👋 Good morning!
Welcome to the show, Owen Caissie!
The Cubs’ No. 1 prospect is coming up to the majors and is expected to make his debut in Toronto this afternoon, per ESPN.
Caissie, a native of Burlington, Ontario, was the prized return back on December 29, 2020, in the deal that sent Yu Darvish to the Padres.
Nearly five years later, Caissie’s on his way to see if he can be the spark to reignite the Cubs’ playoff push.
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What: CHGO Bears Official Tailgate
Where: Wabash & Cermak
When: Before every Bears home game
Perks: Beers, barbecue, vibes and a shuttle to the stadium
“Everybody’s going to play.”
After sitting out of the preseason opener against the Dolphins last Sunday, the Bears’ starters, including Caleb Williams, will play against the Bills on Sunday night.
Ben Johnson on the benefit of playing the starters: “I’ve been pretty consistent with the thought of reps, reps, reps are the most important thing to get [Williams] up to speed.
“By the plan that we had a week ago, we were able to get him probably somewhere between 80 and 100 more reps than we would’ve been able to do had he played in the game.”
Johnson on Williams’ workload for Sunday: “To be determined. We’ll talk about that. We’ll see how the joint practice goes and reassess.”
The Bears will host the Bills for a joint practice at Halas Hall on Friday.
Johnson added: “There’s things that you kind of have in the back of your head when you make the plan for training camp and as you go through training camp, things change.”
Johnson on overloading the offense in camp: “We haven't taken anything off their plate. This is still what we installed from the get-go. It has been a little bit overwhelming for some particular players. I think guys are starting to get a better feel for it and they're settling in.”
All good things, right?
Johnson won’t be dialing up any detailed or complicated looks, but we’ll have an opportunity to examine Williams’ pre-snap process — from the huddle to the line until the snap.
That’s where the “reps, reps, reps” line from the head coach comes into play.
Johnson said he expects Williams’ pre-snap procedure to be “in a good spot” come Week 1. That won’t happen by flipping a switch.
⚾️ FRIDAY 1:20 ROOFTOP ⚾️
We’re knocking the Friday 1:20 Club out of the park and onto a Wrigley Rooftop.
WHEN?
• Friday, Aug. 15 - 1:20 p.m. vs. Pirates
• Monday, Aug.18 - 7:05 p.m. vs. Brewers
One ticket gets you both games, plus all you can eat and drink, and a CHGO Cubs t-shirt!
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ACE IN THE MAKING: Cade Horton’s scoreless streak ended at 29 innings after he was removed in the sixth inning last night when Andrew Kittredge allowed an inherited runner to score.
It was the longest such streak of Horton’s career — college, minor leagues, or majors.
Horton allowed one run and just one hit, plus two walks and eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings on Wednesday night.
CATASTROPHE AVOIDED? Horton’s battery mate, Miguel Amaya, who was making his first appearance since May due to an oblique strain, was carted off after lunging for the first base bag and landing awkwardly.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the game that while Amaya will head right back to the IL, X-rays were negative and that the catcher is believed to have sprained his ankle.
Owen Caissie will take Amaya’s spot on the 26-man roster.
Cubs 4, Blue Jays 1
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS.
Let’s start with the good news: Shane Smith might be back.
Where did he go? Over his last five starts before the All-Star break, Smith was getting shelled, allowing 23 earned runs in 18.1 innings. It made sense. Smith, a Rule 5 Draft rookie, was nearing a career high in usage.
Smith repped the Sox in Atlanta for the Midsummer Classic, but was added to the 15-day IL with an ankle sprain shortly thereafter. He returned on August 1 and had made two starts before yesterday’s return to form.
In five innings against the Tigers on Wednesday, Smith allowed zero runs on two hits, walking three and striking out five.
The bad news? The Sox couldn’t muster any run support for their All-Star on Wednesday.
Tigers 1, White Sox 0
Group of champions.
— #Mark Carman (#@thecarm)
12:42 AM • Aug 14, 2025
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