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.

Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar. Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for Sept. 18: 1) Ryne Sandberg (1959) When the Cubs convinced the Phillies to add Sandberg to a trade for

CHICAGO – Pete Crow-Armstrong has joked in the past that he has not put up the best numbers when the Wrigley Field crowd unites in chanting his initials. That perceived trend has not continued with the new chants that roar through the Friendly Confines these days. When Crow-Armstrong was in

CHICAGO – Dansby Swanson walked into the Cubs’ clubhouse – following a round of simulated game-like activities on the field Wednesday afternoon – and took a seat as his locker. “I’ve had a wild 48 hours,” Swanson said.

CHICAGO – The Cubs will have to wait another year to try to unseat the rival Brewers as the National League Central champions. With a 6-3 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, the North Siders were officially knocked out of the division race. The loss allowed

CHICAGO – The Cubs pieced together a schedule for Dansby Swanson that included a brief stint with Triple-A Iowa and a return to the big league club by this coming weekend in Cincinnati. The specific plan has now been altered a bit due to rainy conditions in Omaha, Neb. “The

CHICAGO – Dating back to his early days with the Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong always showed a level of respect for the team’s icons when they would visit Spring Training or make a stop by Wrigley Field. One legendary Cub that the current center fielder has loved getting to know over

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 -- If a baseball season is a marathon, as the old adage goes, then the Cubs have roughly two miles to go until the finish line. The time has come to see how much is left in the collective tank, because there is still time for Chicago to shore

CHICAGO -- The Cubs did what they could to hold their ground against Pirates ace Paul Skenes and then felt the tide shift after the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner was out of the game on Saturday afternoon. The North Siders scored two runs in the eighth inning

CHICAGO – The Cubs do not know exactly how things are going to go for Edward Cabrera as he shifts into a relief role in a crucial part of the season and with postseason baseball on the horizon. They do know what a best-case scenario can look like, however, and

CHICAGO -- Even as his offensive numbers remained uncharacteristically low into July, Alex Bregman continued to say that a turnaround was coming. There was a process happening behind the scenes and a trust that the work was going to lead to a reverse in production.

CHICAGO -- Cubs manager Craig Counsell has been consistent in his stance that the key to getting the bullpen back on track in the coming weeks is to continue to lean on and trust the arms that are already in the fold. That does not entirely rule out help coming

CHICAGO -- Dansby Swanson headed to the outfield at American Family Field on Wednesday and went through a series of running and agility moves. The Cubs shortstop then shifted to playing catch before heading to the infield for defensive work, and then moved back to the outfield to go through

MILWAUKEE -- The Cubs were unable to make the most of their final, compressed string of games against rival Milwaukee in the regular season. If anything, the Brewers just showed the North Siders that it will take near-flawless baseball to get past them should they meet again on the October

MILWAUKEE – Jacob Webb was waiting at his locker inside the visitors’ clubhouse at American Family Field on Tuesday night. The sting of what just took place on the field remained in the few, blunt words he offered, but the Cubs' reliever was not going to avoid accountability.

MILWAUKEE – One of the biggest issues the Cubs need to solve in the weeks leading up to October is the unsteadiness of the bullpen right now. That includes getting Jacob Webb, one of the most trusted hands for most of this season, back on track in time for October.

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers have seen Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong more than most teams over the past few years and have a strong track record so far for minimizing his impact in the batter’s box. “We’re lucky,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.

CHICAGO – As more and more fans inside Wrigley Field looked to the video board beyond the left-field bleachers, the decibel level began to slowly climb. And when the camera panned to Pete Crow-Armstrong, waving to a few of his friends sitting in the first row behind the Cubs’ dugout,

CHICAGO – The Cubs acquired Kevin Gausman at the Trade Deadline with games like this in mind. Tasked with avoiding a series loss against the rival Brewers, the veteran righty took the hill at Wrigley Field and delivered a vintage performance to lead the North Siders to the win column.

CHICAGO – Ben Brown was trying to do everything in his power to make a comeback this season to help the Cubs’ pitching staff down the stretch and into October. After seeking a variety of medical opinions, the focus for the sidelined pitcher has shifted to 2027.

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 – Nico Hoerner slid across the grass in left field, rolled over onto his back and slapped his chest emphatically as the Wrigley Field crowd roared. The Cubs shortstop had just finished off an acrobatic diving catch to escape a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning Wednesday night –

CHICAGO -- In the pregame hours on Monday night, Pete Crow-Armstrong headed down a hallway toward the Cubs’ indoor cage at Wrigley Field, showing BJ Murray Jr. the way as they chatted. Later on, Murray joined Chicago’s hitters for batting practice on the field.

CHICAGO -- As Daniel Palencia jogged in from the Cubs’ bullpen in the sixth inning on Tuesday night, it was reminiscent of the fireman role he filled for Chicago last October. It was a key moment in the middle of a game against the Brewers -- offering a flashback to