The Rundown: Mighty Caissie Helps Cubs Sweep Brewers, Tucker Getting Extended Rest, Yanks Club 9 Homers at Steinbrenner Field
“You pretend it doesn’t bother you, but you just want to explode.” – Turn the Page by Bob Seger
The Cubs swept Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Brewers, narrowing Milwaukee’s lead to seven games in the NL Central with 36 left on Chicago’s schedule. The Cubs are also up two games on the Padres for the top Wild Card seed, and they’d face each other in the first round if the standings stay the same. The winner of that series would then get the Brewers in the NLDS.
The sweep should comfort fans who understand that Chicago’s road to the NLCS will ultimately go through Milwaukee. The Cubs lead the season series 6-5 with two tilts left this season, today and tomorrow at Wrigley Field. Winning those two will be a tough task because the Brewers have their two best starters lined up: Jacob Misiorowski and Quinn Priester. The Cubs will counter with Colin Rea today and Shōta Imanaga tomorrow. Splitting the two games would be nice, but sweeping them would be much better.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy continues to play the role of underdog in his quest to topple Chicago, and it’s working so far.
“Look at the lineups,” Murphy told reporters. “They got All-Stars, they got MVP candidates…veterans, [they] got Gold Glove winners, [they] got world champions. I mean, what don’t they have? They’re not the underdogs, trust me.”
Craig Counsell would never paint his team as underdogs, despite a nearly insurmountable lead by those pesky Brewers. Then again, half of social media wants Jed Hoyer to fire Counsell. If the two have different philosophies, fine, but how do you fire a manager who is 18 games over .500 despite a rotation that has been beset with injuries to its top three pitchers? You’d think the Cubs won their first 70 games before dropping the next 50 based on overreactions alone.
Fans have also turned on Kyle Tucker in the same ways they have on slumping players in the past. Tucker has been worth about four wins this season despite his prolonged slump. Counsell has effectively benched Tucker in favor of Owen Caissie, though the manager is calling it a “reset.”
“You see the physical stuff — that’s easy — it’s a lot of groundballs,” Counsell said. “But we’ve seen [Kyle’s] mental struggle, too. Sometimes it results in body language and things like that. We see it in each other when we’re struggling as people. We try to help [and] support, [and] to motivate, in any way we can. But like the mechanics thing, there’s no perfect answers.”
Caissie performed well in both of yesterday’s games, but Tucker needs to get back in the lineup and break out soon. Caissie isn’t forcing anybody’s hand — not after a handful of at-bats — but he should get the chance to contribute in different ways down the stretch before taking over permanently next season.
Tucker will probably be back in the lineup today or tomorrow, but nobody will blame Counsell if he is simply shielding the right fielder from the wrath of Chicago’s fans. The Cubs travel to Anaheim to face the Angels Friday night, and a road game played in the Pacific time zone might be the best way to get Tucker back in action while helping him rediscover his swing. The Angels, Giants, and Rockies might just be the elixir Tucker and his teammates need.
Taking the next two from the Brewers is a quicker fix, however. Murphy has certainly given Counsell and his team plenty of bulletin board material ($), so sending Milwaukee away with four straight losses might bring that team back to earth, too. The Cubs are a very good team regardless of what others may say or write. They can prove that to everybody today and tomorrow, and again in the playoffs if/when they meet the Brewers.
Cubs News & Notes
- Counsell lifted Caissie for pinch-hitter Justin Turner in the nightcap, which was the right move.
- The coaching staff hopes rest and time off will help Tucker get his groove back.
- The Cubs’ farm system infielders are ranked 10th-best in baseball per MLB Pipeline.
- Hoyer clarified an earlier statement by GM Carter Hawkins that made many fans feel like Chicago’s front office is once again moving its goalposts.
- The totality of this season has put the team right where it expected: Chasing a playoff berth.
- Horton left Monday’s contest with a blister on his middle finger. The Cubs will rest and monitor Horton until the situation improves.
- Who knew “working from home” could be such an enjoyable alternative to going to the office?
Not for Nothing
The play of Chicago’s controllable assets bodes well for the future. Matt Shaw, Michael Busch, Cade Horton, Daniel Palencia, and Pete Crow-Armstrong are emerging as team leaders. This team suddenly starts to look a lot like the 2015 Cubs once you add Caissie and Moisés Ballesteros to the mix.
That said, the veterans need to take the wheel this season. Chicago will only go as far as Tucker takes them.
Ball Four
Rosenthal is correct, but analytics indicate imminent regression despite the Brewers’ focus on pristine fundamentals. Milwaukee’s current pace is just not sustainable without insane amounts of good luck.
On the Brewers: https://t.co/yhtt1x24Rk pic.twitter.com/sNPuhkATQL
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 18, 2025
Central Intelligence
- Milwaukee (79-47): The Brewers are baseball’s weirdest winning team. Perhaps that’s why Murphy gets the most of his players.
- Cincinnati (67-60): Reds fans are rooting for the Brewers to take the final two games of their series with the Cubs.
- St. Louis (63-64): A potential scorched-earth rebuild by Chaim Bloom is not sitting well with Cardinals fans.
- Pittsburgh (53-74): The Pirates are promoting top prospect Bubba Chandler, who’ll work out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season.
How About That!
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler underwent a successful procedure to remove a blood clot in his “upper right extremity.” His recovery timeline remains unknown.
A program from the first National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1939 has sold at auction for $315,426, believed to be the most ever paid for a sports program. Its signatures include Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Grover Alexander, Nap Lajoie, George Sisler, Eddie Collins, and Connie Mack.
A 1961 cereal box Mickey Mantle card that was stored in a nuclear bunker also sold for $21,600.
The Yankees clubbed nine home runs in a 13-3 win over the Rays, including back-to-back-to-back taters by Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton. Tampa’s George Steinbrenner Field also serves as the Yankees’ Grapefruit League home.
The Brewers are expected to activate star outfielder Jackson Chourio on Friday.
A couple of fans found out that the Padres’ security staff doesn’t mess around when civilians — no matter how young — storm the field.
Extra Innings
Welcome to the show, kid! Caissie going from first to home on a double by Busch reminds me a lot of Kris Bryant.
"THE RED FLASH!"
Owen Caissie was MOVING ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/mykJRxcJ3e
— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2025
They Said It
- “Kind of just black out, really. Especially on the home run — hit the ball and run. I didn’t even think about it going over the fence, especially with the wind. It’s just kind of a blackout mentality.” – Caissie
- “Part of being a fan is the second guessing. Part of being a fan is also the desire to win now. And I understand that. But also I think my job is to make sure that this place is full for a lot of years.” – Hoyer
- “It’s important to sometimes put names to the players that people want us to or have wanted us to trade, and realize that the currency of the deadline in our sport is prospects. The currency of other sports is maybe first round draft picks. Sometimes trading four or five first round draft picks for a player, it has worked, but [there’s] also times it’s sort of led to organizational demise. And I think that it’s important if you want to compete every year, to keep one eye on the future.” – Hoyer
Wednesday Walk-Up Song
No time like the present to start a push for the playoffs.
