Every team in the NL Central is at .500 or better right now (with only the Cubs at .500). It’s early, but it was no secret this offseason that several of these Central clubs could be better than people were projecting, if various young players stepped forward. We’ll see how long it lasts, but it could be dog fight.
Relatedly, all but two NL clubs are at .500 or better. The whole league could be a dog fight …
Imagine telling yourself last Friday that, when the Cubs headed to Tampa to play the Rays, two of those games would be started by Javier Assad and Colin Rea. You’d probably feverishly start doing some day-counting and figure out who is out of the rotation (and you might even conclude, with abject terror, that Cade Horton is one of the missing starters), and you’d also probably also start worrying about about the near-term and long-term implications. Does that mean the Cubs are cooked in that series? How serious are the at-issue injuries? How cooked are the Cubs for series beyond next week? Etc., etc. Now imagine telling yourself, first, to take a breath. And then, tell yourself that Assad and Rea would combine for 10.2 innings of one-run ball. You’d at least feel incrementally better, right? That, of course, is what happened. No, it doesn’t do too much to soften to still-sharp sting of having lost Horton for the season (or the worries that Matthew Boyd’s biceps issue turns out to be a recurrent problem), and it doesn’t mean that those guys are going to do that every time out if they’re needed for a lot longer. But it absolutely has been a good reminder of (1) why the Cubs have so much starting-capable depth in the first place, and (2) how it CAN be OK for some starts. The games are still played on the field, and these two pitchers are still good enough that the Cubs can win when they take the mound. Maybe it does make a big difference when the postseason rolls around and having a guy like Horton is all the more impactful, but you know? It’s April. I’m just not going to get myself all in a tizzy about October at the moment, especially when I can focus on what’s right in front of me, and that’s two fill-in starting pitchers who were fantastic.Craig Counsell tips his cap to Javier Assad and Colin Rea for stepping up in the series win ? pic.twitter.com/ZMFG0CoEyI
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 9, 2026 I am still thinking about Dansby Swanson’s slide on Michael Conforto’s double, and I’m glad he’s OK so we can laugh. “I loved his slide,” Conforto said of Swanson, per Cubs.com. “Hopefully we got a good video of the slide.” Yup:Dansby Swanson’s head-first slide at home ? pic.twitter.com/u1Bj0er4AH
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) April 8, 2026 Hey, I’ll joke about the slide, but it happened because Swanson was taking advantage of some sloppy throws by the Rays, so the play was a credit to his awareness. You can never accuse Dansby Swanson of failing to lay it all on the line. Just, you know, be a little more careful on the slide next time. Conforto was in there again because Ian Happ is dealing with a bruised heel, which Craig Counsell said wouldn’t have prohibited Happ from being available off the bench. That suggests Happ would be back on Friday after today’s off-day, but if the Cubs do decide to give him more rest, they could back-date by three days, and could activate Seiya Suzuki for Happ (thus punting any outfield/roster decision for another week). Otherwise, when Suzuki returns tomorrow, the Cubs will have to make a decision, and that could be trying to get Dylan Carlson down to Iowa (he would have to clear waivers and then accept the assignment). Chandler Simpson is extremely fast, but this was foolish:Unethical Chandler Simpson trying to pad his stats by attempting to steal third base in the 9th inning down by 4 runs. Carson Kelly throws him out. pic.twitter.com/c3ThMax9q8
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) April 9, 2026 You can at least KINDA justify the attempt at stealing second base down four runs, because you take the double-playoff the table. But trying to steal third here has ZERO value. Only downside. Pure idiocy or arrogance. Jordan Walker homered yet again, and everything in his results and his underlying metrics right now scream that he’s a fundamentally different – and much better – hitter than he has been over his first three partial big league seasons. Because he was so very on the radar as a super prospect at such a young age, it’s easy to forget that he’s still only 23 (barely a few months older than rookie J.J. Wetherholt!). It wouldn’t at all be shocking for him to really start to figure things out after grinding through at that Triple-A/MLB border for a few years in his early-20s. The Cardinals have him for three more years after this season, which may or may not be enough time for them to come out of a rebuild and have him be a center piece (rather than a trade piece). But if he’s THIS good, then I expect the Cardinals will instead be working hard to get him to sign an extension ASAP. All that said, it’s not even 50 plate appearances yet. All the metrics are over the moon on him right now, and that means he really has been crushing the ball so far (rather than merely getting lucky). But what we don’t know is what happens when the league adjusts to this version of Walker – can he keep it up? Is there a hole in his new approach/swing? On the one hand, if this sticks, I’ll be happy for the player:In 2021, the #SFGiants traded for Kris Bryant. In return, they sent the Cubs a prospect named Caleb Kilian.Five years later, he's a Giant, finally pitching at Oracle Park, and has been a reliable bullpen arm to begin the year. pic.twitter.com/SseJCx8v04
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) April 9, 2026 … on the other hand, if this sticks, I will scream bloody murder that the Cubs didn’t convert him to relief YEARS ago when it seemed like such an obviously necessary path. The Blue Jays were apparently beefing a little yesterday about Shohei Ohtani getting extra warm-up time when he transitions from hitting to pitching, and I can kinda see both sides:Dave Roberts said "there's got to be some grace" for Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player when asked about him getting extended time in between innings to warm up."The truth is, he's different."(H/T: @HyeseongKimMuse) pic.twitter.com/RRGQGcyMHR
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 9, 2026 This is just fun:Idk if I have ever seen so many shirtless guys cheering for the Rockies at the same time before (& the pile keeps growing..) pic.twitter.com/8d3lFIyjm3
— Shannon (@LoveTheRox) April 8, 2026 That is indeed a rough bounce:I thought my days of bad hops were over.. guess not ? pic.twitter.com/fHLAzisphA
— Matt Carpenter (@MattCarp13) April 8, 2026 MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterHence then, the article about this is what the depth is for swanson s slide outfield decisions foolishness and other cubs bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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