangers unfurled their 2023 World Series banner in the right-field rafters Thursday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Fireworks boomed; fans roared; ‘‘We Are the Champions’’ blared. The World Series trophy sat on a podium behind home plate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Seeing it on the other side, that’s where we want to get to,” right-hander &lt;b&gt;Kyle Hendricks &lt;/b&gt;said late in spring training. “So having that example in front of you, that extra motivation, to be able to start there [in Texas] and get the ceremony and play against them, just that whole bit will be great for our experience and kick-start the season for us and show us where we’ll be headed for the year.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Opening Day always carries some level of pomp and circumstance. But the reigning World Series champions have a little more included in their festivities. Before the banner dropped, manager &lt;b&gt;Bruce Bochy &lt;/b&gt;took the mic, rousing fans into a deafening frenzy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Rangers plan to hold their ring ceremony Saturday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“You’re very respectful of that,” Cubs manager &lt;b&gt;Craig Counsell&lt;/b&gt; said. “That’s how I always treat that. It’s really hard to do, and we’re all trying to do it. Anytime you see it, you’re kind of happy for those people. You’re a little jealous, honestly, but it’s so hard to do that you respect what they’re getting to do.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs had six players make the Opening Day roster for the first time: catcher &lt;b&gt;Miguel Amaya&lt;/b&gt;, first baseman &lt;b&gt;Michael Busch&lt;/b&gt;, third baseman/designated hitter &lt;b&gt;Christopher Morel&lt;/b&gt; and pitchers &lt;b&gt;Shota Imanaga, Jordan Wicks &lt;/b&gt;and &lt;b&gt;Luke Little&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“It’s a big deal to be on the Opening Day roster,” left fielder &lt;b&gt;Ian Happ&lt;/b&gt; said. “It’s a big deal being in a big-league camp for spring training and to make it through that to be on the Opening Day roster, to be here for a full season . . . it’s pretty special. And so just to share that with those guys and let them know how proud the whole group is of them, and they’re gonna be a big part of this.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Happ leads off&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Happ led off against the Rangers, reclaiming a role he last held regularly early in 2021.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“It’s putting yourself in the best position to be on base for those guys behind you — in our lineup specifically, giving &lt;b&gt;Seiya &lt;/b&gt;[&lt;b&gt;Suzuki&lt;/b&gt;] and [&lt;b&gt;Cody Bellinger&lt;/b&gt;] an opportunity to drive in runs,” Happ said before the game. “That’s my job. And you take the first at-bat, and then it becomes a normal game.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Happ, a switch hitter, likely will begin the season leading off against right-handers. Against lefties, &lt;b&gt;Nico Hoerner&lt;/b&gt; is a leading candidate for the top of the order. But Happ, who only played in nine spring-training games because of a &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/02/cubs-injuries-ian-happ-sidelined-hamstring-strain-expected-back-before-opening-day-jameson-taillon-patrick-wisdom&quot;   &gt;strained left hamstring&lt;/a&gt;, could claim the spot full-time, depending on his performance from the right side of the plate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Madrigal at third&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morel spent all spring working out at third base, trying to get more comfortable at the position. But he served as the DH, and &lt;b&gt;Nick Madrigal&lt;/b&gt; started at third.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Chris is going to play a ton of third base,” Counsell said. “There will be times with certain pitcher matchups, like a lot of right-handed hitters in the lineup, just the nature of . . . where the ball is going to be hit [against Cubs starter &lt;b&gt;Justin Steele&lt;/b&gt;], that we might choose to prioritize defense — and with pitcher splits and things like that. So this is a day that fits for that.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Roster moves&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs made three injured-list moves official as they finalized their Opening Day roster. As expected, they put right-hander &lt;b&gt;Caleb Kilian&lt;/b&gt; (strained right shoulder) on the 60-day IL, right-hander &lt;b&gt;Jameson Taillon&lt;/b&gt; (strained back) on the 15-day IL and corner infielder &lt;b&gt;Patrick Wisdom&lt;/b&gt; (strained back) on the 10-day IL. They also added veteran first baseman &lt;b&gt;Garrett Cooper &lt;/b&gt;to the roster.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  194.        
  195.    </content>
  196.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/rangers-word-series-banner-ceremony-opening-day-gives-cubs-something-aim-for-ian-happ-leadoff-christopher-morel-nick-madrigal" />
  197.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/28/rangers-word-series-banner-ceremony-opening-day-gives-cubs-something-aim-for-ian-happ-leadoff-christopher-morel-nick-madrigal</id>
  198.    
  199.        <author>
  200.            
  201.                <name>Maddie Lee</name>
  202.            
  203.        </author>
  204.    
  205. </entry>
  206.        
  207.            <entry>
  208.    <published>2024-03-28T10:25:42.431-05:00</published>
  209.    <updated>2024-03-28T10:25:42.431-05:00</updated>
  210.    <title>Bob Uecker, 90, will call Brewers&#x27; home opener, but schedule for rest of the season is unclear</title>
  211.    <content type="html">
  212.        
  213.            &lt;figure class=&quot;Figure&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;image-090000&quot; name=&quot;image-090000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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  244.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker stands during the seventh inning stretch of a 2020 game.&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/29eac30/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1864x1046+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2F3a%2F6a202e0d455393fadb9069769d35%2Ffront-row.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/835194d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1864x1046+0+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F02%2F3a%2F6a202e0d455393fadb9069769d35%2Ffront-row.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
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  246.        &gt;
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  252.    
  253.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker will be back behind the microphone when the Brewers play their home opener Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morry Gash/AP&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  254.    
  255. &lt;/figure&gt;
  256.  
  257.        
  258.        
  259.            &lt;p&gt;MILWAUKEE  — Bob Uecker will be back behind the microphone when the Milwaukee Brewers play their home opener Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How heavy a broadcasting workload the 90-year-old Uecker will have the rest of the season remains uncertain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&quot;Bob Uecker calling the first pitch of the Brewers home opener is the official start of summer in Milwaukee,&quot; Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said Wednesday in a statement the team released on social media. &quot;Bob expects to be back at the mic on April 2 to call the game on WTMJ and the network, and he&#x27;ll take it one day at a time after that.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Uecker has been synonymous with Milwaukee baseball for over half a century. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971 and has been part of their broadcast team ever since, though he has limited himself to home radio assignments for the last several years.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last season, Uecker maintained a regular pregame presence on the field and in the locker room. He even participated in the Brewers&#x27; champagne-soaked, locker-room celebration after they clinched their NL Central title.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Brewers have honored him with two statues, one that&#x27;s outside American Family Field and another in the back row of the terrace level, a nod to the old Miller Lite commercial in which he said, &quot;I must be in the front row!&quot; as he was escorted to the back of a stadium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Uecker had his 50th season of broadcasting baseball during that 2020 campaign.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Uecker played in the majors from 1962-67 with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, but he became much more famous during his post-playing career.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He worked as a national color commentator for ABC and NBC baseball telecasts and earned fame beyond that of the usual broadcaster following his appearances in late-night talk shows, beer commercials and the movie &quot;Major League.&quot; He also starred in &quot;Mr. Belvedere,&quot; an ABC sitcom that aired over 100 episodes from 1985-90.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  260.        
  261.    </content>
  262.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2024/03/28/bob-uecker-90-will-call-brewers-home-opener-but-schedule-for-rest-of-the-season-is-unclear" />
  263.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2024/03/28/bob-uecker-90-will-call-brewers-home-opener-but-schedule-for-rest-of-the-season-is-unclear</id>
  264.    
  265.        <author>
  266.            
  267.                <name>Associated Press</name>
  268.            
  269.        </author>
  270.    
  271. </entry>
  272.        
  273.            <entry>
  274.    <published>2024-03-27T17:41:56.262-05:00</published>
  275.    <updated>2024-03-28T09:43:45.141-05:00</updated>
  276.    <title>Craig Counsell hasn&#x27;t managed a regular-season game yet, but he already feels like a Cub</title>
  277.    <content type="html">
  278.        
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  310.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;Cubs maanger Craig Counsell stands during the national anthem during the spring taining opener at Sloan Park.&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e4cbfb5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2020+0+190/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F64%2F45%2Faf9771d942e1a33c4c51724dc76b%2Fst24-counsell-11-8x12.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/60882dd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2020+0+190/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F64%2F45%2Faf9771d942e1a33c4c51724dc76b%2Fst24-counsell-11-8x12.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
  311.        data-src=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e4cbfb5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2020+0+190/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F64%2F45%2Faf9771d942e1a33c4c51724dc76b%2Fst24-counsell-11-8x12.jpg&quot; data-lazy-load=&quot;true&quot; src=&quot;data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=&quot;
  312.        &gt;
  313.  
  314. &lt;/picture&gt;
  315.  
  316.    
  317.  
  318.    
  319.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cubs maanger Craig Counsell stands during the national anthem during the spring taining opener at Sloan Park.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;John Antonoff/For the Sun-Times&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  320.    
  321. &lt;/figure&gt;
  322.  
  323.        
  324.        
  325.            &lt;p&gt;MESA, Ariz. — Once manager Craig Counsell stepped into the clubhouse on the first day of spring training, referring to the &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt; as “we” felt pretty natural.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“When you’re with players and with people that you’re going to go on this journey with, it flips pretty fast,” he said in a recent conversation with the Sun-Times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For the last 17 years, the Cubs had been not just any “them” but a division rival of Counsell’s Brewers, whom he represented as a player, front-office member and manager. But in November, he took a leap, leaving the job he’d held for almost a decade to join the Cubs. On Thursday, when the Cubs open the season against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, he’ll make the first mark on his Cubs managerial record.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Frankly, managing in Chicago was something I had definitely thought about at times,” Counsell said. “And you don’t know these opportunities are going to come.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Counsell, who had connections to Chicago, wasn’t actively pining after the city some 90 miles south of Milwaukee. But then the opportunity actually arose when the Cubs became a late entry into the Counsell free-agency sweepstakes this winter. A new challenge, paired with a &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2023/11/6/23949204/cubs-will-hire-craig-counsell-to-replace-david-ross-as-manager&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;record-breaking contract for five years and $40 million&lt;/a&gt;, helped seal the deal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“You get to points in your life and figure out, do I want to try something, do I want to challenge myself, do I want something different?” Counsell said. “And everybody’s got to answer that question for themselves.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When Counsell answered “yes,” it was clear a lot was about to change, for him and the Cubs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A Craig Counsell Park sign in Whitefish Bay was vandalized. Spectators who spotted him at a Bucks game in late November took to social media to voice their displeasure. But he said that in person he didn’t have any issues with disappointed fans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“That’s what the fandom is, so I understand that,” he said. “And I’m good with it. Certainly the longer you’re with it, it’s easier, for sure. At the beginning, it’s new, and it’s a little more raw for me and fans. And so I get it.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the offseason, Counsell was commuting to the Cubs’ offices from Milwaukee about once a week. And already he was challenging convention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Really since we brought in Joe [Maddon] at the end of ’14, we’ve been pretty constant,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said of the manager position. “[David Ross] knew a lot of these guys, he’d been with us as a player and then as a special assistant. And so having someone truly outside the organization to bring in new ideas, in that space, has been awhile. . . . I view it as a huge positive, that I want those ideas and want those thoughts.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If Counsell &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2023/12/5/23990092/cubs-manager-craig-counsell-making-impact-several-areas-organization-free-agency-winter-meetings&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;didn’t like the interface&lt;/a&gt; on a program while sitting down with the research and development department, he said so. (“When you challenge R&amp;amp;D, they’ve got pretty good answers,” he said with a laugh.) And as he settled into the job, he kept asking questions about why certain norms were in place. If the answer made sense, great. If it didn’t, it was time to explore the topic further.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I might ask bad questions,” Counsell said. “But I think questions are good. And we should all be questioned. That’s how we get better.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In his news conference on the first day of spring training, Counsell said &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/02/14/cubs-craig-counsell-manager-brewers-spring-training-mesa&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;he was anxious&lt;/a&gt;, and that was a good thing.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;RelatedList Enhancement&quot; data-module data-align-center&gt;
  326.    
  327.     &lt;div class=&quot;RelatedList-title&quot;&gt;Related&lt;/div&gt;
  328.    
  329.  
  330.    
  331.        &lt;ul class=&quot;RelatedList-items&quot;&gt;
  332.            
  333.                &lt;li class=&quot;RelatedList-items-item&quot;&gt;
  334.                    &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/02/29/craig-counsells-managing-style-reflected-cubs-new-spring-training-workout-format-nico-hoerner-matt-shaw-justin-steele&quot;   &gt;Craig Counsell’s managing style is reflected in the Cubs’ new spring training workout format&lt;/a&gt;
  335.                &lt;/li&gt;
  336.            
  337.        &lt;/ul&gt;
  338.    
  339. &lt;/div&gt;
  340. &lt;p&gt;It’s different now, heading into the regular season. Most of that anxiety is gone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“There are certainly still some things that I’m behind on,” he said, “in terms of, just knowing when Kyle Hendricks gets tired — you just can’t know that as well as I have with somebody that I’ve watched start 50 games.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Counsell will lean on longer-tenured coaches to fill in those kinds of gaps. And there will be flash points of newness, like Opening Day with his new team or the home opener at Wrigley Field.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He will be leading a different group of players. He’ll be wearing a different shade of blue. He’ll be renting a place not far from Wrigley, so during home series, he’ll have a new commute to a different stadium. But for the most part, he said, “I feel like I’m going into another season.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It’s an easy drive back to Milwaukee to spend time with his wife, Michelle, and their kids on days off — their two sons are away at college, but their two daughters are still in high school. And the family will visit Chicago, too.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“It doesn’t change things for the family because this is our life,” Counsell said. “This is what I’ve done; this is what I’ve always done; this is the schedule our life has been on. And so from that perspective, it’s really not different.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As much change as Counsell has navigated in his job the last five months, it’s still baseball.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  341.        
  342.    </content>
  343.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/27/craig-counsell-hasnt-managed-regular-season-game-yet-but-already-feels-like-cubs-rangers-opening-day" />
  344.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/27/craig-counsell-hasnt-managed-regular-season-game-yet-but-already-feels-like-cubs-rangers-opening-day</id>
  345.    
  346.        <author>
  347.            
  348.                <name>Maddie Lee</name>
  349.            
  350.        </author>
  351.    
  352. </entry>
  353.        
  354.            <entry>
  355.    <published>2024-03-27T14:24:35.054-05:00</published>
  356.    <updated>2024-03-27T15:07:53.268-05:00</updated>
  357.    <title>Opening Day: 2024 Cubs just need a few things to go right … and then a few more</title>
  358.    <content type="html">
  359.        
  360.            &lt;figure class=&quot;Figure&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;image-690000&quot; name=&quot;image-690000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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  390.        
  391.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;The Cubs’ Cody Bellinger celebrating a hit against the Brewers.&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e8c85f6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2417x1356+0+128/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24894399%2F1649264350.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1536e4e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2417x1356+0+128/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24894399%2F1649264350.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
  392.        data-src=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e8c85f6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2417x1356+0+128/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24894399%2F1649264350.jpg&quot; data-lazy-load=&quot;true&quot; src=&quot;data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=&quot;
  393.        &gt;
  394.  
  395. &lt;/picture&gt;
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  398.  
  399.    
  400.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs’ Cody Bellinger celebrates a hit against the Brewers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michael Reaves/Getty Images&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  401.    
  402. &lt;/figure&gt;
  403.  
  404.        
  405.        
  406.            &lt;p&gt;ARLINGTON, Texas — The &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;’ Cody Bellinger got that &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2023/11/2/23943848/players-choice-awards-cody-bellinger-wins-nl-comeback-player-of-the-year&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;Comeback Player of the Year&lt;/a&gt; thing out of the way in 2023. Now all he has to do is move up from 10th in the National League MVP standings and make a real run at winning the award in 2024. Easy, right?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Right fielder Seiya Suzuki merely needs to take what he did last August and September, when he tore the cover off the ball, and apply it over a full season. Christopher Morel must keep all that electric power, eliminate a bunch of strikeouts and, oh, while he’s at it, can he go ahead and lock down third base?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As long as &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/09/justin-steele-chicago-cubs-opening-day-starter-craig-counsell-texas-rangers&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;Justin Steele pitches again at a Cy Young kind of level&lt;/a&gt;, everything will be peachy on that front. And assuming newcomer Shota Imanaga takes to big league pitching right from the jump, Adbert Alzolay continues as a legit closer, Hector Neris makes the back end of the bullpen wicked and all the other hurlers from Kyle Hendricks to Javier Assad to Jordan Wicks pull their weight, there won’t be many complaints.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, all the Cubs are asking of rookie Michael Busch is to be the answer at first base that Eric Hosmer, Trey Mancini and Matt Mervis weren’t.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And the Cubs need shortstop Dansby Swanson to be an All-Star and second baseman Nico Hoerner to progress toward being one himself and — of course — for the team to stay as healthy as possible.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If all that happens? Mega-millions manager Craig Counsell might not even have to make all the difference for the Cubs to win their division — even run away with it — and be the playoff team they weren’t a year ago.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, sure, why the heck not?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What could go wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And so what if the Cardinals, Reds, Pirates and Brewers all are trying to do essentially the same thing?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You might have heard, but Opening Day is here. It starts Thursday at Globe Life Field against the World Series champion Rangers, who will receive their rings and raise a banner for all eternity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That’s where these Cubs are trying to get to, and the pressure to at least do a lot better in 2024 is real.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“That’s what it is,” Counsell said after taking the job. “That’s what it should be. We should be expected to win, regardless.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;RelatedList Enhancement&quot; data-module data-align-center&gt;
  407.    
  408.     &lt;div class=&quot;RelatedList-title&quot;&gt;Related&lt;/div&gt;
  409.    
  410.  
  411.    
  412.        &lt;ul class=&quot;RelatedList-items&quot;&gt;
  413.            
  414.                &lt;li class=&quot;RelatedList-items-item&quot;&gt;
  415.                    &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2024/03/27/espn-will-examine-cubs-switch-from-david-ross-to-craig-counsell-on-opening-night-broadcast&quot;   &gt;ESPN will examine Cubs’ switch from David Ross to Craig Counsell on opening-night broadcast&lt;/a&gt;
  416.                &lt;/li&gt;
  417.            
  418.        &lt;/ul&gt;
  419.    
  420. &lt;/div&gt;
  421. &lt;p&gt;The Cubs had a lot of things go right last season, when they were third in the NL in runs scored and, for most of the way, played a pleasing brand of baseball. But they lost 15 of their last 22 to end up a game out of the playoffs — an epic choke, an all-out collapse, a spectacular implosion, whatever you want to call it — at 83-79.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We want them to be better, expect them to be better, demand they be better, and yet hang on a second here — if you consult the various projection models and the gambling sites, they might not be better. Everywhere you look, the Cubs are forecast to be in the range of 82 to 84 wins or so.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And not only that, but the early-season schedule is daunting. Twenty-two of the first 32 games are against the Rangers, Dodgers, Padres, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Astros and Yankees. All those teams are projected to be winning clubs. How does 16-16 after all that sound? Not so good? Seems realistic, though.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Sun-Times ran a feature package last Sunday on &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/trip-back-in-time-to-1984-reveals-plenty-of-great-memories-but-ultimate-heartbreak-for-cubs-fans&quot;   &gt;the 1984 Cubs,&lt;/a&gt; who are known for the heartbreak of falling a game short of the World Series. But what bothers some of those players more is that their team kind of just fell off the map after that season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/the-cubs-sandberg-game-started-an-amazing-run&quot;   &gt;Ryne Sandberg&lt;/a&gt; went into 1985 feeling absolutely certain the Cubs’ arrow was pointed up, and for a while it appeared to be the case. In mid-June, they were 16 games above .500 and had a four-game lead in the NL East. But then the wheels came off — a brutal and shocking 13-game losing streak, which was followed by a 1-10 stretch in July. The final record was 77-84. By 1989, the next time the Cubs made the playoffs, the only ones left were &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/the-84-cubs-full-confidence-in-rick-sutcliffe&quot;   &gt;Rick Sutcliffe&lt;/a&gt;, Scott Sanderson and Sandberg.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I guess I was young and somewhat naive at the time,” Sandberg lamented a few years ago. “You can’t take anything for granted in this game. You have to win when you have the chance.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This Cubs team has a chance. What they do with it — or don’t — will be the story.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;RichTextSidebarModule Enhancement&quot; data-module data-align-center&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;module-b10000&quot; name=&quot;module-b10000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  422.  
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  427. &gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;list-080001&quot; name=&quot;list-080001&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;PageList-header&quot; &gt;
  428.    &lt;div class=&quot;PageList-header-title-wrap&quot; &gt;
  429.        
  430.            &lt;div class=&quot;PageList-header-title&quot;&gt;1984: Cubs’ postseason of heartbreak&lt;/div&gt;
  431.        
  432.  
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  434.    &lt;/div&gt;
  435.  
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  449.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-media&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot; aria-label=&quot;Trip back in time to 1984 reveals plenty of great memories, but ultimate heartbreak, for Cubs fans&quot; href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/trip-back-in-time-to-1984-reveals-plenty-of-great-memories-but-ultimate-heartbreak-for-cubs-fans&quot; &gt;&lt;picture data-crop=&quot;small&quot;&gt;
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  476.  
  477.        
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  486.  
  487.  
  488.    
  489.  
  490.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromoA-content&quot;&gt;
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  492.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-category&quot;&gt;
  493.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;
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  495.  
  496.  
  497.  
  498.        
  499.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-title&quot;&gt;
  500.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/trip-back-in-time-to-1984-reveals-plenty-of-great-memories-but-ultimate-heartbreak-for-cubs-fans&quot;   &gt;Trip back in time to 1984 reveals plenty of great memories, but ultimate heartbreak, for Cubs fans&lt;/a&gt;
  501.    &lt;/div&gt;
  502.  
  503.  
  504.  
  505.        
  506.  
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  511.                &lt;span&gt;By&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/steve-greenberg&quot;   &gt;Steve Greenberg&lt;/a&gt;
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  520.  
  521.        
  522.  
  523.    &lt;/div&gt;
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  543.        
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  561.  
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  570. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  571.  
  572.  
  573.    
  574.  
  575.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromoA-content&quot;&gt;
  576.        
  577.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-category&quot;&gt;
  578.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;
  579.    &lt;/div&gt;
  580.  
  581.  
  582.  
  583.        
  584.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-title&quot;&gt;
  585.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/cubs-took-their-time-building-the-1984-division-champs&quot;   &gt;Cubs took their time building the 1984 division champs &lt;/a&gt;
  586.    &lt;/div&gt;
  587.  
  588.  
  589.  
  590.        
  591.  
  592.  
  593.        
  594.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-byline&quot;&gt;
  595.        &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-author&quot;&gt;
  596.                &lt;span&gt;By&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/maddie-lee&quot;   &gt;Maddie Lee&lt;/a&gt;
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  605.  
  606.        
  607.  
  608.    &lt;/div&gt;
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  617.    
  618.        
  619.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-media&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot; aria-label=&quot;The ’84 Cubs showed full confidence in Rick Sutcliffe &quot; href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/the-84-cubs-full-confidence-in-rick-sutcliffe&quot; &gt;&lt;picture data-crop=&quot;small&quot;&gt;
  620.    
  621.            
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  624.            
  625.        
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  627.        
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  643.  
  644.    
  645.  
  646.  
  647.        
  648.        
  649.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;Cubs NL East Pennant 1984&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/21cda44/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1710+0+0/resize/100x57!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F33%2Fa7%2Fdbcab55e4a87b72ccc7f8fcb117a%2Fclinch.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/471a1ca/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1710+0+0/resize/200x114!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F33%2Fa7%2Fdbcab55e4a87b72ccc7f8fcb117a%2Fclinch.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; height=&quot;57&quot;
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  652.  
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  654.  
  655. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  656.  
  657.  
  658.    
  659.  
  660.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromoA-content&quot;&gt;
  661.        
  662.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-category&quot;&gt;
  663.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;
  664.    &lt;/div&gt;
  665.  
  666.  
  667.  
  668.        
  669.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-title&quot;&gt;
  670.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/the-84-cubs-full-confidence-in-rick-sutcliffe&quot;   &gt;The ’84 Cubs showed full confidence in Rick Sutcliffe &lt;/a&gt;
  671.    &lt;/div&gt;
  672.  
  673.  
  674.  
  675.        
  676.  
  677.  
  678.        
  679.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-byline&quot;&gt;
  680.        &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-author&quot;&gt;
  681.                &lt;span&gt;By&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/maddie-lee&quot;   &gt;Maddie Lee&lt;/a&gt;
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  687.    &lt;/div&gt;
  688.  
  689.  
  690.  
  691.        
  692.  
  693.    &lt;/div&gt;
  694. &lt;/div&gt;
  695.  
  696.                
  697.            &lt;/div&gt;
  698.        
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  700.                
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  702.    
  703.        
  704.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-media&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot; aria-label=&quot;Despite their failure, the ’69 Cubs still dominate top 10 of franchise’s 50 best players&quot; href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/despite-their-failure-the-69-cubs-still-dominate-top-10-of-franchises-50-best-players&quot; &gt;&lt;picture data-crop=&quot;small&quot;&gt;
  705.    
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  736.        &gt;
  737.  
  738. &lt;/picture&gt;
  739.  
  740. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  741.  
  742.  
  743.    
  744.  
  745.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromoA-content&quot;&gt;
  746.        
  747.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-category&quot;&gt;
  748.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;
  749.    &lt;/div&gt;
  750.  
  751.  
  752.  
  753.        
  754.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-title&quot;&gt;
  755.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/despite-their-failure-the-69-cubs-still-dominate-top-10-of-franchises-50-best-players&quot;   &gt;Despite their failure, the ’69 Cubs still dominate top 10 of franchise’s 50 best players&lt;/a&gt;
  756.    &lt;/div&gt;
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  766.                &lt;span&gt;By&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/mark-potash&quot;   &gt;Mark Potash&lt;/a&gt;
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  778.    &lt;/div&gt;
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  788.        
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  815.  
  816.  
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  818.        
  819.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;MARLINS CUBS&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0459907/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1140+0+0/resize/100x57!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F92%2Fbf%2F360060084063b50c1bb0a1fb989a%2Fsandberg.JPG 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6ae048e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1140+0+0/resize/200x114!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F92%2Fbf%2F360060084063b50c1bb0a1fb989a%2Fsandberg.JPG 2x&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; height=&quot;57&quot;
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  821.        &gt;
  822.  
  823. &lt;/picture&gt;
  824.  
  825. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  826.  
  827.  
  828.    
  829.  
  830.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromoA-content&quot;&gt;
  831.        
  832.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-category&quot;&gt;
  833.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;
  834.    &lt;/div&gt;
  835.  
  836.  
  837.  
  838.        
  839.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-title&quot;&gt;
  840.        &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/the-cubs-sandberg-game-started-an-amazing-run&quot;   &gt;The Cubs’ ‘Sandberg Game’ started an amazing run&lt;/a&gt;
  841.    &lt;/div&gt;
  842.  
  843.  
  844.  
  845.        
  846.  
  847.  
  848.        
  849.    &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-byline&quot;&gt;
  850.        &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-author&quot;&gt;
  851.                &lt;span&gt;By&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/maddie-lee&quot;   &gt;Maddie Lee&lt;/a&gt;
  852.            &lt;div class=&quot;PagePromo-date&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1711360800000&gt;
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  857.    &lt;/div&gt;
  858.  
  859.  
  860.  
  861.        
  862.  
  863.    &lt;/div&gt;
  864. &lt;/div&gt;
  865.  
  866.                
  867.            &lt;/div&gt;
  868.        
  869.        &lt;/div&gt;
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  871.  
  872.    
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  874. &lt;/bsp-list-loadmore&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  875.  
  876.  
  877. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  878.        
  879.    </content>
  880.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/27/mlb-opening-day-cubs-chicago-craig-counsell-rangers-2024" />
  881.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/27/mlb-opening-day-cubs-chicago-craig-counsell-rangers-2024</id>
  882.    
  883.        <author>
  884.            
  885.                <name>Steve Greenberg</name>
  886.            
  887.        </author>
  888.    
  889. </entry>
  890.        
  891.            <entry>
  892.    <published>2024-03-27T13:50:32.033-05:00</published>
  893.    <updated>2024-03-27T14:27:55.827-05:00</updated>
  894.    <title>ESPN will examine Cubs&#x27; switch from David Ross to Craig Counsell on opening-night broadcast</title>
  895.    <content type="html">
  896.        
  897.            &lt;figure class=&quot;Figure&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;image-2d0000&quot; name=&quot;image-2d0000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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  910.            &lt;source type=&quot;image/webp&quot;  width=&quot;490&quot;
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  921.    /&gt;
  922.  
  923.    
  924.  
  925.  
  926.        
  927.        
  928.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;Karl Ravech (from left), Tim Kurkjian and David Ross broadcast a game for ESPN in 2019.  &quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7ead3c5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1757x986+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F20%2Fb3%2F30cd2fbf4646b3d914c3a631487c%2Fscreenshot-2024-03-27-at-1-44-31-pm.png 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3bf04b7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1757x986+0+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F20%2Fb3%2F30cd2fbf4646b3d914c3a631487c%2Fscreenshot-2024-03-27-at-1-44-31-pm.png 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
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  930.        &gt;
  931.  
  932. &lt;/picture&gt;
  933.  
  934.    
  935.  
  936.    
  937.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Karl Ravech (from left), Tim Kurkjian and David Ross broadcast a game for ESPN in 2019. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;ESPN&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  938.    
  939. &lt;/figure&gt;
  940.  
  941.        
  942.        
  943.            &lt;p&gt;When the Cubs &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2023/11/6/23949204/cubs-will-hire-craig-counsell-to-replace-david-ross-as-manager&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;replaced manager David Ross with Craig Counsell&lt;/a&gt;, the pervading reaction around baseball was shock. ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” TV voice Karl Ravech, who previously worked with Ross at the network, thought the decision was unfair.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I thought that the team showed what you want a team to show under a manager, which is this willingness to fight, to exceed some expectations, to get better as the season goes along, to have a clubhouse where the chemistry is terrific,” Ravech said. “I thought given the boxes that you generally would check, David was checking them all.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not to the &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;. The matter will be a topic of discussion during ESPN’s exclusive broadcast of the Cubs-Rangers game Thursday night. The “SNB” crew of Ravech, analysts David Cone and Eduardo Perez and reporter Buster Olney will have the call.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;RelatedList Enhancement&quot; data-module data-align-center&gt;
  944.    
  945.     &lt;div class=&quot;RelatedList-title&quot;&gt;Related&lt;/div&gt;
  946.    
  947.  
  948.    
  949.        &lt;ul class=&quot;RelatedList-items&quot;&gt;
  950.            
  951.                &lt;li class=&quot;RelatedList-items-item&quot;&gt;
  952.                    &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/27/mlb-opening-day-cubs-chicago-craig-counsell-rangers-2024&quot;   &gt;The 2024 Cubs just need a few things to go right … and then a few more&lt;/a&gt;
  953.                &lt;/li&gt;
  954.            
  955.        &lt;/ul&gt;
  956.    
  957. &lt;/div&gt;
  958. &lt;p&gt;“We had our Thursday night call, and one of the questions that came up was how do you quantify the value of a manager,” Ravech said. “Is there an advanced metric which allows you to say Craig Counsell is going to be worth X amount of victories relative to Dave Roberts or Dave Ross or Alex Cora? So that will be a conversation we have during the game.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the Brewers, Counsell earned praise for his handling of the bullpen. But Devin Williams and Josh Hader, who were stars under Counsell, won’t be walking out of the Cubs’ bullpen. In fact, of the eight relievers on the &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/opening-day-roster-cubs-decide-final-bench-and-bullpen-spots-luke-little-nick-madrigal-alexander-canario-hayden-wesneski-optioned&quot;  target=&quot;_blank&quot;   &gt;Cubs’ Opening Day roster&lt;/a&gt;, six were with the team last year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“They talk about what’s the hardest part about managing, and it’s about dealing with the pitching,” Perez said. “How is he going to manage his bullpen differently than David Ross did? [Newcomer] Hector Neris was used in Houston as that left-hander that could get lefties out because of his splitter. We’ll see how [Counsell] uses him and the value that Neris is going to have to that bullpen.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to the bullpen. Will the bullpen come through for Craig Counsell?”&lt;/p&gt;
  959.        
  960.    </content>
  961.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2024/03/27/espn-will-examine-cubs-switch-from-david-ross-to-craig-counsell-on-opening-night-broadcast" />
  962.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2024/03/27/espn-will-examine-cubs-switch-from-david-ross-to-craig-counsell-on-opening-night-broadcast</id>
  963.    
  964.        <author>
  965.            
  966.                <name>Jeff Agrest</name>
  967.            
  968.        </author>
  969.    
  970. </entry>
  971.        
  972.            <entry>
  973.    <published>2024-03-26T16:47:13.45-05:00</published>
  974.    <updated>2024-03-27T09:04:02.268-05:00</updated>
  975.    <title>Cubs&#x27; David Peralta wasn&#x27;t fully healthy for Opening Day, but he&#x27;s competing for a spot on the team in April</title>
  976.    <content type="html">
  977.        
  978.            &lt;figure class=&quot;Figure&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;image-fb0000&quot; name=&quot;image-fb0000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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  1010.        data-src=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f20cb15/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2020+0+190/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F6b%2F2f%2Fa33e02f744a681bd26fdd420eabe%2Fst24-peralta-01-8x12.jpg&quot; data-lazy-load=&quot;true&quot; src=&quot;data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=&quot;
  1011.        &gt;
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  1013. &lt;/picture&gt;
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  1016.  
  1017.    
  1018.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cubs outfielder David Peralta joined the Cubs this spring training on a non-roster invite deal. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;John Antonoff/For the Sun-Times&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1019.    
  1020. &lt;/figure&gt;
  1021.  
  1022.        
  1023.        
  1024.            &lt;p&gt;MESA, Ariz. — Outfielder David Peralta quickly made an impression on the Cubs during spring training, even though he’ll begin the season in the minor leagues, continuing to build up his throwing program after offseason forearm surgery.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“He’s been in tougher spots than most of these guys have as players,” manager Craig Counsell said of the veteran Peralta, who saved his career by converting from a pitcher to an outfielder in independent ball. “So, it’s a great story of perseverance and not giving up on your dreams.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peralta is targeting April  8 to finish his throwing program. He’s scheduled to throw to bases from the outfield Thursday before eventually joining Triple-A Iowa. He was the Cubs’ designated hitter in six spring-training games, going 8-for-18 with three extra-base hits.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’re ahead of schedule, which is good,” Peralta told the Sun-Times. “We’re not trying to rush anything. . . . I feel great. I feel strong. Every day, I’m getting better and better.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After signing a deal to be a non-roster invitee this offseason, he remained with the Cubs through his opt-out date. If he isn’t added to the roster in April, he has another opt-out date on May 1, according to sources.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We have such a great group of guys here,” Peralta said. “They’re hungry to win. They were pretty close last year, and I think this year is the year for the Cubs. So that was one of the main reasons that I signed with this team, because I want to be part of that winning culture. And especially, we have a great coaching staff, great manager. So all this together is making this team special.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Peralta shared the winding tale of his career with teammates as part of a series of clubhouse Q&amp;amp;As this spring.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I knew a little bit of his story,” veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. “But just all the details and the passion that he talks about it with, the love for baseball — that guy just loves baseball. He’ll be in this as long as he can be. It brings more passion to yourself — motivation.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Cardinals 7, Cubs 2&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Lefty starter &lt;b&gt;Shota Imanaga &lt;/b&gt;made the final start of his first spring training Tuesday, giving up eight hits and three earned runs in three-plus innings at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. But that final line was affected by shaky fly-ball defense behind him. Two or three hits might have been outs during the regular season, but there was no sense in risking injury to go all-out on the last day of camp.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Although Imanaga wasn’t happy with the overall results, he’d been focused on his slider since his last outing and saw improvement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I learned the importance of training and recovery, especially at the same time, and it’s good to take that into the season,” he said, noting he also has learned about “the power and the speed difference of the&lt;br&gt;MLB hitters.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;b&gt;Ian Happ&lt;/b&gt;, leading off and serving as designated hitter, led the Cubs with two hits. Outfielder &lt;b&gt;Mike Tauchman&lt;/b&gt; and minor-leaguer &lt;b&gt;Christian Franklin&lt;/b&gt; both homered. It was Tauchman’s third HR of spring training.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Right fielder &lt;b&gt;Seiya Suzuki &lt;/b&gt;had the day off. He finished spring training with a 1.593 OPS.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We kind of treated it like, ‘Do you want an at-bat today? Do you not? What do you need to finish your prep?’ ” manager &lt;b&gt;Craig Counsell &lt;/b&gt;said. “A couple of guys were good.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• &lt;b&gt;On deck:&lt;/b&gt; Cubs have the day off Wednesday before opening the season against the Rangers on Thursday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;— Maddie Lee&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1025.        
  1026.    </content>
  1027.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2024/03/26/cubs-david-peralta-wasnt-fully-healthy-for-opening-day-but-hes-competing-for-a-spot-on-the-team-in-april" />
  1028.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2024/03/26/cubs-david-peralta-wasnt-fully-healthy-for-opening-day-but-hes-competing-for-a-spot-on-the-team-in-april</id>
  1029.    
  1030.        <author>
  1031.            
  1032.                <name>Maddie Lee</name>
  1033.            
  1034.        </author>
  1035.    
  1036. </entry>
  1037.        
  1038.            <entry>
  1039.    <published>2024-03-26T14:28:25.624-05:00</published>
  1040.    <updated>2024-03-26T23:01:33.388-05:00</updated>
  1041.    <title>2024 season preview: Cubs talk up clubhouse connection while eyeing playoffs</title>
  1042.    <content type="html">
  1043.        
  1044.            &lt;figure class=&quot;Figure&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;image-4b0000&quot; name=&quot;image-4b0000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
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  1074.        
  1075.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has been swinging a hot bat all spring training.&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e342a22/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2020+0+190/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F7e%2Ff45ebd6d4509bbe53c7d5be679dc%2Fst24-suzuki-05-8x12.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d405312/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2020+0+190/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F7e%2Ff45ebd6d4509bbe53c7d5be679dc%2Fst24-suzuki-05-8x12.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
  1076.        data-src=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e342a22/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3600x2020+0+190/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F7e%2Ff45ebd6d4509bbe53c7d5be679dc%2Fst24-suzuki-05-8x12.jpg&quot; data-lazy-load=&quot;true&quot; src=&quot;data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=&quot;
  1077.        &gt;
  1078.  
  1079. &lt;/picture&gt;
  1080.  
  1081.    
  1082.  
  1083.    
  1084.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has been swinging a hot bat all spring training.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;John Antonoff/For the Sun-Times&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1085.    
  1086. &lt;/figure&gt;
  1087.  
  1088.        
  1089.        
  1090.            &lt;p&gt;MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs held a series of Q&amp;amp;A sessions in the clubhouse during spring training, each featuring a veteran and a younger player until they’d made it most of the way through the room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Much of the content — players opening up to teammates about their experiences and careers — was meant to be kept within the group. The intent of the exercise was clear.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We’re going to have to use this whole room, so that goes back to all being in it together,” veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks told the Sun-Times. “When a guy does get brought up [from the minors], he’s going to be asked to be in big situations, so just to have that familiarity with the group, already to feel connected, that we’re all in it together — it’s just super important to winning games.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Said veteran catcher Yan Gomes: “The clubhouse is such a sacred place, and if you can’t get comfortable here, we’re not getting the best out of you. And I think that’s the biggest thing that [manager Craig] Counsell and the rest of us are trying to do.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs broke camp Tuesday, heading west to Arlington, Texas, where they’ll open the season Thursday night against the Rangers at Globe Life Field. They go into it with a group similar to the one that fell a game short of the playoffs in 2023. After growing together and individually last year, they added key reinforcements over the offseason, including starting pitcher Shota Imanaga, veteran reliever Hector Neris and outfielder Cody Bellinger, who re-signed during spring training. And they now have a renowned manager at the helm.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“You’re excited about it because we’re at the start of something fun,” Counsell said. “But we have to start writing the story on Thursday.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs aren’t a favorite to win the World Series, but they should be pushing for the National League Central title against competition includes the snakebit Cardinals and Reds and Pirates teams made up of a lot of young talent. There’s excitement but also uncertainty.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We have a lot of good players, which we did last year, and I just feel like those good players have gotten better,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “We don’t ever put enough stock into that — that players can get better. We just kind of see them for what they were last year, or what we think they are, when in reality, what matters most is what each player thinks they are. We have a lot of guys in here that believe in themselves and make necessary adjustments to get better and to make a difference for our club.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The bullpen has a chance to take a big step forward. Last year’s back-end trio — Adbert Alzolay, Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merry-weather — were in uncharted waters in those roles last season. Now they have not just experience but also Neris and another veteran, Yency Almonte, to lean on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The offense has Seiya Suzuki, who has had a hot bat all spring, and Christopher Morel, each entering his third year in the majors and capable of providing a real boost to the lineup. The Cubs also traded for first baseman Michael Busch, who, as team president Jed Hoyer put it, doesn’t have any more to prove in Triple-A. He’ll have the runway to show what he can do at the big-league level.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some players are bound to regress — it happens on every team. But the Cubs’ balance of youth and experience promises upside. And if they perform well in the first half, they can always add at the trade deadline, ideally avoiding the mad dash they had to pull off last year to scrape their way into contention just in time to be considered buyers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We went through things last year that were very valuable,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said when asked about team identity. “And I think we’re closer to having a sense of that. But I think something that Counsell’s done a nice job of is talking about setting good standards and things that we value as a group, but also being open to [the idea that] the season is really what brings those things out of a group, and every year is different. And what this group is going to be is going to be determined by how we respond to things as the year goes on.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“I do think we have a very resil-ient group. We’re consistent, this and that, but as far as what this team is going to be, [it’s] just up&lt;br&gt;to us and what we do throughout the year.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hendricks, the only player left on the roster from the 2016 World Series team, sees some parallels between the group that broke the curse and this group that’s trying to make the Cubs a championship contender again.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“We had so many guys [then] that just loved baseball, loved being here, wanted the ball, just loved playing, wanted to be in that big moment,” Hendricks said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Added Gomes, who won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019: “In a way, you’re trying to create to where guys love being around this group, love coming here — which is just going to lead to, when we step on the field, to be able to back each other up. I’ve seen, through some teams that I’ve played on, that’s the stuff that makes a difference.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  1091.        
  1092.    </content>
  1093.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/26/2024-season-preview-cubs-talk-up-clubhouse-connection-while-eyeing-playoffs" />
  1094.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/26/2024-season-preview-cubs-talk-up-clubhouse-connection-while-eyeing-playoffs</id>
  1095.    
  1096.        <author>
  1097.            
  1098.                <name>Maddie Lee</name>
  1099.            
  1100.        </author>
  1101.    
  1102. </entry>
  1103.        
  1104.            <entry>
  1105.    <published>2024-03-25T19:23:26.249-05:00</published>
  1106.    <updated>2024-03-26T11:47:14.669-05:00</updated>
  1107.    <title>Cubs wrap up spring training with division-rivalry games against Cardinals</title>
  1108.    <content type="html">
  1109.        
  1110.            &lt;figure class=&quot;Figure&quot;&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;AnchorLink&quot; id=&quot;image-de0000&quot; name=&quot;image-de0000&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  1111.        &lt;picture data-crop=&quot;medium&quot;&gt;
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  1126.    /&gt;
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  1130.    
  1131.        &lt;source width=&quot;490&quot;
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  1133.        data-srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cc46dc6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3840x2155+0+2/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24666421%2FAP23134089742984.jpg&quot; data-lazy-load=&quot;true&quot; srcset=&quot;data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=&quot;
  1134.    /&gt;
  1135.  
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  1138.  
  1139.        
  1140.        
  1141.    &lt;img class=&quot;Image&quot; alt=&quot;The Cardinals’ Willson Contreras got a walk after deceiving Red Sox pitcher Kenley Jansen into two pitch clock violations.&quot; srcset=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cc46dc6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3840x2155+0+2/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24666421%2FAP23134089742984.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bf7e2bc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3840x2155+0+2/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24666421%2FAP23134089742984.jpg 2x&quot; width=&quot;490&quot; height=&quot;275&quot;
  1142.        data-src=&quot;https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cc46dc6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3840x2155+0+2/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24666421%2FAP23134089742984.jpg&quot; data-lazy-load=&quot;true&quot; src=&quot;data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=&quot;
  1143.        &gt;
  1144.  
  1145. &lt;/picture&gt;
  1146.  
  1147.    
  1148.  
  1149.    
  1150.        &lt;div class=&quot;Figure-content&quot;&gt;&lt;figcaption class=&quot;Figure-caption&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Former Cub Willson Contreras and the Cardinals faced the Cubs in an exhibition game Monday. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;line&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;Figure-credit&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Michael Dwyer/AP&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  1151.    
  1152. &lt;/figure&gt;
  1153.  
  1154.        
  1155.        
  1156.            &lt;p&gt;MESA, Ariz. — Third baseman &lt;b&gt;Christopher Morel &lt;/b&gt;spotted Cardinals catcher&lt;b&gt; Willson Contreras &lt;/b&gt;talking with reliever &lt;b&gt;Adbert Alzolay&lt;/b&gt; by the batting cages at the &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs&quot;   &gt;Cubs&lt;/a&gt;’ spring-training complex Monday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Morel ran up to his former teammate and jumped into a hug. It was a heartwarming beginning to the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry games this season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The National League Central foes are facing off for two exhibition games in Mesa to wrap up spring training, with the Cardinals traveling west from their Grapefruit League base in Jupiter, Florida. The Cubs lost 6-3 on Monday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs open the regular season Thursday at the Rangers, and the Cardinals head to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;‘‘Most managers and players are always wary when they are playing somebody right away after spring-training games,’’ manager &lt;b&gt;Craig Counsell&lt;/b&gt; said when asked about the division matchup. ‘‘But other than that, I don’t think we generally get that wary of it.’’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He gave the example of the Cubs playing the Rangers last week. &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/09/justin-steele-chicago-cubs-opening-day-starter-craig-counsell-texas-rangers&quot;   &gt;Opening Day starter &lt;b&gt;Justin Steele&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt; pitched in a minor-league game instead of facing the Rangers so close to the regular season. Only two pitchers who made the Cubs’ Opening Day roster pitched in that game: &lt;b&gt;Javier Assad&lt;/b&gt;, who is lined up to make his first start of the season against the Rockies at Wrigley Field, and reliever &lt;b&gt;Yency Almonte&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;‘‘We had a bunch of pitchers a little wary about that one,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘But when you’re not playing [the Cardinals] until [late May] — we used to play them 20 times.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the balanced schedule, teams play only 14 games against each division rival. Before last season, they used to play each one 19 times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;‘‘Theoretically, for a starter, you could still make four starts against a team,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘I’m sure there will be a starter in the division that we face four times. But then if you talk to&lt;b&gt; Kyle Hendricks&lt;/b&gt;, you’re like, ‘Does that really matter?’ ’’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hendricks, who has spent his decadelong major-league career with the Cubs, has made between 24 and 34 starts against each team in the NL Central. Against the Brewers, whom Counsell managed for nine seasons and whom Hendricks faced the most, he has a 3.46 ERA.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;‘‘That’s the beauty of baseball,’’ Counsell said, ‘‘that cat-and-mouse and those subtle adjustments that Kyle and [Cardinals first baseman] &lt;b&gt;Paul Goldschmidt&lt;/b&gt; are making against each other game to game.’’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Taillon throws live BP&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Right-hander &lt;b&gt;Jameson Taillon&lt;/b&gt; (tightness in lower back) threw one inning of live batting practice. It was a positive step, as he progressed from a pair of bullpen sessions last week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Taillon is scheduled to throw another live BP session Friday. If all goes well, the next step will be for him to get into a minor-league game. The Cubs, however, haven’t yet decided where he will begin that buildup, Counsell said.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Left fielder&lt;b&gt; Ian Happ &lt;/b&gt;returned to the lineup, as planned, after Counsell had said over the weekend that his recovery from a strained left hamstring had ‘‘&lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/24/justin-steele-seems-ok-ian-happs-status-murky-for-cubs-season-opener-against-rangers&quot;   &gt;plateaued&lt;/a&gt;.’’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Counsell said Happ was ‘‘on track’’ for Opening Day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Roster moves&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to &lt;a class=&quot;Link&quot;  href=&quot;https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/opening-day-roster-cubs-decide-final-bench-and-bullpen-spots-luke-little-nick-madrigal-alexander-canario-hayden-wesneski-optioned&quot;   &gt;optioning outfielder &lt;b&gt;Alexander Canario&lt;/b&gt; and right-hander &lt;b&gt;Hayden Wesneski&lt;/b&gt; to Triple-A Iowa&lt;/a&gt;, the Cubs returned catcher &lt;b&gt;Joe Hudson&lt;/b&gt; to minor-league camp and released catcher &lt;b&gt;Jorge Alfaro&lt;/b&gt;. They had notified them that they hadn’t made the team last week.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Cardinals 6, Cubs 3&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Cubs (17-13-3) rolled out a version of their lineup that likely will be seen in the regular season, if not on Opening Day.&lt;b&gt; Ian Happ&lt;/b&gt; led off, with &lt;b&gt;Seiya Suzuki &lt;/b&gt;batting second, &lt;b&gt;Cody Bellinger&lt;/b&gt; in the 3-hole and &lt;b&gt;Christopher Morel &lt;/b&gt;hitting cleanup. &lt;b&gt;Dansby Swanson&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Nico Hoerner&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Michael Busch&lt;/b&gt;, &lt;b&gt;Yan Gomes &lt;/b&gt;and&lt;b&gt; Mike Tauchman &lt;/b&gt;rounded out the rest of the batting order.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• In his last spring start, left-hander&lt;b&gt; Jordan Wicks&lt;/b&gt; held the&lt;br&gt;Cardinals to one run through four innings. ‘‘First two innings were a little bit off-line, wasn’t really moving as efficiently as I felt like I could have,’’ he said. ‘‘And then we made that adjustment in-game, which is going to be something I’m going to have to do this year.’’&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Suzuki went 2-for-2 with his fifth and sixth home runs of the spring. He has been the Cubs’ hottest hitter in Cactus League play.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• On deck: Cardinals at Cubs, 2:10 p.m. Tuesday, Mesa, Marquee, &lt;b&gt;Kyle Gibson &lt;/b&gt;vs. &lt;b&gt;Shota Imanaga&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  1157.        
  1158.    </content>
  1159.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/cubs-wrap-up-spring-training-division-rivalry-games-against-cardinals-willson-contreras-christopher-morel-ian-happ-jameson-taillon" />
  1160.    <id>https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2024/03/25/cubs-wrap-up-spring-training-division-rivalry-games-against-cardinals-willson-contreras-christopher-morel-ian-happ-jameson-taillon</id>
  1161.    
  1162.        <author>
  1163.            
  1164.                <name>Maddie Lee</name>
  1165.            
  1166.        </author>
  1167.    
  1168. </entry>
  1169.        
  1170.    
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