​Today’s Reflections
What can you say when a pitcher, making only his second start of the season after a disastrous debut, comes out absolutely brilliant? In this case, the Cubs benefited from some help—12 of the Cubs’ 16 strikeouts came with Hunter Greene on the mound. Still, credit is due where it’s earned.
That said, the Cubs were outhit 13-4. Seiya Suzuki, hot as ever, collected two of the Cubs’ four hits, including a double, but with nobody on base, those efforts didn’t amount to anything. And while the Cubs have lately drawn their fair share of walks, they managed only one on Friday.
Yes, Shōta Imanaga surrendered another solo homer, but he stranded seven of the baserunners and struck out five. There’s an article below that calls out his notable flaw, yet it also recognizes him in every other aspect of his game.
But then there was the bullpen. As the piece notes, Jake Woodford’s appearance swung the game decisively. He flipped Imanaga’s solid start into a disaster, allowing a triple and a three‑run homer that transformed a 1-0 game into a rout that felt much closer to a 20-0 blowout. Thanks so much for stopping by, Jake.
Josh has done an excellent job covering the Cubs’ draft results. I’ve added a handful of stories, including items on first‑round pick Cade Townsend, below to offer a broader range of perspectives. The site uses some autoplay features and paywalls, and italics are frequently employed as sarcasm font. The powers that be even allow a “sarcasm font” in the comments sections.
Friday’s Game Stories
Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/10/26): Reds 4, Cubs 0 — Greene Great in Shutout. “Newly returned ace Hunter Greene dominated the road team from the opening pitch, and it was never really close.” View Link
Sean Sears (Chicago Cubs On SI): 3 Takeaways After Cubs’ Offense Flops, New Bullpen Arm Crumbles in Loss to Reds. “Hunter Greene baffled the Cubs bats for 12 strikeouts in tonight’s shutout.” View Link
Cubs Draft Analysis of the first four picks of the draft (varied opinions, including Josh’s):
– Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs’ 2026 first-round draft pick confirms Jed Hoyer wasn’t blind to crippling needs. “Cubs might not be allergic to pitching.”
– Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Cubs 2026 first-round pick could immediately rocket up team’s prospect rankings. “Cade Townsend is a huge addition to the organization’s pitching ranks.”
– Jason Ross (North Side Baseball): Chicago Cubs Select Cade Townsend with the 23rd Pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, “Cade Townsend’s strength lies directly in his stuff.”
– Andrew Wright (North Side Baseball): Chicago Cubs Select Caden Sorrell with No. 62 Overall Pick In 2026 MLB Draft. “With their second pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs grabbed Caden Sorrell, a college outfielder with some impressive pedigree.”
– Jason Ross (North Side Baseball): C for better SEO.
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