AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The Rundown: Kelly Caps Cubs’ Comeback, Civale and Santana Make Cub Debuts, Brewers Lose Another Key Reliever

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 2, 2025

“Well I’m not the kind to live in the past. The years run too short and the days too fast.” – Time Passages by Al Stewart

My English Lit teacher used to quote Shakespeare often, and one of her favorite lines was “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” As you might guess, I had a tough time getting to the classroom and into my seat by the final bell. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the class, it’s just that, well, it was a mandatory subject and I was 15 years old, and most of the requisite reading didn’t offer the transient pleasures I was promised when I received the course syllabus.

For those who celebrate the onset of meteorological Autumn, Monday offered a cornucopia of local baseball tidbits. Shōta Imanaga turned 32 and Carson Kelly, who trudged through all of August without an extra base hit, was yesterday’s hero with a game-tying home run off of ex-Cub Pierce Johnson, and a walk-off double to win it two innings later. The Brewers lost to the Phillies about an hour later, and I can’t honestly recall the last time Chicago won and Milwaukee lost on the same day when they weren’t playing each other.

At one point yesterday the Cubs trailed the Braves 6-1 while the Brewers held a 5-1 lead over Philadelphia. Those reversals of fortune will be much more significant if Chicago’s North Side Baseballers find a way to catch their Milwaukee rivals, a task that seems impossible given the 5.5-game gap that separates the two. Then again, stranger things have happened. The Cubs gained two games on in the Brewers in the last 10 days and they’ll take the NL Central if they can match that pace in each of the next four weeks. A 10-12 game winning streak might do the trick, too.

Though Mrs. Stehney would never agree with me, sometimes, a minute too late is much more enjoyable than a few hours too soon. Kelly proved that with a performance that has been a long time coming, and the same could be said of the entire Cubs team. There is, therefore, no time like the present to take advantage of those unexpected gifts. Or, in the parlance of my English Lit class, “There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.”

Cubs News & Notes

Ball Four

Tucker looking like he took some fielding tips from Gary Sheffield.

Central Intelligence

  • Milwaukee (85-54): Reliever Shelby Miller was removed from yesterday’s game after he felt something pop in his right elbow. Last week, the Brewers lost closer Trevor Megill for the season. The Brewers are off tonight before resuming their series with the Phillies tomorrow.
  • Chicago (79-59): Why did the Cubs sign Santana? Justin Turner entered play Monday with an 18 wRC+ against righties this season, which makes him nearly unplayable in those situations. Deadline acquisition Willi Castro has a dismal 7 wRC+ in 60 plate appearances with the Cubs. Caissie is too inexperienced to be a reliable pinch hitter.
  • Cincinnati (70-68): The Reds beat the Blue Jays on Monday, winning for the first time this season after trailing by multiple runs entering the 9th inning. They trail the Mets by four games for the final Wild Card berth.
  • St. Louis (68-71): Cardinals’ ace Sonny Gray has surrendered a career-worst 23 home runs this season.
  • Pittsburgh (61-77): The Pirates added pitchers Cam Sanders and Nick Yorke to the roster as September call-ups.

Wild Pitch

“Pick up here and chase the ride. The river empties to the tide.” – Find the River by R.E.M.

How About That!

Here’s what’s at stake as baseball enters its final four weeks of the regular season.

The Tigers, Phillies, Brewers, Blue Jays, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres all have at least a 99% chance of making the playoffs entering the final month of the MLB season.

Keep an eye on the Giants, who have suddenly become baseball’s hottest team.

Trevor Story hit a 306-foot home run on Monday, the shortest in the majors this season.

The Mariners called up top catching prospect Harry Ford.

Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will remain on leave of absence “until further notice.”

Send the kids out of the room for a second. A couple got caught on camera while being overly promiscuous during Saturday’s Rangers-Athletics game.

Extra Innings

Kelly is the first Cub to notch the game-tying and the walk-off hit in the same game since Jason Heyward on September 4, 2016. It marked the seventh walk-off win for the Cubs and tied their largest comeback win of the season. Chicago’s magic number to clinch a postseason berth is now 16.

Apropos of Nothing

We lose 80-85 minutes of daylight in the month of September here in the upper Midwest. Soon, the trees and Wrigley Field’s outfield ivy will resemble a cobbler’s crust mixture of ambrosia, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, with a hint of allspice. Is it any wonder we love apple pie almost as much as baseball?

They Said It

  • “What makes this clubhouse so special is we’re always cheering for each other. That’s what we do, and we pick each other up. Whenever one guy’s struggling, we pick them up. And I think that’s contagious, and I think that’s what makes this team so special.” – Kelly
  • “At Owen’s place in his career, he has not [come off the bench]. To get here, you play every day. You’re not the guy that sits there, watches the game, understands the game and then comes into the game. You play every day. Doing that other thing is different.” – Counsell
  • “[Counsell] showed me a lot of respect, so that’s why I came here. I [had] another option, but he called me, and he told me, ‘I want you here.’ And I’m here. Thank you, God.” – Santana
  • “Every time, when the team needs me, I’ll be open. If [Counsell] wanted me to play whatever position, third base, outfield, I can do it. Before I retire, I want to [be] a champion. He [didn’t] tell me about my role here, but I’m open for any situation. He needs me, I’ll be here.” – Santana
  • “We’ve had some struggles against left-hand pitching. [Santana’s] a switch hitter. He’s a really good defensive first baseman. Just kind of gives us a veteran bat off the bench, and it’s easier to carry that when you have the extra guy.” – Jed Hoyer

Tuesday Walk-Up Song

Welcome to baseball’s stretch run, and buckle up. You’ll experience an unabridged gamut of emotions in the next 27 days.

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 2, 2025
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