👋 Good morning!
I’ve missed Victory Mondays.
Even the Victory Monday after the Bears beat the Packers in Week 18 last season felt a little odd due to the uncertainty of the offseason and the whole five-win season thing.
Yesterday was different. There’s a renewed hope with plenty of national coverage and chatter to back it up.
Who knows what the rest of the 2025 season holds for the Bears, but let’s enjoy every moment and celebrate a few Victory Mondays along the way.
Tailgate With Us!
What: CHGO Bears Official Tailgate
Where: Wabash & Cermak
When: Before every Bears home game
Perks: Beers, barbecue, vibes and a shuttle to the stadium
Take A Seat
As Kyle Tucker’s brutal stretch at the plate nears the two-month mark, Cubs manager Craig Counsell will sit his slugging right fielder for a few games.
Counsell on Tucker: “We’re going to have to take a little step back here, for sure, and just give him some days off to reset. We’re not coming up with solutions for him, and he’s not coming up with solutions. So sometimes you have to take some steps back to go forward again.”
Tucker has just one home run since July 1, with his last coming on July 19. Since July 1, Tucker is slashing .189/.325/.235 with just 25 hits, 25 strikeouts and 26 walks.
It’s been even worse when calculating his numbers since August 1. His slashline dips down to .148/.233/.148 without any home runs or doubles.
Things came to a head in Monday’s loss to the Brewers when Tucker grounded out to his pull side in three of his four at-bats.
From the beginning of the year until July 1, Tucker had slashed .291/.395/.537 with a 158 wRC+ and 17 home runs and 18 doubles.
GM Jed Hoyer on Tucker: “He just hasn’t slugged in quite a while. The balls aren’t in the air. The exit velos aren’t high. I do think a lot of it is mechanical. When you look at the swing earlier in the year versus now, it’s less connected, and therefore less powerful.”
I think I’ve learned my lesson here: Don’t compare any offense to the 2016 Cubs in May.
As for the decision to sit Tucker, it’s the right one — just with poor and seemingly avoidable timing. It’s not like Monday was the first, second or third sign that Tucker might be a little lost at the plate.
Implementing the “reset” strategy earlier in the month could’ve meant having him back and rejuvenated for the five-game set against the Brewers.
Instead, Tucker will miss most — if not all — of the Cubs’ most important series of the season.
CHOP THIS: The White Sox teed off on Spencer Strider in Monday night’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves.
Brooks Baldwin, Luis Robert Jr, Lenyn Sosa and Kyle Teel all homered, and only Sox in the starting lineup — Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi — did not register at least one RBI.
Benintendi still had himself a solid day with four singles. Sosa’s three-run homer was his third in his last four games and 17th of the season, extending his team lead over Benintendi (14).
Yoendrys Gomez picked up his second straight win since rejoining the White Sox as a starter. Gomez allowed seven hits and three earned runs, but exited with a seven-run lead.
Things got a little hairy for the Sox’s bullpen and Owen White, who allowed four runs in the eighth inning in his third appearance of the year. But Jordan Leasure struck out Eli White with the bases loaded to end the inning and the threat.
White Sox 13, Braves 9
OUCH: Cubs rookie Cade Horton left Monday’s start in the third inning with a blister on his middle finger. Horton said after the game that he doesn’t believe he’ll miss any time.
Horton’s early exit was one of several things to go wrong for the Cubs yesterday. Only Seiya Suzuki and Owen Caissie registered hits for the Cubs, who fell back to nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central race.
Luckily for the Cubs, their Monday night wasn’t doubly as bad as the second leg of the day-night doubleheader was washed away by storms.
They’ll make up Monday’s originally-scheduled affair today at 1:20 with a night game at 7:05 to follow. Matthew Boyd is expected to start the first game, and Jameson Taillon, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 29 due to a calf strain, will take the second.
Brewers 7, Cubs 0
It’s beautiful…
check out what showed up today, fellas! @AdamHoge @adamjahns @thecarm @GBraggsJr23 @CHGO_Bears
— #eauxpee (#@tigerfunk69)
10:53 PM • Aug 18, 2025
⚾️ Cubs vs. Brewers
1:20 on Marquee
📺 CHGO Blackhawks
2:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bulls
4:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bears
5:00 on YouTube
⚾️ White Sox @ Braves
6:15 on CHSN
🏀 Sky vs. Storm
7:00 on WCIU
⚾️ Cubs vs. Brewers
7:05 on Marquee
📺 CHGO White Sox
POSTGAME on YouTube
📺 CHGO Cubs
POSTGAME on CHGO Cubs YT
