Baseball News
Texas Rangers lineup for May 15, 2026: starting pitchers are Jack Leiter for the Rangers and Spencer Arrighetti for the Astros.
The Rangers begin a 9 game road trip with a game in Houston. Corey Seager gets the day off.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Duran — SS
Nimmo — RF
Jung — 3B
Carter — CF
Burger — 1B
Osuna — LF
Higashioka — C
Foscue — 2B
7:10 p.m. Central start time. The game is a pick ‘em.
It was rough going from the first inning. The San Diego Padres had newcomer Griffin Canning on the mound, who had (mostly) impressed in his first two starts of the year. He did not impress this time around.
Canning issued four walks over just 1 2/3 innings of work, surrendering six runs to the Milwaukee Brewers. At the end of the first inning, the Padres had more hits (2) than the Brewers (1) but trailed 3-0. It was like that for most of the game, with the Friars failing to score until an RBI forceout in the ninth inning.
With San Diego now headed to Seattle to face the Mariners, they’ll need to get the offense going before they meet the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. If they can’t do that, it’s going to be a rough week for the Friar Faithful.
Hancock is off to a fantastic start to the season with the Mariners. He’s headlined a rotation full of elite pitchers who have made way for the breakout righty. Entering play on Friday, Hancock boasts a 3.21 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 47 2/3 innings.
The Friars faced Hancock in their last series against Seattle, and he managed to hold them to two runs over six innings. San Diego ended up winning that game with a five-run ninth-inning rally, but Hancock wasn’t the cause of that. The offense will need to come alive if they hope to scratch some runs against the right-hander.
Similarly, Vásquez has been a breakout pitcher in the San Diego rotation. The righty sports a 3.05 ERA in 44 1/3 innings. The WHIP is a little high at 1.17, but he’s managed to strand the baserunners he picks up most of the time.
Vásquez also faced Seattle in that last series, but it went much worse for him than it did for Hancock. It was the right-hander’s first poor start of 2026, allowing four runs in the same number of innings. The Padres still ended up winning, but they’ll need a better performance from Vásquez this time around if they hope to save their beleaguered bullpen.
Manager Craig Stammen has been making his lineups as offense focused as possible lately, having Fernando Tatis Jr. play second base quite often so Nick Castellanos and Miguel Andujar’s bats can remain in the lineup. That hasn’t worked, so it’s possible they try something different in this series.
I know, I know. Putting Machado in the fifth spot feels blasphemous. But he’s batting .190 on the year. He cannot keep hitting in the three and four spots as if that still makes sense. The same goes for Tatis, who has had an incredibly streaky start to the year mostly because of poor hitting mechanics.
Bogaerts and Merrill, on the other hand, have a career .429 and .400 batting average against Hancock. Sheets owns a 1.232 OPS. If they can show up tonight against Seattle, the San Diego starter might be able to pitch with a lead for the first time in a while.
With Canning unable to make it through two innings, Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui and Matt Waldron covered the rest of the Padres’ loss on Thursday. The three pitched well, only giving up one run in that time frame.
Despite Stammen stating that Waldron will continue to pitch out of the ‘pen, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Waldron will be designated for assignment. Acee also reports that the Padres will call up reliever Alek Jacob to pitch out of the ‘pen until starter Lucas Giolito is added to the roster this weekend.
For tonight’s series opener, the high-leverage relievers are out in full force. Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Wandy Peralta are all available out of the ‘pen tonight. But, hopefully, Vásquez can pitch deep enough that Stammen won’t need to call on too many of those arms.
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet
Pitching Matchup: Aaron Nola (2-3, 5.14 ERA) vs. Braxton Ashcraft (2-2, 2.77 ERA)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home hosting the Philadelphia Phillies today at beautiful PNC Park.
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
BD community, this is your thread for today’s game against the Phillies. Enjoy!
Friday notes…
Cubs lineup:
White Sox lineup:
Edward Cabrera was going along pretty well this year, then he got hit hard by the Rangers last Saturday. Of concern as well: After allowing no home runs in his first four starts covering 22.2 innings, he’s now served up seven homers in his last four starts, in 23.2 innings. This is not a trend you want to see continue.
Cabrera has also been better at Wrigley Field (3.60 ERA in five starts) than on the road (4.41 ERA in three starts). Small sample sizes here.
Last year, Cabrera held the Sox to one run in five innings at Rate Field, May 10. 2025. We’d take that tonight.
Sean Burke has made eight appearances for the Sox this year (six starts). The relief appearances were essentially “starts” following an opener. Coming off two good outings vs. the Nationals and Padres, Burke got lit up by the Mariners in his last start (six runs in 4.1 innings).
He made two starts against the Cubs last year and allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 9.1 innings. One thing he’s done better this year is cut down on his walk rate.
Here is the weather forecast for the area around Rate Field.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on Chicago Sports Network and WCIU-Ch. 26 with the Sox announcers.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation White Sox site South Side Sox. If you do go there to interact with Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
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The Phillies – winners of their last five series – will head to Pittsburgh to start a three-game series with the Pirates on Friday night.
The Phillies’ starting pitcher for the opener will be Aaron Nola. Nola is off to a rough start to the season at 2-3 with a 5.14 ERA.
He’ll be opposed by righthander Braxton Ashcroft. In his second big league season, Ashcraft is 2-2 with a 2.77 ERA.
Game time is 6:40 PM and will be televised locally on NBCSP.
On Thursday afternoon, Homer Bush Jr laced a line drive that just kept carrying. It quickly soared over the starting pitcher, Owen Murphy. The middle infields jogged lazily into shallow center field as they began to line up for a potential relay throw, but quickly realized it was not going to happen. Then center fielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. watched helplessly as the ball cleared the center field wall for a two-run homerun.
There was nothing dazzling about the homerun. It had an exit velocity of 102.4mph and only traveled 379 feet. But it was already the second homerun in Triple-A for Homer Bush Jr. after hitting zero all of last season in Double-A.
A few days prior, Bush Jr. did not look on helplessly as a batter sent a towering flyball to deep right field. Bush Jr. tracked the ball, taking calculated steps as the right field wall quickly approached. The ball soared just beyond the right field wall, but Bush Jr. perfectly timed a jump and leapt up to snag the ball and take a homerun away from the opposing hitter.
The highlight reel play continued an impressive start to the season for perhaps the most underrated prospect in the Rays system.
The Rays originally acquired Bush Jr. during the firesale that was the 2024 trade deadline, where he was part of the return for reliever Jason Adam. Dylan Lesko and JD Gonzalez were also involved but both are struggling in the lowest levels of the Rays system. Bush Jr. is looking like he might turn into something for Tampa Bay.
Entering Spring Training, Bush Jr. was ticketed to be a starting outfielder for Triple-A Durham, where he would battle for playing time in center field with newcomers Jacob Melton and Victor Mesa Jr. Then, during a Spring Training game, Bush Jr. injured his thumb while making a diving catch. This led to him opening the year on the Injured List and unable to make his season debut until April 18th. He only rehabbed for one game in Single-A before moving up to Triple-A for the first time in his career.
Since arriving at the uppermost level in the Rays system, Bush Jr. has hit .329/.390/.443 with 2 HR over 84 plate appearances. Although it’s a small sample, that offensive production nearly mirrors what Bush Jr. has done throughout his minor league career, although he already has surpassed his homerun total from last season. In Double-A in 2025, he hit .301/.375/.360 without a homerun over 546 trips to the plate; Bush Jr. is also walking and striking out at nearly the same clip. Also, Bush Jr. is among the best base stealers in all of minor league baseball, swiping 57 bases in each of the past two seasons.
His offensive production is welcome, but the tools that will propel Bush Jr. to the big leagues are his speed and defensive capabilities.
Following the 2025 season, Bush Jr. was awarded a Minor League Gold Glove, officially recognizing him as one of the top three defensive outfielders in all of minor league baseball. In their latest rankings of Rays prospects, FanGraphs rated Bush Jr. as have 80-grade speed and potentially 60-grade fielding ability. Meanwhile, Baseball America had him at 80-grade speed and 70-fielding. He was considered the second fastest runner in the Rays organization behind Chandler Simpson.
Despite his success in 2025, Bush Jr’s lack of power at the plate led to him sliding down prospect charts. He was 22nd at our site, but didn’t make the Rays top 30, instead slotting in at 31st for Baseball America:
Bush looks like an NFL free safety, but that size and physicality is not apparent at the plate, where he hit zero home runs in 2025. He is a polished hitter with a well above-average glove in center field.
Rays Assistant GM, Kevin Ibach, reaffirmed that sentiment when discussing Bush Jr. at the end of last season.
“You look at his body, and he wouldn’t look out of place playing (for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers),” Ibach said. “So while the impact hasn’t quite shown up in the offensive stat line, there’s optimism about some untapped power potential.’’
Bush Jr. has always looked like a hitter capable of tapping into some power but thus far the homerun stroke has more or less eluded him throughout his career. However, Triple-A has been kind to him thus far in a small sample, having already launched two homeruns and is currently slugging .443 entering play on Friday; that slugging percentage would be the highest of his professional career.
The Rays outfield situation right now is barren. Behind Jonny DeLuca on the Rays depth chart, Homer Bush Jr. might just be the next man up should there be an injury concern, as Jacob Melton is currently on the Injured List and Victor Mesa Jr is working his way from an injury suffered in mid-April.
Well, the question over the past two weeks was whether the Detroit Tigers could hold it together long enough to start getting some help back off the injured list. Suffice it to say it hasn’t gone well. Losers of eight of their last ten games, the Tigers are still only 4.5 games behind first place Cleveland in the division. They’ll get a chance to test the 2026 Guardians in person early next week in Comerica Park. Fortunately, the news on the injury side is rapidly improving. Casey Mize is now scheduled to pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.
Mize hit the injured list with a groin strain after his last start on April 28 was cut short after he pursued a ball off the mound. At that point, the 29-year-old right-hander was pitching the best baseball of his career. With the best command of his splitter we’ve seen in pro ball, Mize is whiffing 27.3 percent of hitters faced, five percent better than his career best mark set in 2025. Mize’s 2.90 ERA and 2.85 FIP are top 33 and top 16 numbers in baseball from starters with at least 30 innings so far. Starting pitching hasn’t really been the Tigers biggest issue over the past three weeks, but they’ve held it together by using some of their better relievers out of an already poor relief corps to help handle the vacated rotation spots while having to deal with short, generally bad outings from Jack Flaherty, and a mess of a game from Framber Valdez.
In the meantime, AJ Hinch announced on Friday that Connor Seabold is back from the injured list, and RHP Ricky Vanasco has been optioned back to Triple-A Toledo. Seabold hasn’t been particularly good so far, but he’s at least been more effective than some of the depth options behind him were. Better help is close at hand as Will Vest has avoided any signficant injuries and is scheduled to rehab with the Mud Hens on Friday, along with Beau Brieske, who has yet to pitch this season but has thrown the ball well in his rehab appearances.
The biggest issue for the Tigers remains their bullpen. With Brant Hurter helping cover two vacant rotation spots, and Ty Madden pitching bulk innings, it’s an extremely weak group. They really need a healthy Will Vest in there to stabilize things, and if Brieske can get it going as well, all the better. Adding Hurter back to the bullpen mix at least part time will only help matters even more. Troy Melton has about 10 days until he’s eligible to return, presumably in a starting role.
Just as important for an offense that has blown a tire over the past two weeks, second baseman Gleyber Torres, a crucial cog in the Tigers’ lineup, is also close to going out on a rehab assignment, perhaps as soon as this weekend. More likely, with the Mud Hens home next week, expect that assignment to start on Tuesday as the Mud Hens kick off a home series against Indianapolis.
The Tarik Skubal news is also very promising, as he’s already progressed to doing some light throwing only nine days after a nanoscope procedure to remove a bone chip described as being about the size of a lima bean from his left elbow. The nanoscope procedure is much less invasive that the usual arthroscopic procedure, doing much less damage to tissues during the operation, and the hope was always that this would speed his return. So far, so good.
And in the final bit of good injury news, LHP Andrew Sears began a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League and throwing two innings. Sears, along with fellow LHP Jake Miller, are the Tigers two most advanced starting pitcher prospects, but both have been sidelined since spring camp. Miller is still working his way back from double hip labrum repairs last fall, and his status is unknown. Miller was never transferred to the major league 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man, so we expect some news on his status shortly. The duo offers some hope of further starting depth, and the ability to handle middle relief should one or both get it going by midseason.
As was expected after he exited his Wednesday start early in Baltimore, Max Fried is going on the IL with an elbow injury before the Yankees’ Subway Series showdown tonight against the Mets. The good news is that the southpaw, who underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in 2014, appears to have dodged the worst. An MRI revealed a bone bruise in Fried’s left elbow, a much better finding than the kind of structural issue which was the nightmare scenario. Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Fried does not expect surgery will be necessary. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the preeminent surgeon who performed Gerrit Cole’s Tommy John surgery last year, will review the imaging to confirm there is no ligament damage that needs to be addressed.
It’s unclear how much time he will miss, but the Yankees have indicated they expect it to be more than the minimum 15 days, planning to reevaluate their star hurler “in a few weeks.” Fresh off a fourth-place Cy Young Award finish in his first season with the Yankees last year, Fried was off to a hot start through the end of April, going 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA through seven outings. He struggled in May, allowing 11 runs in 14.1 innings, before exiting after the third inning during his most recent outing against the Orioles.
With Cole still expected to need multiple rehab starts before returning, the Yankees will need to look elsewhere to fill Fried’s spot, at least in the interim. Elmer Rodríguez, the team’s number-two prospect according to MLB Pipeline, would be the most obvious choice, and Sherman hinted as much. Rodríguez held his own in two starts earlier this season, allowing five runs in 8.2 innings. He last pitched on Sunday, so he’s rested and ready whenever the Yankees want to insert him. At latest, it would be on Tuesday in Toronto, but it could be sooner if Matt Blake and company want to give another member of the rotation an extra day of rest.
Mets utility player Jared Young is playing in his first rehab game since undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee in mid-April.
Young’s return to the lineup comes for Single-A St. Lucie, where he’ll be batting second and DHing.
The 30-year-old was off to a hot start for New York this season, slashing .350/.391/.450 with two doubles and two RBI in 20 at-bats while playing first base, left field and right field.
With the Mets’ offense struggling at the time, Young had been getting more and more at-bats and was impressive in the field as well, with some highlight-reel catches in the outfield.
Tonight’s game is an Apple TV one, because MLB will sellout to anyone offering a bag of money. Trey Yesavage (1-1, 0.68) goes against Brenan Hanifee (0-0, 1.08, making his second start of the season, with 5 relief appearances). It looks like a cloudy day (or a cloudy weekend) in Detroit.
There are a bunch of injury updates:
And they haven’t made any announcement on tomorrow’s starter or how they plan to get through nine innings. Odds are that Spencer Miles will have a part in it. Some of the plans will depend on how things go today. I’d imagine that Yariel Rodriguez will be part of things too. But even if both are in the game, there will be 4-5 innings left for others.
Tonight’s lineups:
Tarik Skubal is on the IL but he’s throwing already. The Tigers have Casey Mize starting tomorrow. Sunday It is Kevin Gausman and Jack Flaherty who is 0-4 with a 5.73 ERA. It would be nice if he’s 0-5 after it.
It would be nice to win some of these games. Or all of them.
Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell was placed on the injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow, retroactive to May 12, the team announced before Friday's game against the Angels.
According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Snell reported feeling something in the back of his elbow while playing catch Thursday as part of his preparation for his next start.
"We had the test to see if there were any loose bodies, talking through what's next," Roberts said, adding that regardless of whether Snell has surgery or not, "we feel confident he's going to be back with us this year."
Snell, who started the season on the IL with left shoulder fatigue, had been brought back from his rehab assignment early to replace Tyler Glasnow, who was placed on the injured list last week with back spasms. In a 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves last Saturday, Snell gave up four earned runs on six hits, with two walks and five strikeouts over three innings and 77 pitches.
In a corresponding move, the Dodgers recalled left-handed pitcher Charlie Barnes. Snell was scratched from Friday's start and replaced by right-hander Will Klein, signaling that it would be a bullpen game.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The 2026 Cleveland Guardians are, for the most part, precisely the kind of team the Cleveland Guardians have come to always be. They don’t hit for a ton of power – their 42 homers rank 19th overall, their .136 ISO 22nd. They do, though, walk a lot (11.2%, 4th in the game), and they avoid striking out like the plague (19.9%, 3rd lowest).
They sport a middling 96 wRC+ as a team, a mark that’s also 19th overall and slightly ahead of the Reds’ 94 (22nd). They also pitch well, with their team ERA and xERA both ranking about 10th in the game as of the afternoon of Friday, May 15th.
The evening of Friday, May 15th will see the Guardians play host to the Cincinnati Reds as the two Ohio teams reconvene to compete for the mythical Ohio Cup.
Cincinnati will once again turn to Opening Day starter Andrew Abbott, who mercifully has looked much, much more like his old self across his most recent trio of starts after an incredibly rocky month of April. In that trio, he’s fired 17.2 IP and allowed just 2 ER, boasting a 14/7 K/BB and yielding just a lone home run. That’s help him pitch his season-long ERA down to 4.47, and the Reds are surely hoping that he’ll continue to lower that tonight.
Cleveland will roll out righty Tanner Bibee for the start in the series opener at Progressive Field, with first pitch set to fly out of his hand at 7:10 PM ET.
Here’s how the Reds will line up to start this one:
With their “Rivalry Weekend” series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field set to begin tonight, the Colorado Rockies have announced multiple roster moves. Headlining the announcement is the news that top prospect Sterlin Thompson (no. 13 PuRP) has been recalled from the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes for his Major League debut.
Thompson, 24, was selected by the Rockies 31st overall in the 2022 MLB draft from the University of Florida. The former Gator hit .332/.424/.524 over two college seasons while playing mostly right field and second base. Since being drafted, the Rockies organization has had Thompson play a plethora of positions—including first and third base—though he has largely settled in as a corner outfielder over the last two seasons.
Spending an entire season with in Triple-A last year, Thompson hit .296/.392/.519 in 120 games with 28 doubles, eight triples, and 18 home runs. The Rockies added him to the 40-man roster over the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Thompson struggled in spring training with a .270 OPS and only one hit in 19 at-bats. He was assigned back to the Isotopes to start the season, where he has completely caught fire.
Through his first 36 games in Albuquerque, Thompson is hitting .344/.491/.496 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, and eight stolen bases. He has also drawn more walks (30) than he has struck out (28).
Born in Longmont, Colorado, Thompson will be the first Colorado native position player to debut with the Rockies when he takes the field. However, he is not currently in tonight’s starting lineup.
Thompson will wear jersey no. 30.
In a corresponding roster move, utilityman Tyler Freeman has been placed on the paternity list.
Additionally, the Rockies have placed right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander (right elbow sprain) on the 15-day injured list.
Dollander, 24, was off to a strong start this season with a 3.89 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 10 appearances. He originally worked out of the bullpen as a bulk reliever—usually being preceeded by an opener—but has made his last few appearances as a starter.
On Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dollander left the game in the second inning with what manager Warren Schaeffer called “right arm tightness.”
Left-handed pitcher Sammy Peralta has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Peralta, 28, was claimed via waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season. He currently has a 3.79 ERA in 13 appearances and 19 innings of work.
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My name is Di, and I’m a lifelong Cubs hater.
It’s been 13 years since my Chicagoan status officially shifted from South Sider to North Sider. In that time, I’ve learned a lot about our mortal baseball enemies. Most South Siders within the city limits have suffered the unfortunate obligation of being a spectator for a few games at Wrigley over the course of their lives, and for me, it’s been once with a film cast and crew (seated directly behind a rusty column with my co-stars), once when my musical group was in attendance for the game with the Toronto Blue Jays (we were supposed to sing the Canadian National Anthem), and once recently, post–Wrigley-facelift, for a friend’s birthday. For that, I was a willing participant.
My grueling (but necessary) 2025 absence had me pining for baseball, so I was happy to go to a game, even on enemy turf. Baseball is baseball, right? Attending the game decked out in the opposing team’s gear would still render a stain upon my soul, but now it would be easier to scrub out. I ordered a one-use Cincinnati Reds shirt, donned bright crimson nails, and scowled fiercely the entire time, turning my face a nice shade of scarlet to show my Cubs hatred. Did I pop a blood vessel in my eye? Maybe.
The NL Central is crushing, with their last place team boasting a better record than our current winning record White Sox, and I was excited to fly the L. Birthday Boy was the only person in our group who was an actual Cubs fan, so I was in good company: two Cardinals fans, one real Reds fan from Cincinnati (who unfortunately dropped dead when he tried to enter the stadium – RIP John), and one neutral party.
Before our incursion into Wrigley, we stopped a few doors down for ice cream that’s shaped like elotes, to pay tribute to my favorite Comiskulerate Park snack.
Full of novelty ice cream, we arrived at Gallagher Way, the event space abutting the ball park that hosts yoga, game nights, Christkindl Market, concerts and a massive video board that broadcasts mostly Marquee, with free movie nights on some Wednesdays.
White Sox fans, I hate to say it, but the space is remarkable and the vibes are immaculate when Cubs fans and bar crawlers are absent. It activates a deep longing for the Ishbian Sports complex of our idealistic fantasies, only ours conceptually has a better common space and a pedestrian-only footbridge across the Chicago River, serving to link New-New Comiskey with the new Chicago Fire stadium of our dreams. (Yes, I acknowledge that our current field is beautiful, clean, and fun, but the land is bought and it’s likely happening, so you bet I’m taking my kayak to the future River of Dingers and fishing out some Montgomery balls). [yes, I know, phrasing.]
In my teenage years, I’d frequent the Wrigleyville neighborhood to visit The Metro, which has since undergone a deep makeover, from gutter punk drug haven to a revamped, Evanston-meets-Bourbon Street barfly bonanza. To say it’s transformed dramatically in the past decade would be an understatement. Once upon a time, the confines weren’t just friendly, they were philanderous, like that sinister coworker staring at you from the unlit corner at the corporate holiday party and wagging his eyebrows in a way that makes you keep a hand over your drink for the rest of the night. Now, they’ve overcorrected, and I feel like I don’t belong in this corporate stronghold without my White Sox evening gown and opera-length pinstripe gloves. A place can’t be too clean, but it can be too corporate.
Do I miss the losing era Wrigley, filthy with hammered non-fans? Almost, but no. There’s nothing wrong with using a baseball field as a bar and casually observing the game. If you’re having fun, great, I’m glad, but please don’t argue baseball unprompted with a passing White Sox fan on the street while not even knowing who’s pitching that day. Andstop pissing on my car just because you forgot to unload your bladder into the crumbling trough, while I’m parked with flashers on Clark to pick up my Big Star, Andy. And while we’re at it, have some self respect and trim your beard, you fucking walnut.
Now that it’s clear that I may dislike the Cubs, let’s continue the journey. Walking into Wrigley with a ticket for the nosebleeds had me climbing the recently-renovated stadium steps, and I’m happy to report that I neither have tetanus, nor did I fall into a crack in the cement and become a part of the stadium forever. In fact, the rust was gone, structures appeared sound, and it didn’t smell like piss where I was seated. I could even see my neighborhood.
I can’t report on whether men still have to pee in a trough, because this wasn’t an undercover operation.
My group was also surprised to learn that Wrigley has finally entered the 1990s era, and installed a real electronic screen. Unfortunately, it was obscured by a pole. That’s two for three, Wrigley, and one of those times, the director sprung for the good seats.
At least they painted over the rust.
With the Cincinnati Reds putting up a fight, my friend talking trash in my ear, and my husband almost choking on one of his five hot dogs while cheering for the Cardinals for some reason, I noticed something in Wrigley that I’d never seen in my previous accursed visits: The only time the volume was burgeoning around me was when they played the Riders of Rohan theme for a walk-up song on the organ (amazing), and again for the Wendella Boat Race on the big screen (which we couldn’t see). There were thousands of empty seats, but that wasn’t as notable as the lack of enthusiasm. It wasn’t raining or unseasonably cold, and both teams were fighting for the top of the division at the time. And although I actively try to ignore the Cubs, I knew more about them than anyone around me. As I noted the plentiful Reds hats encompassing me, and even a few White Sox hats, it hit me: The prophecy had been fulfilled.
Flash back with me to 2016. Wrigley Field was in the middle of renovations. I was beginning to learn the truth about my nearby neighborhood and its dearth of Cubs fans, punctuated by the astounding sea of White Sox hats signaling to me like beacons in the night. Between the renovations, the corporatization and the World Series win breaking both the tension and the “lovable losers” spell, the Cubs weren’t as fun to the casual fans anymore. It seemed that winning had ended the enchantment for those who don’t love baseball. This isn’t an indictment on fans who left due to the owners’ beliefs, and in fact, I salute you. It appeared that the fans who stuck around seemed bored, despite the great baseball being played.
In my 13 years here, I’ve met a lot of neighbors and have made a lot of North Side friends. White Sox fans, let me tell you that I know two Cubs fans who live on the North side, and one of them worked for the Cubs and moved here from the suburbs. The other is Birthday Boy, who is immune to criticism (but just for today). The actual fans love watching a winning team, and I respect them. They’re few and far between.
Then I thought back to living on the South Side. I knew more Cubs fans who lived on the South Side than I do living a stone’s throw from enemy territory. Granted, none of them knew what a base or a ball was, but they definitely knew how many beers they could drink to get just below the legal drinking limit. This is not to shame ballpark attendees who don’t know baseball, because I’ll always reiterate that gatekeeping is silly and baseball games are fun and should be enjoyed by everyone. However, is it a coincidence that they feel safer going to Wrigley because they don’t have to watch the game? They can do the wave (fine) and make cup snakes in the bleachers (genuinely funny) and eat hot dogs (obviously) in a place that doesn’t pressure them to know what’s going on with the game. They’re invited to the post-game drunkard jubilee on Clark, the bane of any North Sider’s existence, to forget everything they just witnessed. They don’t have to go straight home like we do, because there’s not much to do in the area after a ball game on the South Side, and I wish that weren’t the case.
Maybe the casual Cubs fans like hanging out outdoors with large groups of people who get excited, and being fans of a consistently losing team felt better because there was less pressure to pay attention. Darker still, a portion of these spectators could also feel seen among the flagrant functioning alcoholics, wasted at noon on a weekday and stopping me on Sheffield to tell me that the White Sox suck, even though that year, the White Sox were amazing and the Cubs were atrocious. That’s right, Naperville Nate, in 2021 the White Sox won their division and the Cubs finished fourth in theirs, and just because you’ve never been farther south than Soldier Field doesn’t mean the neighborhood is unsafe, you useless sackbag.
So South Siders, before you judge a North Sider by their zip code, keep in mind that a lot of them are in baseball purgatory. Welcome them with open arms. Forgive. Be like da pope.
Cubs fan friends and neighbors who don’t abuse the sidewalks and actually like watching the ball game, I hope you have a great time this season. I’m glad there are less attendees and less drunkards (for now), but I doubt you can count on that continuing with a tight division with great teams. There are also those Cubs fans who jumped ship due to the Ricketts’ political donations, and I greatly respect that and welcome you to the Black and White side. We’ve had some scrappy winning baseball in the month of May, and while our future is still unclear, the White Sox are playing good baseball. At the risk of sounding like a casual Cubs fan, this team is fun to watch even if they won’t win a World Series this season.
We ended up leaving the game early while the Reds were still ahead, and although I eventually learned the outcome of the game, I like to pretend that it ended in Cincinnati’s favor.
South Siders, I can’t recommend going to Wrigley at any time during the baseball season, and I hope we give it to the Cubs during this first Crosstown Classic series. But if not, at least we can say that our team still has a soul.
The first installment of this year’s Subway Series will look a little different as both sides are dealing with some injuries and sporting some new faces.
Nevertheless, there will still be some big names on the field this weekend, like Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger for the Yankees and Juan Soto for the Mets.
On top of that, the Mets will also have two rookies, who have taken the team by storm over the past week in Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, play in the weekend’s festivities for the first time in their careers.
Not only have Benge and Ewing never played in a Subway Series before, which can be said about a couple of other first-time Mets, but they’ve also never faced the Yankees before and are excited for the opportunity to take on the crosstown rivals.
“I’ve been told that it’s really exciting and that the atmosphere in here is a lot of fun and I’m just excited to play,” Ewing said, fresh off his incredible first series in the big leagues.
“I feel like I expect a lot of fans. A lot of fans and some fun baseball to be played,” Benge added. “... They’re one of the better teams in the league so to be able to go out there and compete is always fun.”
While Benge has been with the club since Opening Day, Ewing was promoted at the beginning of the week and his arrival spurred a series sweep of the Detroit Tigers with the Mets’ offense, scuffling all year at that point, scoring 22 runs in three games.
They enter Friday’s weekend series winners of three out of their last four series played.
“I think we have a lot of momentum, we have a lot of energy right now,” Ewing said. “The guys are excited and I’m excited as well."
But the team’s recent turnaround hasn’t just been Ewing’s doing. Over his last 15 games, Benge is hitting .321 with a .802 OPS and has a hit in nine of his last 10 games.
It was his walk-off single in the 10th inning on Wednesday that won it for the Mets, scoring the ghost-runner Ewing from second base.
“You can’t shy away from those moments,” Benge said. “... Being able to build off that [sweep] and just keep going in our season. We dug ourselves a hole, but I’m sure everyone in here believes we can get out of it, so just building game after game and hopefully things will turn the right way.”
So, with both youngsters playing in their first Subway Series, have either of them gotten any advice for the big weekend?
“Just play your game and don’t change,” Ewing said.