This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO – Maybe deeper into the season, when the statistical noise is greater and the sample sizes are much larger, a drought like the one Michael Busch is currently experiencing would not be as glaring. The skewed numbers posted for all to see on the video board in April, however,

CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Craig Counsell is quick to remind that the makeup of the bullpen when the team that reached the playoffs last season looked much different than the Opening Day cast. It is a volatile part of the roster, but Chicago took steps in the offseason to try

CHICAGO -- Inside the interview room in the Cubs’ clubhouse at Wrigley Field, manager Craig Counsell expressed confidence that his team’s struggling offense would find its footing here before too long. “Look, it’s going to turn,” Counsell said. “It’s going to happen.”

CHICAGO – Shota Imanaga’s last pitch on Friday afternoon was a fastball at the bottom edge of the strike zone. The heater popped into the mitt of Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, Pirates third baseman Nick Yorke did not offer a swing and Imanaga gave a confident nod of his head

CHICAGO -- The Cubs will spend time working backwards from Cade Horton’s latest injury, going over their handling of the young pitcher and exploring if anything could or should be altered in the name of prevention going forward. For now, the ballclub is not sure what else it could have

CHICAGO – Given Phil Maton’s importance to the Cubs’ bullpen, the team opted not to take any chances when a knee issue flared on the veteran reliever. Ahead of Friday’s game against the Pirates, the North Siders placed Maton on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Wednesday) due to right

CHICAGO – The Cubs’ offense takes on a different shape when Seiya Suzuki’s powerful bat is in the heart of the order. Prior to Friday’s game against the Pirates, Cubs manager Craig Counsell was able to put the right fielder’s name back onto his lineup card. The Cubs activated Suzuki

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox

CLEVELAND -- Ian Happ has been doing this long enough to understand that stretches of rough plate appearances happen and the next swing might very well offer the cure. That does not mean the veteran Cubs outfielder is not also dealing with an inner monologue spewing doubts.

CLEVELAND -- Edward Cabrera bounced off the mound in the fifth inning on Sunday afternoon, pounding his glove and shouting after striking out Gabriel Arias. In that moment, the Cubs' starter had preserved his no-hitter, continuing his strong opening statement as the newest member of Chicago’s rotation. Cabrera did not

CLEVELAND -- Seiya Suzuki continues to move closer to rejoining the Cubs, following a right knee injury that flared up during the World Baseball Classic and necessitated a season-opening stint on the injured list. Suzuki played Minor League rehab games with Double-A Knoxville Friday through Sunday, and he will stay

CLEVELAND -- Cubs righty Cade Horton fired a fastball to Bo Naylor on Friday evening and immediately looked in the direction of the visitors’ dugout at Progressive Field. A moment later, catcher Carson Kelly was up out of the crouch and heading to the mound. Horton represents one of the

CLEVELAND -- Lefty Riley Martin was with the Cubs at Progressive Field on Saturday, but his expected promotion to the big league bullpen was put on hold when incoming storms forced the postponement of the planned night game against the Guardians.

CLEVELAND -- The Cubs were hit with a setback to their rotation on Friday night, and then a storm approaching Cleveland on Saturday evening presented another obstacle for the starting group. A day after Cade Horton exited early due to right forearm discomfort, the Cubs had their planned night game

CHICAGO -- Seiya Suzuki put on a show in batting practice during Monday’s pregame workout, peppering the bleachers at Wrigley Field with a pile of impressive home runs. That checked the box of looking very much like a hitter who was ready to step back into the heart of the

CHICAGO -- With a black ski mask leaving only his eyes exposed to the frigid conditions at Wrigley Field, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong sprinted in pursuit of a fly ball off the bat of Jeimer Candelario in the sixth inning on Tuesday night. The catch soon became trickier than

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have had their eyes on Edward Cabrera for a few years. He was a pitcher who looked poised to find another level as a Major League starter and one who could perhaps seize on that potential under the watch of Chicago’s pitching infrastructure. On Monday night,

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The more one watches Nico Hoerner play, the more the appreciation grows for what the Cubs’ second baseman can do on a diamond. Fans on the North Side have witnessed him turn into the heart and soul of the ballclub over the better part of a decade and

CHICAGO -- The way that Nationals center fielder Jacob Young slowly drifted back, it was not clear initially if Alex Bregman was about to have his milestone homer. The Wrigley Field crowd buzzed in anticipation and then the winds over the old ballpark took care of the rest.

CHICAGO -- The goal for Seiya Suzuki during the Cubs’ first homestand was to make notable progress in his comeback from a right knee sprain. The right fielder has been checking off some important boxes, including during Sunday’s pregame workout at Wrigley Field. Suzuki went through a variety of defensive

CHICAGO -- This week has not only been about the beginning of the Cubs’ quest to return to the postseason after last fall’s October experience. In light of the six-year extension with center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and the reported long-term agreement with second baseman Nico Hoerner, it has also been

CHICAGO -- Nico Hoerner stood at his locker inside the Cubs’ clubhouse on Thursday morning, fielding questions about Opening Day, the high expectations for the season ahead and the news of center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s long-term extension. The conversation with the veteran second baseman soon turned to his own future

CHICAGO – As fast as Pete Crow-Armstrong is on the bases and in center field, the speed at which Cubs fans have embraced the budding star has been just as spectacular. His jersey is easy to spot in the stands in every ballpark he visits and chants of his initials