2023 Chicago Cubs season

On October 28, 2022, the team announced that hitting coach Greg Brown would not return.[4] Cubs' minor league hitting coordinator, Dustin Kelly, was named the new hitting coach.[5]

Pursuant to the CBA, new rule changes will be in place for the 2023 season:[6]

• institution of a pitch clock between pitches;
• limits on pickoff attempts per plate appearance;
• limits on defensive shifts requiring two infielders to be on either side of second and be within the boundary of the infield; and
• larger bases (increased to 18-inch squares).

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Thursday, March 30, 2023 vs. Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field[14]

• March 22 – The Cubs announced that Marcus Stroman would be the Opening Day starting pitcher.[15]
• March 30 – In the first game of the season, the Cubs faced the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Marcus Stroman pitched six scoreless innings for the win while three relievers combined to shut out the Brewers 4–0. Dansby Swanson had three hits and drove in a run in his Cub debut.[16]

• April 1 – After a scheduled off day, the Cubs resumed their three-game series with the Brewers. Justin Steele pitched six scoreless innings and left with a 1–0 lead. However, Javier Assad allowed three runs in 1.1 innings of relief as the Cubs lost 3–1. Dansby Swanson continued his hot start to the season, notching three hits while Ian Happ hit the Cubs' first homer of the season.[17]
• April 2 – In the finale of the opening series, Jameson Taillon made his Cub debut and gave up three runs on seven hits in four innings of work. New Cub Julian Merryweather also struggled, allowing five runs while only getting two outs. Patrick Wisdom hit two home runs for the Cubs, but it was not enough as they lost 9–5 to the Brewers.[18]
• April 3 – In their first road game of the season the Cubs visited Cincinnati to face the Reds. Drew Smyly struggled, allowing seven runs in 4.2 innings of work. Cody Bellinger hit his first home run as a Cub and drove in three runs. Dansby Swanson added three hits while Eric Hosmer drove in three. Keegan Thompson pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, but it was not enough as the Cubs lost 7–6.[19]
• April 4 – Hayden Wesneski pitched 4.2 innings and allowed three runs in his season debut against the Reds. However, the Cub offense picked up the pitching, as Patrick Wisdom, Ian Happ, and Nico Hoerner each had three hits in the game. Trey Manicini and Wisdom each drove in three runs as the Cubs used a six-run seventh to pull away for the easy 12–5 win.[20]
• April 7 – Following a rainout and scheduled off day, the Cubs returned home to face the Texas Rangers. Marcus Stroman again pitched well, going six innings and allowing no runs. Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger each drove in a run as the Cubs shut out the Rangers 2–0.[21]
• April 8 – In game two of the series against the Rangers, Ian Happ drove in three runs while Eric Hosmer drove in two. Patrick Wisdom hit his third home run of the season while Justin Steele allowed only one run in six innings. The Cubs won their third straight 10–3.[22]
• April 9 – In the finale of the season series against the Rangers, Jameson Taillon allowed five runs in six innings while Javier Assad allowed three runs in three innings of relief as the Cubs lost 8–2. Edwin Ríos hit his first home run as a Cub in the loss.[23]
• April 10 – The Cubs stayed at Wrigley to face the Seattle Mariners. Drew Smyly allowed one run in five innings and the Cubs led 2–1 on RBIs by Cody Bellinger and Eric Hosmer. However, in the top of the ninth, Michael Fulmer allowed a game-tying homer to Jarred Kelenic. In extras, Keegan Thompson pitched out of a bases loaded jam to take the game to the bottom of the 10th still tied. Nick Madrigal, the Manfred runner at second to start the inning, stole third before Nico Hoerner singled him in for the 3–2 win.[24]
• April 11 – Hayden Wesneski allowed seven runs in 1.1 innings as the Cubs fell behind 7–0 to the Mariners. However, a two-run home run for Trey Mancini and Nelson Velázquez's grand slam as part of an eight-run third inning gave the Cubs the lead. The Cub bullpen allowed only two runs in 7.2 innings of relief as the Cubs came from behind to notch a 14–9 win. Nico Hoerner had two RBIs and scored three runs while Dansby Swanson also drove in two in the win.[25]
• April 12 – In the finale of the series against the Mariners, Marcus Stroman again pitched well, allowing his first two runs of the season in six innings. The Cub bullpen allowed three more runs as the Cubs scored only two runs and lost 5–2.[26]
• April 14 – After an off day, the Cubs traveled to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. Justin Steele pitched seven innings while allowing only two runs. Meanwhile, the Cub offense hit five home runs with Yan Gomes hitting two of them. Ian Happ had four hits, including a homer, and drove in three. Seiya Suzuki homered in his return to the lineup as the Cubs beat the Dodgers 8–2.[27]
• April 15 – In game two of the series against the Dodgers, Jameson Taillon allowed no runs in five innings. The Cub bullpen allowed only one base runner until the ninth when Michael Fulmer allowed three hits to lose the game as the Cubs lost 2–1. Patrick Wisdom hit his fifth homer of the season in the loss.[28]
• April 16 – In the finale of the series against the Dodgers, Patrick Wisdom and Cody Bellinger hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth while Bellinger scored the Cubs' first run of the game in the fifth. Drew Smyly allowed only one run in 5.2 innings of work as the Cubs won their third straight series, beating the Dodger 3–2.[29]
• April 17 – The Cubs next visited the Athletics in Oakland. Patrick Wisdom homered twice and drove in four runs as the Cubs clobbered the A's 10–1. Cody Bellinger had a career-high five hits while Ian Happ drove in three runs in the easy win. Hayden Wesneski allowed only one run in seven innings to earn the win. The win moved the Cubs to 9–6 on the season.[30]
• April 18 – In the second game of the series against the A's, Marcus Stroman continued his hot start to the season by pitching six scoreless innings and allowing only two hits. The game went to the eighth still in scoreless tie before the Cubs scored four runs to take a 4–0 lead. The Cub bullpen shut out the A's as the Cubs notched their third straight win while the A's lost their sixth straight. The 4–0 win moved the Cubs to 9–3 in the prior 12 games.[31]
• April 19 – In the finale of the series against the A's, Justin Steele pitched six scoreless innings and allowed only one earned run. The Cub offense added four runs in the sixth and five in the ninth to win the game 12–2. Eric Hosmer hit his first home run as a Cub while Patrick Wisdom, Ian Happ, and Nick Madrigal each drove in two in the win. The win was the Cubs' fourth in a row, all on the road.[32]
• April 20 – Returning home to face the Dodgers in a four-game series, Javier Assad made a spot start for the injured Jameson Taillon. He allowed two runs in three innings of work. The Cub bullpen pitched well in relief, holding the Dodgers scoreless until the ninth. With the game tied at two, Michael Fulmer got into a bases loaded jam before allowing a grand slam by James Outman as the Cubs lost 6–2.[33]
• April 21 – In game two of the series against the Dodgers, Drew Smyly pitched seven perfect innings before allowing a hit to the first batter in the eighth. Nico Heorner homered and drove in four runs while Patrick Wisdom, Trey Mancini, and Cody Bellinger also homered as the Cubs blew out the Dodgers 13–0.[34]
• April 22 – In the third game of the series against the Dodgers, Haden Wesneski allowed three runs in 4.1 innings of work. the Cub bullpen surrendered an additional six runs as the Cubs lost 9–4. Nico Hoerner homered for the second consecutive day and drove in two runs in the loss. The loss dropped the Cubs to 12–8 on the season.[35]
• April 23 – In the finale of the season series against the Dodgers, Marcus Stroman, who had only allowed two runs in four previous starts, gave up five runs in five innings. Yan Gomes homered while Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki each drove in a run. But, it was not enough as the Cubs lost 7–3.[36]
• April 25 – After an off day, the San Diego Padres came to Wrigley for a three-game series. Yan Gomes went four for four with a homer and three RBIs as the Cubs beat the Padres 6–0. Nico Hoerner drove in three with a bases loaded triple in the eighth to secure the win. Justin Steele pitched 5.1 scoreless innings and four relievers shut out the Padres.[37]
• April 26 – In game two of the series against the Padres, Drew Smyly allowed two runs in five innings while the bullpen surrendered three more runs. Trey Mancini homered and drove in two runs, but it was not enough as the Cubs lost 5–3.[38]
• April 27 – In the finale of the homestand, Haden Wesneski allowed only one run in five innings of work. Eric Hosmer and Nelson Velásquez hit back-to-back home runs in the second while Dansby Swanson hit his first home run of the season. The Cub bullpen only allowed one run in relief as the Cubs beat the Padres 5–2.[39] The win moved the Cubs to 14–10 on the season.
• April 28 – The Cubs went on the road to face the Miami Marlins in Miami. Marcus Stroman allowed two runs in 6.1 innings of work. Nelson Velásquez homered and Nico Hoerner drove in a run in the game. However, with the game tied at two in the ninth, Michael Rucker gave up a single, hit the next two batters and then gave up the game-running single as the Cubs lost 3–2.[40]
• April 29 – Making his first start of the year, Caleb Kilian allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 3.1 innings. The Cub bullpen pitched masterfully, shutting out the Marlins for the final four innings. Patrick Wisdom hit a two-run homer in the second and Cody Bellinger added a homer in the sixth as the Cubs drew within one run in the eighth, but get no further as they lost their second straight to the Marlins, 7–6.[41]
• April 30 – In the finale of the series against the Marlins, Justin Steele allowed three runs (two earned) in six innings. Cody Bellinger hit a homer for the second consecutive day and drove in two, but the Cubs lost again 4–3, their third straight loss by one run. The Marlins' sweep of the Cubs dropped the Cubs to 14–13 on the season.[42]

• May 1 – The Cubs next traveled to Washington, D.C. to face the Nationals for a four-game series. Drew Smyly pitched seven innings and allowed only one run. Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ homered as the Cubs beat the Nationals 5–1.[43]
• May 2 – Haden Wesneski pitched well, allowing only one run in six innings, but Keegan Thompson allowed three runs while only getting only one out as the Cubs lost to the Nationals 4–1.[44]
• May 3 – In game three against the Nationals, Marcus Stroman allowed only one run in six innings. However, the bullpen again surrendered the lead as Adbert Alzolay allowed a run and three hits while only getting two outs as the Cubs lost 2–1. The loss dropped the Cubs to 15–15 on the season.[45]
• May 4 – In the finale of the series against the Nationals, Jameson Taillon returned to the rotation and allowed three runs in three innings. The Cubs tied the game at three in the eighth on a Nico Hoerner single. With the game tied at three in the bottom of the ninth, Alex Call hit the winning home run on the first pitch as the Cubs lost their sixth game in the prior seven. The loss moved the Cubs under .500 on the season.[46]
• May 5 – Returning home to face the Marlins, Justin Steele pitched seven innings while allowing only one run. Ian Happ hit a two-run home run in the fifth and Matt Mervis, playing in his first major league game, drove in a run as the Cubs won 4–1.[47]
• May 6 – In game two of the series against the Marlins, Drew Smyly allowed two runs in 3.1 innings and the Cubs trailed 2–1 going into the eighth. In the eighth, Nick Madrigal drove in two runs and Miguel Amaya got his first major league hit to drive in another run as the Cubs won 4–2. The win moved the Cubs back to a game over .500.[48]
• May 7 – In the finale of the series against the Marlins, the Cubs trailed 2–0 entering the bottom of the ninth. Cory Bellinger doubled in a run and scored on an Eric Hosmer single to tie the game and force extra innings. Both teams scored in the 10th and 13th, but the game remained tied at four entering the 14th inning. Adbert Alzolay balked in a run from third and the Cubs could not push across the tying run as they lost 5–4.[49]
• May 8 – The Cubs next played the last place St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Marcus Stroman pitched six innings while allowing two runs. However, former Cub Willson Contreras doubled and drove in two runs for the Cardinals as the Cubs lost 3–1. The loss dropped the Cubs to 17–18 on the season. Nico Hoerner left the game with an apparent hamstring injury.[50]
• May 9 – In game two of the series against the Cardinals, Jameson Taillon gave four runs in 2.2 innings. Javier Assad pitched 5.1 innings of relief, but allowed two runs in the top of the ninth as the Cubs lost 6–4. Christopher Morel, called up to replace the injured Hoerner, homered in his season debut while Dansby Swanson homered, doubled twice, and drove in three in the loss.[51]
• May 10 – In the finale of the series against the Cardinals, Justin Steele pitched six innings and allows three runs. Yan Gomes, returning from the injured list, had three hits including a two-run home run. Patrick Wisdom added a two-run homer as well as the Cubs blew out the Cardinals 10–4 to avoid the sweep.[52]
• May 12 – After an off day, the Cubs traveled to play the Minnesota Twins. Trailing 2–1 in the seventh, Matt Mervis doubled in a run and Yan Gomes drove in Mervis to give the Cubs a 3–2 lead. Christopher Morel added his second home run of the season while Cody Bellinger drove in a run in the ninth as the Cubs won 6–2.[53]
• May 13 – In game two of the series, Haden Wesneski allowed seven runs in five innings as the Twins blew out the Cubs 11–1.[54]
• May 14 – In the finale of the series against the Twins, the Cubs were blown out again, losing 16–3. Marcus Stroman surrendered six runs in 2.2 innings while the Cub bullpen allowed six more runs. Pitching the ninth in the blowout, IF Miles Mastrobuoni allowed four runs while getting only one out. The loss dropped the Cubs to 19–21 on the season.[55]
• May 15 – The Cubs next travelled to Houston to face the Astros. Jameson Taillon gave up four runs in 4.2 innings, but Christopher Morel's fourth home run in six games, a three-run homer, tied the game at four in the fourth. However, Michael Fulmer allowed a two-run homer to Alex Bregman in the seventh that gave the Astros the 6–4 win.[56] Cody Bellinger left the game with an apparent leg injury after making a jumping catch against the wall in the seventh.[57]
• May 16 – In game two against the Astros, Justin Steele allowed five runs in six innings while the bullpen allowed two runs. Matt Mervis hit his first career home run and Seiya Suzuki hit his third of the season, but it was not enough as the Cubs lost 7–3. The loss marked the Cubs fourth in a row and seventh in the prior nine games.

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(through May 14)
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; K = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; OBP = On-base percentage; SLG = Slugging percentage; TB = Total bases

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(through May 14)
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

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