The Rundown: Do-or-Die Cubs Return Home, Bats Need Wakeup Call, 4 Teams Facing Imminent Elimination
“It’s bittersweet. More sweet than bitter; bitter than sweet. It’s a bittersweet surrender.” – Bittersweet by Big Head Todd & the Monsters
The season isn’t over, but Cubs fans sure feel like it is. The Brewers beat our boys in blue at their own game Monday night thanks to three two-out home runs. I’ve thought about it for awhile, but Shōta Imanaga looks like he never fully recovered from his hamstring injury. He’s always been prone to home runs, just not at the accelerated rate of his most recent starts, and he’s thusly harder on himself than most fans are.
"I ruined the game. So there's a lot of frustration within myself."
Shota Imanaga on his start tonight. pic.twitter.com/IFYOA1J7US
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 7, 2025
What’s more puzzling is the fact that Chicago’s North Side Baseballers have scored three runs or less in 13 straight playoff games. Kyle Tucker looks like a man who can’t wait to leave Chicago, Matt Shaw has yet to get a postseason hit, and Ian Happ is 2-for-20 in the five games against the Brewers and Padres. The Cubs would already be playing America’s finest golf courses if not for Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch, and Nico Hoerner.
Why are the Cubs so inept at postseason baseball? They’re not built for the game’s current fascination with elevated speed. Mason Miller and Jacob Misiorowski, bringers of 104 mph fastballs, have rendered Chicago’s hitters helpless. On the flip side, only Daniel Palencia can sit at a table with those players and not feel envious. I’m not smart enough to know if it’s a launch angle vs. bat speed argument, but I do know you can’t get any hits without putting bats to baseballs. The Cubs have struck out 58 times in five games in this year’s playoffs. The Brewers have 13 strikeouts in two games, proving the age-old adage that good things happen when you make contact.
The weight of Chicago’s offensive futility now falls on the shoulders of Jameson Taillon. The Cubs need to take two from the Brewers at home, and then find an injury designation for Michael Soroka or Willi Castro so that they can add Cade Horton to the roster for a Game 5 start. Horton appears to be fully healthy, at least by self-diagnosis. That said, a fifth game doesn’t matter unless the next two contests swing Chicago’s way, and that means first getting Imanaga or Matthew Boyd right.
Ultimately, Craig Counsell is going to be judged for not giving Colin Rea — who tossed 3.1 innings of shutout, mop-up baseball Monday night — a start or two in these playoffs, thereby pushing his top three starters back a day. Brewers manager Pat Murphy did that with a bullpen affair in Game 2. He’ll toss Quinn Priester today, and can close it out tomorrow or Saturday with Freddy Peralta if either game is necessary. Misiorowski will also play a big role on Saturday if it does go five games.
Cubs/Brewers News & Notes
- Counsell used his own version of the “our backs are up against the wall” speech to inspire his players on the eve of today’s elimination game.
- Chicago’s manager also referred to Taillon as the team’s “calm before the storm.”
- Taillon is boring compared to the flamethrowers that dominate today’s game, but he is efficient and generally successful.
- Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio is dealing with a lingering hamstring injury and his availability is still considered day-to-day.
- The Brewers claim they are “playing with house money” because nobody expected them to even make the playoffs back when the season started.
- Feel free to point the proverbial finger at me for providing bulletin board material back in April.
- Horton is eligible to come off the IL on Friday but cannot be added to the NLDS roster unless he replaces an injured player.
- Chicago has failed to tally more than three runs in 51% of its games (30 out of 59) since August 1.
- Counsell personally believes that four runs will generally win a ball game, and Chicago has proved that this year. Jed Hoyer subsequently built a team in lockstep with Counsell’s M.O. that’s capable of scoring runs in bunches, so the failure to do so is confounding.
- Priester has an added incentive to win today: He grew up watching the Cubs with his grandparents at Wrigley Field. He also attended Game 5 of the 2016 World Series.
- Today’s tilt is the biggest between the two teams at The Friendly Confines since the Brewers beat the Cubs in Game 163 of the 2018 season.
- Wrigley Field has turned into a hitter’s worst nightmare and here’s what it means for today’s game and beyond.
- Teams down 2-0 in a best-of-five playoff series have come back to win it 10 times since 1981. You may remember the Padres did that to the Cubs in the 1984 NLCS.
- You would think MLB loves having the Cubs in the postseason. MLB viewership in this year’s Wild Card round was up 64% compared to last year.
- MLBTR released its projected 2025-26 arbitration raises and listed four Cubs, including Justin Steele, who is expected to earn $6.55 million in 2026. Reese McGuire ($1.9 million), Javier Assad ($1.9 million), and Eli Morgan ($1.1 million). The dearth of arb-eligible players could provide the impetus to potentially extend Steele, Horton, and/or Pete Crow-Armstrong.
- Hoyer will once again be tasked with rebuilding his bullpen this winter. Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Taylor Rogers and Ryan Brasier all ticketed for free agency.
Ball Four
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers has already shoved the Cubs into hot stove season. Asked and answered, I suppose.
No. They were never going to. Anyone that said different was wrong.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) October 7, 2025
Central Intelligence
- Milwaukee: The Brewers will have some big decisions to make with seven arb-eligible players this winter. William Contreras (expected to make $11.1 million) and Brice Turang ($4.4 million) are locks. Trevor Megill ($4.2 million) and Andrew Vaughn ($7.8 million) may have to negotiate their way on to next year’s team.
- Chicago: Are the Cubs tipping their pitches, or are the Brewers just that good at hitting with runners in scoring position? Perhaps it’s a little of both, but one analyst believes Milwaukee is stealing signs.
- Cincinnati: The Reds are another team who will also have some tough decisions to make this winter. Brady Singer and Gavin Lux are looking at hefty paydays for a team that hopes to be in the Kyle Schwarber market.
- St. Louis: The Cardinals are expected to be one of the most active teams in this winter’s trade market. Usual suspects Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray will be on the block as soon as the calendar turns to November.
- Pittsburgh: The 2025 Pirates ranked last in baseball in runs, home runs and OPS. GM Ben Cherington is therefore focusing on adding a lot of offense this winter.
Postseason News & Notes
Aaron Judge homered off the foul pole in an electrifying moment that stunned the Blue Jays and prevented the Yankees from being swept.
The Mariners are one win away from returning to the ALCS for the first time in 24 years. Both the Blue Jays and Mariners were founded in 1977 when MLB expanded to 26 teams and Seattle has never been to the World Series.
Toronto is taking an all hands on deck bullpen approach to finish off the Yankees in New York tonight.
There are four division series scheduled today with the Cubs, Tigers, Yankees, and Phillies all facing elimination.
The Phillies announced they’ll rock power blue jerseys for tonight’s home tilt with the Dodgers. I’m picturing Greg Luzinski and Larry Bowa wearing those late-70’s softball threads right now.
How About That!
We’re still 25 days from the start of hot stove season, but speculation is already running rampant for non-playoff teams and Wild Card losers.
Craig Breslow said the Red Sox will take a holistic approach to improving the team this winter.
The Rays’ new ownership group announced their vision for a new stadium in Tampa Bay.
FOX Sports will televise next year’s World Baseball Classic games.
It looks like Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter are the finalists for the Angels’ managerial opening, and the team is expected to overhaul its roster once a new manager has been named.
The Padres will consider moving Miller from the bullpen to the starting rotation.
Extra Innings
The walk of shame, or dead men walking? The Cubs were embarrassed in Milwaukee either way.
our favorite guys. pic.twitter.com/UX9uQBa9CD
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 4, 2025
Apropos of Nothing
Nobody wants to see the Brewers celebrating on the pitcher’s mound at Wrigley Field. Counsell and his troops better find a way to force a Game 5.
Son of Apropos
I can’t stand Murphy, but he deserves all the accolades if the Brewers advance with what is basically a two-man rotation. He continually outclasses and outmanages Counsell, which is downright shameful. Murphy expects to win and bases his decisions on the best preparing for the following games. Counsell plays each game like it’s an elimination affair.
Hope is a Waking Dream
The Cubs won three or more consecutive games 14 times in 2025. Odds on 15, anyone?
They Said It
- “You’re not going to win playoff games giving up two three-run homers. We only had one hit after the second inning. That’s going to add up to a lot of zeros and that’s what happened the last seven or eight innings.” – Counsell
- “I think it’s a pretty simple idea here. We put more balls in play and we’ll probably score more runs.” – Crow-Armstrong
- “I would love nothing more than to give [Horton] a chance to pitch again. Just all starts with tomorrow.” – Taillon
- “That’s what a lot of the playoffs are about. Move to the next moment. You get stuck on that thing behind you, and then the next moment ain’t gonna work out either. That’s what we’re doing right now and that’s what we’re going to continue to do to prepare those guys for the next time they take the mound. Part of being great at this is responding to the bad stuff and running towards it. We put ourselves in a hole this series. No question about it, but we get to decide how the story ends.” – Counsell
Wednesday Walk-Up Song
Do work, boys. It’s now or never.
