The Rundown: Nothing Stranger Than NL Central Race, Sandberg Tribute Draws Legendary Crowd, Brewers Will Honor Uecker Today
“The percentage you’re paying is too high a price while you’re living beyond all your means.” – The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys by Traffic
The weekly Quantifying Hope columns that Evan publishes are among my favorites here at Cubs Insider. After taking three of five from the Brewers to end their most recent homestand, Chicago surged to a 98.8% probability of making the playoffs. Winning the division and entering the postseason tournament are different things, but let’s face it, watching from the outside is no fun at all. We’ve been there for most of this decade.
If you’re among the “sky is always falling” faction of Cubs fanatics, take a deep breath and focus on what’s quantifiable and what is not. I was at the Brewers-Giants game last night, and left in a pissy mood after a William Contreras walk-off home run. Milwaukee’s season has been as bizarre as it has been magical — last night’s Stranger Things-themed game could have been scripted by the Duffy Brothers — but the Brewers are successful because they win all the little battles. The game’s two starters, José Quintana and Carson Whisenhunt, struggled with command, but Milwaukee was much better at laying off of pitches outside the zone. San Francisco was also sloppy defensively, and Randy Rodríguez uncharacteristically gave up the winning blast by Contreras.
That’s enough about the Brewers. The Cubs beat the Angels 3-2 last night thanks to much-needed home runs from Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong. The pair have combined for 47 taters this year, but only five since the All-Star break. Tucker was dealing with a nagging hairline fracture while Crow-Armstrong battled through his first extended slump of the season. The volatile Chicago offense has been stranded in the Upside Down for the better part of two months, but Tucker and PCA are its Jim Hopper and Steve Harrington, so perhaps the team’s 2025 arc is finally trending upward. As a whole, however, the Cubs need to find ways to plate more than three runners per game.
That said, the Cubs are 19 games over .500 and have a 99.7% chance of making the playoffs with a 7.8% chance of winning the World Series using Baseball-Reference metrics. The North Siders are three games better by Pythagorean standards, too. If you’re looking for non-quantifiable hope, this week’s schedule heavily favors Chicago. Seven games down in late August to win the NL Central seems insurmountable, but — queue the Stranger Things theme song — let’s revisit the standings September 1. The Cubs are about to break out, and the Brewers’ luck is about to run out. In the meantime, enjoy your final week of meteorological summer and steer clear of those malevolent Milwaukee Mind Flayers.
Cubs News & Notes
- The Cubs honored Ryne Sandberg outside Wrigley Field on Friday in a celebration of the Hall of Famer’s life.
- Speakers included Sandberg’s son Justin and former NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, who called the legendary “Sandberg Game” in 1984. Hall of Famers Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, Joe Torre, and Ozzie Smith were among a sea of baseball legends who also attended.
- Javier Assad took the bump last night after being recalled. Ryan Brasier was placed on the IL in the corresponding move.
- Tucker and Crow-Armstrong bookended Friday’s win in Anaheim with solo shots in the 1st and 9th innings.
- Opposing pitchers have adjusted to PCA’s propensity to attack early in the count, and the centerfielder has started to make some counter-adjustments.
- Still, Crow-Armstrong has significantly outperformed preseason projections.
- Tucker’s bat speed, exit velocity, and launch angles dropped significantly despite a scorching first month post-injury.
- The nine-game road trip is setting up as a critical reset period for both sluggers.
- The Cubs will face fan-favorite Kyle Hendricks for the first time on Sunday.
- MLB hasn’t seen a no-hitter since Shōta Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge combined to no-hit the Pirates on Sept. 4, 2024. This year could mark the first season without a no-no since 2005.
Ball Four
Baseball’s All-Bubba team just got a new face for its team photo. Welcome to The Show, Bubba Chandler!
Bubba Chandler notched TWO strikeouts at 100 MPH last night 🔥
Oh yeah, and he pitched 4 shutout innings for the save in his MLB debut!
(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/Vlnc7uJObl
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2025
Central Intelligence
- Milwaukee (81-48): Willy Adames got a standing ovation in his return to Milwaukee. He was promptly razzed one pitch later when he took Quintana deep.
- Cincinnati (67-62): The Reds and Orioles line up well for an offseason trade involving Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman.
- St. Louis (64-66): The Cardinals got bumped from today’s schedule by the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. St. Louis is officially the MLB equivalent of Spinal Tap.
- Pittsburgh (55-74): The Pirates are in danger of becoming the first AL or NL team since the start of the 20th century to finish the season without a single hitter producing at a league-average level or better.
Wild Pitch
“I was born without this fear. Now only this seems clear; I need to move, I need to fight. I need to lose myself tonight.” – Come With Me Now by KONGOS
- San Diego (73-56): Padres fans may need an ESPN subscription to watch games next season.
- New York (68-60): The Mets have just one day off in the next four weeks and may go with a six-man rotation until mid-September.
- Arizona (63-66): Don’t look now, but the Diamondbacks are surging and open a four-game set with Milwaukee on Monday. Maybe Arizona can land a haymaker to the Brewers like they’ve previously done to the Cubs. Ketel Marte certainly believes in his team.
How About That!
The Brewers are holding a celebration of life for broadcaster Bob Uecker this afternoon. Costas is also hosting that event.
Uecker will be honored on the team’s medallion track, right next to Robin Yount and Paul Molitor.
Shane Bieber returned to the mound for the first time since 2024 and was masterful in his Blue Jays debut.
The Red Sox moved former Dodgers ace Walker Buehler to the bullpen.
The Orioles and catching prospect Samuel Basallo have agreed to terms on an eight-year extension worth $67 million. Basallo, who turned 21 nine days ago, is the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball.
The Astros, who recently lost closer Josh Hader to injury, have signed former Cub closer Craig Kimbrel.
Apropos of Nothing
As I peruse team rosters, I find myself in shock by the high number of players batting .250 or less, even though run scoring is seemingly up.
Extra Innings
- I don’t dislike Boog Sciambi, but man, Alex Cohen could easily be the next Cubs’ broadcasting treasure.
- There’s nothing better than a fired-up PCA.
- There were more Cubs fans than Angels fans in Anaheim last night.
PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG DELIVERS 💥 pic.twitter.com/f2KAFtW0Ev
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2025
They Said It
- “It’s about time I stepped up in a situation like that.” – Crow-Armstrong
- “Ryne was the kind of player any dad or youth coach could point to and say, ‘That’s the way you play the game.'” – Costas
Saturday Walk-Up Song
I often listen to music on Saturdays that is a little more ambient than my usual tastes, and this is one of my favorites.
