👋 Good morning!
Surprise, surprise: the Cubs have a starting pitching issue.
Losing Justin Steele for the season with an elbow injury always felt like something that would linger for the Cubs as the season progressed.
Then, Shota Imanaga pulled his hamstring, and suddenly, after a somewhat surprisingly blazing start in April, the Cubs were aceless.
They’ll finally get Imanaga back this week, but we learned something about this rotation as it pieced together infrequent quality outings over the past month: it needs outside help.
Adding Cade Horton into the mix couldn’t have lifted the Cubs at a better time, but at some point, the water started coming in through a Ben Brown and Colin Rea-sized hole faster than Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Jameson Taillon could bail it out.
Now, a little more than a month until the trade deadline, the Cubs need a life preserver, possibly in the form of Sandy Alcantara, before it’s too late.
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A look ahead at this week’s NHL Draft
The puck drops on the NHL Draft in Los Angeles with round one beginning Friday night. The Blackhawks have two picks in the first round, with their own at No. 3 and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ at No. 25.
I asked Mario Tirabassi from the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast to impart some wisdom as to who the Blackhawks could target with both picks.
No. 3 Overall:
Michael Misa - C, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
At six-foot-two and 190 pounds, Misa is the ideal size for a bona fide offensive distributor and potential elite-level goal-scorer at center. He probably won’t challenge for a Selke Trophy, but he has flashed defensive-minded capabilities in his development.
A total-package player, Misa’s profile has been compared to Marian Hossa in the lead up to potentially being the No. 1 pick, but recent smoke suggests he could fall to the Blackhawks at No. 3.Anton Frondell - C/W, Djurgårdens (Allsvenskan)
Frondell is another ideally sized forward who possesses a high-level all-around game, with his shooting ability being one of the best in the draft class.
There have been some concerns about his overall consistency, but he’s been squarely in the discussion for the Blackhawks at No. 3 for the past few weeks.
No. 25 Overall:
Malcolm Spence – LW, Erie Otters (OHL)
Spence fits that power-forward mold that the Blackhawks could use more of among their prospects, adding a scoring flair with 73 points in 65 OHL regular-season games last year.
He’s committed to making the jump from the OHL to the NCAA with the University of Michigan next year and figures to be a near-lock to be a part of Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.
Cullen Potter – LW, Arizona State (NCAA)
Potter has the pedigree and skillset the Blackhawks have coveted in recent drafts. He’s on the smaller side at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, but is widely regarded as the best skater in the draft class.
His combination of skating, skill, and his high motor makes him an ideal target for the Blackhawks, fitting GM Kyle Davidson’s “type.”
Thanks Mario!
My lone draft observation? I don’t understand why the league decentralized it in the first place. It was the only draft in sports where you could see the magic happening on the floor, with executives trying to hide every time their phone would ring.
I get why front offices probably didn’t love the lack of privacy, but taking away one of the league’s unique fan-involved experiences seems short-sighted. However, it sounds like there’s momentum toward scrapping the decentralization after this year.
⚾️ Summertime Sweepstakes ⚾️
Rate & CHGO are giving away a pair of tickets to the Rate Club for Cubs-Sox at Rate Field on July 26th.
All you have to do to enter? Download the Rate app and enter at:
No purchase necessary—just good vibes & great seats!
THE RETURN: We have an official date! Shota Imanaga has joined the Cubs in St. Louis and will return to the rotation on Thursday for the first time since injuring his left hamstring against the Brewers last month.
THE RETURN II: Ahead of Monday night’s game, the Cubs sent RHP Nate Pearson back to Iowa after his rough five-run outing on Sunday. Pearson was recalled on Saturday after the club DFA’d LHP Génesis Cabrera.
To fill Pearson’s spot on the 26-man roster, the Cubs selected the contract of RHP Michael Fulmer, who had a 2.96 ERA in 15 appearances with Iowa this season.
Fulmer, 32, spent the 2023 season with the Cubs, appearing 58 times. He missed all of 2024 after undergoing UCL revision surgery and appeared in one game with the Red Sox this past April before being DFA’d.
FRIDAY NIGHT BASEBALL IN THE AFTERNOON: Apple TV+ will broadcast the Cubs-Cardinals game at Wrigley Field on Friday, July 4th. Adjust your calendars and TV guides accordingly.
ONE TO FORGET: Shane Smith allowed five runs for the second straight start, as the Diamondbacks crushed the White Sox, 10-0. Not many redeeming marks from this game.
But Sean Anderson pointed something out on the CHGO White Sox Postgame show that I thought was really interesting: Smith’s been an awesome revelation for the Sox since the club selected him first overall in last December’s Rule 5 Draft.
However, his career high in innings pitched came in 2024 when he posted 94.1 IP between Double-A and Triple-A in the Brewers’ organization. After Monday’s clunker, Smith is already at 74.2 IP and on track to blow past last year’s output.
If the White Sox view Smith as a legitimate piece of their future, which they should, maybe that’s addressed with a defined rest plan, similar to what the Sox conceived for Garrett Crochet, to avoid further poor outings.
Rewarding mediocrity is old habit for a Bulls organization stuck in the middle.
On the failures, both on-court and systemic, coming from the top down: allchgo.com/bulls-ownershi…
✍️: @Will_Gottlieb
— #CHGO Sports (#@CHGO_Sports)
7:13 PM • Jun 23, 2025
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