The Rundown: Swanson Gaffe Costs Cubs Big Win, Losing Streak Hits 5 Games, Mariners and Yankees Clinch
“Then there was no sound at all, but the clock upon the wall.” – The Night Chicago Died by The Paper Lace
Sometimes it’s not easy being a Cub fan, especially when social media posts and blog comments amplify your anxiety. If fans aren’t bitching about Craig Counsell, they’re losing their minds because Matt Shaw befriended Charlie Kirk. When you toss an early exit by Cade Horton into the mix, things get even hotter. An error by Dansby Swanson and another bullpen implosion that erased a five-run lead turned the whole shebang into a dumpster fire. What in the name of Al Capone is going on at Clark & Addison?
The Cubs stepped into autumn the same way they slid out of summer, dropping their fifth straight while helping every contending team that doesn’t call Chicago home. Meanwhile, Horton appears to be dealing with some type of respiratory ailment that caused some lower back stiffness. Last night’s 9-7 loss, combined with San Diego’s 7-0 win over the Brewers, cut the Cubs’ lead over the Padres to 1.5 games. The Friars also have a game in hand and own the tiebreaker over Chicago’s North Side Baseballers. Horton wasn’t the stopper we were all hoping he’d be, so Matthew Boyd will step into the octagon tonight.
Boyd, who has pitched more innings in 2025 (174.1) than his last three seasons combined (124), has a 4.98 ERA over his last 10 starts, a span of 59.2 innings. Yeah, he’s gassed, and we can only hope a week off put some wind back into his sails. It’s doubtful Horton will pitch again during the regular season, so the combination of Boyd, Shōta Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad, and a starter to be named later will have to figure out how to win four of the next five games. Nobody wants to analyze the potentially disastrous disappearance of a five-game lead in eight days. Nobody wants to read about it, either.
The Cubs and Counsell, bless their aching hearts, need to do a little soul searching. We can absolve Chicago for losing its division lead when the Brewers went on their historic run. That said, nobody will forgive them if they surrender home-field advantage to the Padres while playing one team that has won 19 of 48 games since August 1, and another (St. Louis) that quit playing competitive baseball three weeks ago.
The Cubs are no better, however. They’re stuck on 88 wins while their 10-10 September record matches the Cardinals and is just two games better than the Mets. Give credit to the Brewers and Padres for playing great baseball when the games matter most, but you can’t excuse the Cubs for squandering the opportunity to host the Wild Card round. They’ve played like a bunch of bushers since clinching a playoff berth, and Counsell shares that blame equally with every man on the roster.
But all is not lost. I’ll quote Muhammad Ali three times to help ease the hangover of binge-losing baseball games. Ali was saddled with the informal adjective “washed-up” more times than anybody.
- “It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you down. It’s the pebble in your shoe.”
- “The will must be stronger than the skill.”
- “Impossible is just a word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee; 92 wins sounds good to me. Rumble young man, rumble.
And lay off Shaw, for God’s sake. It’s not like he’s Addison Russell or Barry Bonds.
Cubs News & Notes
- Kyle Tucker is back in Chicago and hopes to resume playing this weekend.
- I would assume Horton will start Game 162 if the contest has any bearing on Chicago earning or losing the top Wild Card spot.
- The rookie starter doesn’t seem too concerned about his injury, though the timing was about as bad as it gets.
- Swanson’s error on a botched double play loomed large in Tuesday’s loss. The Cubs should have escaped the 5th inning with a five-run lead.
- The Cubs are virtually under no pressure to win the World Series, at least compared to the other playoff-bound teams. That’s one decent byproduct of a near-epic collapse and missing out on the dance every year since 2020.
- ESPN gave the Cubs a B-grade for making the playoffs, but they were slightly clipped for their second-half fade.
- Ian Happ is in favor of using the ABS challenge system in 2026.
- Former Myrtle Beach manager Buddy Bailey passed away Tuesday night, the team announced. Moisés Ballesteros, Daniel Palencia, and Kevin Alcántara are three budding stars who played for Bailey.
Ball Four
Some tweets age poorly. I’ve been similarly guilty with Shaw and Nico Hoerner.
The Cubs just drafted Cade Horton. He had a 4.86 ERA in college.
We are so back baby. 🤣🤣
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) July 17, 2022
Central Intelligence
- Milwaukee (95-63): The Brewers could clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs as early as tonight, but they’ll have to first beat the Padres.
- Chicago (88-69): Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen called Shaw “weird” for going to Kirk’s memorial service. Todd Zeile said leaving your team in the middle of a pennant race is “unprecedented.” No matter what you think of Kirk, Shaw was his good friend, so he gets an excused absence in my book.
- Cincinnati (80-77): The Reds are no longer in the driver’s seat after losing last night while the Mets beat the Cubs.
- St. Louis (78-80): The Cardinals honored John Mozeliak last night before beating the Giants and eliminating them from playoff contention.
- Pittsburgh (68-89): Pirates manager Don Kelly hopes to remain with his hometown team. Rumors persist that Don Mattingly will replace Kelly.
Wild Pitch
“I feel it in the air, this summer’s out of reach.” – Boys of Summer by Don Henley
- San Diego (87-71): The Padres activated infielder Xander Bogaerts before last night’s win over the Brewers. San Diego is also 1.5 games behind the Dodgers to win the NL West.
- New York (81-76): The road that led Juan Soto to the Mets was not without its challenges.
- Arizona (80-77): The Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers to keep pace with the Mets for the final Wild Card spot. The Los Angeles bullpen spoiled an excellent effort by Shohei Ohtani in the 5-4 loss.
How About That!
The Guardians stunned the Tigers and the rest of baseball by seizing control of the AL West.
The Mariners clipped the Rockies to earn a berth in this year’s American League playoffs.
The Yankees also clinched a spot in the postseason tournament with a walk-off win over the White Sox.
The Rangers lost their eighth straight game and were officially eliminated from the playoff race.
The Dodgers indicated that Ohtani will be part of the team’s playoff rotation.
Los Angeles is also hoping to add Rōki Sasaki to its bullpen for the NLDS.
Mike Trout is hopeful he will stay healthy in 2026 and that the Angels will break their postseason drought.
It’s always fun to read about the biggest pennant race collapses in the history of baseball. Will the 2025 Cubs make a case for inclusion?
Extra innings
I wish more Cubs players had Hoerner’s consistency and love of the game.
Nico Hoerner was celebrating while running the bases on Ian Happ's 2-run double 😂 pic.twitter.com/7QEsWMcAjF
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 24, 2025
Apropos of Nothing
The Cubs have won 88 or more games 37 times in franchise history, and they’ve won at least 90 contests 17 times. They’ve played .500 or worse in 69 seasons. Chicago has won just 47 of 122 postseason games since 1900.
They said It
- “Cade was sick this week — we’ve had a couple guys sick — and he was coughing a lot. He noticed the symptoms on Sunday, Monday-ish — no effect throwing — and it just started to tighten up a little bit, so we pulled the plug on it. He just had symptoms on deep breaths. That’s what we feel like it probably is. We want to be extra careful.” – Counsell
- “I really felt good. Just in between innings, started to get a little stiff, the breathing started to play a factor.” – Horton
- “I think [ABS] will be good for the egregious misses. It will be a slightly different zone as far as the top is concerned, but guys will make the adjustment. Guys have made adjustments to a lot of rules changes.” – Happ
Wednesday Walk-Up Song
Cubs fans this morning, am I right?
