Saturday notes…
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STREAK AT HOME: The Cubs are trying today to get their tenth consecutive victory at home. They have had 18 double-digit streaks during the Modern Era, the last 14 at Wrigley Field, their home since 1916. The most recent was 14 in a row, from May 18 to June 22, 2008. A 13-game streak in 2001 and a 10-game streak in 1998 are the only other such streaks since 1970. Their record is 18 in a row, on September 1st. 4-22 in 1935, during a surge that took them to the pennant. The 2008 streak was one of five in 14 games. The 2001 streak was the only one of 13. They also had a single streak of 12, in 1927, and 11, in 1910. Eight of the streaks ended after 10 games. Ten were defeated after nine victories. The first seven were in 1908-33. Then there was one in 1957 and two in consecutive years, 2016 and 2017. The most recent streak ended with a 5-1 loss to the Braves in which the Cubs managed just five hits: two by Ian Happ and Ben Zobrist, and one by Jason Heyward. One of Happ’s was a home run. (Courtesy of JohnW53 of BCB)
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THREE OF A KIND: The Cubs’ pair of three-run innings yesterday were their 11th and 12th of the season with a trio. They have scored five runs in three innings, four runs in seven and two runs in 22, for a total of 44 innings with bad numbers, out of a total of 95 innings in which they have scored. They have allowed multiple runs in 35 of 74 innings in which they have allowed runs. (Courtesy of JohnW53 of BCB)
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DANSBY: Dansby Swanson, last 17 games since April 12: .273/.391/.600 (15-for-55) with a double, a triple, five home runs, 11 walks, 16 runs scored and 18 RBI.
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TODAY IN PUPPY HISTORY: The Cubs hit four home runs (Sammy Sosa, Gary Matthews Jr., Bill Mueller and Eric Young Sr.) and defeated the Padres 8-3 at Wrigley Field. It happened 25 years ago today, Wednesday, May 2, 2001.
Cubs lineup:
Diamondbacks lineup:
Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Ryne Nelson, RHP
Shōta Imanaga was a bit sidelined on Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing five runs in 5.1 innings. One positive: He didn’t allow a home run and this year he’s allowed just three long balls in 34.1 innings, a big improvement over last year.
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Overall, though, after a bit of a rough outing in his first start this year against the Nationals, Imanaga posted a 2.45 ERA and 0.750 WHIP in 29.1 innings over five starts in April. I really can’t argue with that kind of production.
Last year, he pitched seven innings of three hits and one run against the D-backs on March 29, 2025 at Chase Field. Do that again, Shota.
Ryne Nelson had a pretty good year for the D-backs in 2025 (33 games, 23 starts, 3.39 ERA, 1.071 WHIP, 3.4 bWAR), but this year has been a disaster. He’s had two decent starts, but the other four have been terrible, and especially the last two: 15 hits, 14 earned runs in 5.1 innings (that’s a 23.83 ERA). He has allowed six home runs in 25.2 innings this year.
Last year he made two relief appearances against the Cubs and they absolutely pounded him: 10 hits, nine runs in 2.1 innings.
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Do that again this afternoon, Cubs hitters.
Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
Here’s MLB.com’s full live streaming page for today.
MLB.com Game Day
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Visit our SB Nation Diamondbacks AZ Snakepit site. If you go there to interact with D-backs fans, be respectful, respect their site’s individual rules, and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The discussion procedure for the 2026 game has changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the main page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games after night games).
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At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) Game Threads (Day of Week/Date),” will also be posted on the home page. It will contain all the posts related to that particular game.
He Lives! (previously “First Pitch”) thread will continue to post five minutes before the start of the game. It will also be published on the main page. That will be the only discussion thread for the live game. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also appear on the main page as separate posts.
You can also find the preview, Live! Thread, summary and Heroes and Goats in the link in this section. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
Discuss among yourselves.
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