For years, I never under the Americano as a coffee order. It seemed so stupid to me – adding water to espresso. Like, that’s just drip coffee. You know? Diluted coffee. Stupid.
… I was so wrong. I’ve been making myself Americanos every morning for the last three months. It’s completely different way to have black coffee, with a clearly different flavor (to say nothing of the fact that I can make myself just one instead of having to brew a whole pot of coffee). I was a fool.
In 2025, the Chicago Cubs ranked 6th in least called strikes taken (%).In 2026, the Cubs rank 26th.Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki lead the Cubs in called 3rd strikes, with Happ 5th overall in MLB. pic.twitter.com/CJglso19CY
— Nate Roper (@NateRoper_) May 22, 2026 In isolation, taking strikes is not always a bad thing. Yes, you generally prefer to swing at pitches in the strike zone and not swing at pitches out of the strike zone. Not all pitches in the strike zone are created equal, however, and sometimes you are – for good reason – targeting a specific pitch type in a specific location, content to let some other kind of strike go for that moment. If it helps your overall production by improving your quality of contact, extending at bats, and increasing walks, then great. But we know there’s a line past which selectivity becomes passivity, and you’re no longer helping yourself. As a team, it would seem the Cubs are testing that line, especially lately. Adjustments are needed, so this isn’t necessarily a surprise (though the extent of his futility in May has been):Moises Ballesteros trend is wild. He's been an automatic out in May. pic.twitter.com/W0XorSTgMc
— Jon Anderson (@JonPgh) May 20, 2026 “I would like to be considered for the big league rotation now that everyone is hurt, please and thanks”:5.0 scoreless innings from Jordan Wicks! pic.twitter.com/VaXnZQpQYJ
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) May 21, 2026 Good lord, the Angels could’ve gotten Junior Caminero, AND Carson Williams, AND more for two months of Shohei Ohtani back in 2023:Shohei Ohtani, Tampa Bay Ray? The proposed 2023 deadline deal that would’ve shocked baseball. Unlocked and free to read. t.co/l5qdrJWbKw
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 21, 2026 Instead, the Angels famously got virtually nothing from Ohtani (down the stretch because he got hurt), who then departed for the Dodgers, as everyone was already expecting at the time. The White Sox not only beat the Cubs on the field this past weekend, they also smoked the Cubs in the ratings:The Sun-Times Sports cover, featuring CHSN and Marquee, whose differing uses of broadcast TV were apparent in their viewership during the Crosstown Series last weekend. t.co/eDbg8ewMeD pic.twitter.com/t3C9iA7KwE
— Sun-Times Sports (@suntimes_sports) May 22, 2026 Nearly double the viewer for the White Sox broadcasts. Now then, there is of course a huge caveat there that the White Sox version of the game was available over-the-air on WCIU, making it freely available, while the Cubs broadcasts were exclusive to the Marquee subscription (direct or cable/satellite). For all we know, a number of Cubs fans were actually tuning in to the free broadcast, because it was there. … but then, that’s still a notable point, right? We know the economics of the cable bundle are growing more and more difficult for all the players, and selling direct streaming subscriptions are not much easier and are certainly not replacing lost revenue. So if you’re preserving all your local games to be exclusive to your owned-and-operated channel, you are protecting an ever-dwindling source of revenue, and you’re doing it to the exclusion of allowing more fans to see the product. We have no clue what changes are coming in the CBA that could make a lot more games national, so I won’t make any predictions for the Cubs and Marquee in the years ahead. But I will say that a lot of clubs, like the White Sox, are going to a model that looks more and more like what the Cubs used to be, with their games spread across cable and local over-the-air. When the Cubs did that, it was out of necessity, and it wasn’t the best setup at the time. Nowadays, teams are also doing it out of necessity, but I’m not convinced it isn’t the best setup at this time. It’s certainly more fan-friendly to make your games available as widely as possible. As I said, though, this might all ultimately change in a couple years under a new MLB approach to make more games national and blackout-free (and in that world, Cubs games are still among the league’s most valuable inventory). Robby Snelling is one of the best pitching prospects in the game. He was dominating at Triple-A. He just got promoted to the Marlins and made his big league debut. And then he immediately injured his elbow and needs Tommy John surgery. Brutal. This is one of those crazy specific stats, but it was still striking to me:The Angels are 6-24 (.200) over their last 30 games. Mike Trout has played in all of them.That's the worst record over a 30-game span in MLB history by a team that had a multi-time former MVP play in all 30. pic.twitter.com/tDZ4lTsNzG
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 22, 2026 MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterHence then, the article about a winnable series passivity at the plate broadcasts and ratings 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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