Wednesday, May 06
Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.
The Cubs have been saying it since the offseason: 2026 is the new 2016.
It was a lofty goal — return to World Series glory during the 10-year anniversary season of their curse-shattering 2016 championship.
Well, guess what? These 2026 Cubbies are playing a lot like those 2016 Cubbies.
The Cubs are on a seven-game winning streak that has them in first place in a hypercompetitive NL Central division where all five teams are still over .500 more than a month into the season.
They’ve won an incredible 13 consecutive games at Wrigley Field. That’s their longest winning streak at Wrigley since 2008 (14 straight), and within reach of the team record at the Friendly Confines (18 straight wins there in 1935).
But the fun fact for today is this: The 2026 Cubs are 24-12 through their first 36 games of the season. This is just the third time in the last 100 years that the Cubs have won at least 24 of their first 36 games.
The last time they did it? You guessed it, 2016.
The 2016 Cubs, led by the “Bryzzo” duo of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, went on a ridiculous run to start the season. They were actually 27-9 through their first 36 games. But the 2026 Cubs are as hot as it gets right now, and they have the deep lineup to make a deep postseason run of their own.
Can they throw it all the way back to 2016? We’ll see. But the 2026 Cubs have the mojo going.
Chicago goes for its eighth win in a row, and 14th straight at Wrigley, tonight against the Reds (7:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV).
OHTANI GETS THE WHIFF OF THE YEAR
Shohei Ohtani has a 0.97 ERA. He’s the MLB ERA leader. He could win his first Cy Young.
But we’ll have plenty of time to talk about that this season. Right now we just want to talk about this swing that he got from Jose Altuve last night.
Just watch:
My goodness. That sweeper starts in the other batter’s box, and Ohtani still got Altuve to swing at it. For a strikeout, too!
Our first reaction after that pitch was, “That might be the farthest outside pitch we’ve ever seen anyone swing at.”
But let’s go to the data!
First question: Actually, how far outside was that pitch?
Answer: 3.23 feet from the center of the strike zone — which means it was 2.52 feet off the outside edge of the plate.
Aka, this far …
Second question: Has anyone else swung and missed at a pitch that far outside?
Answer: Not this season. The last time a Major League hitter whiffed at a pitch farther outside than Altuve did was Daulton Varsho last April 29. Varsho struck out to end a game on a Brennan Bernardino curveball that was 3.79 feet from the center of the zone.
And the last time a right-handed hitter whiffed at such an outside pitch? That was a rookie Bobby Witt Jr., who went around on a Lou Trivino sweeper that was 3.50 feet from the center of the zone and went to the backstop on June 17, 2022.
Here are those two swings, in case you were wondering:
Last question: What’s the farthest outside pitch anyone has swung at that we know of?
Answer: This is a fun one. Since Statcast started tracking in 2015, the “record” for farthest outside pitch swung at belongs to Ronald Torreyes, who offered up this beauty on June 30, 2016 in a humorous attempt to protect a Yankee runner stealing on a pitchout. (It didn’t work.) That pitchout was 3.96 feet from the center of the strike zone:
Hopefully that brightens up your afternoon a little.
OUTFIELD DEFENSE WORTHY OF A SPELLING BEE
Jared Greenspan explains exactly what makes Mets rookie Carson Benge’s defense “pulchritudinous” before the Mets face the Rockies tonight (9:20 p.m. ET, MLB.TV):
Carson Benge’s defense really is worthy of an SAT word.
Mets play-by-play broadcaster Gary Cohen used “pulchritudinous” — which means “breathtakingly beautiful” — to describe Benge’s diving catch on Sunday. But it applies to the 23-year-old’s overall glove work this season, too.
Only three outfielders — Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chandler Simpson and Cam Smith — have more Outs Above Average than Benge (+3). Unlike his counterparts, Benge has accumulated his OAA while playing all three outfield positions: 12 starts in right field, 10 in left and six in center.
Benge’s stellar defense is particularly important for the Mets, whose offseason makeover came with an outspoken emphasis on “run prevention.” And right now, Benge has been as valuable at preventing runs as any Met.
Here’s more on what makes Benge a standout fielder.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
The Astros lose a star, a former MVP is slugging homers again, and the Yankees and Rays are red hot as we take a look around the league.
• Correa out for the season
Astros shortstop Carlos Correa will have season-ending surgery on his left ankle after suffering an injury while taking swings in the batting cage before yesterday’s game. Correa said today that he tore a tendon in his ankle and that the surgery will involve a recovery timetable of six to eight months.
• Harper looking elite
Bryce Harper is finding his groove at the plate, and so is the whole Phillies offense. The two-time MVP has three home runs in his last two games, including two yesterday as the Phils moved to 7-1 under Don Mattingly, powered by Harper and ace Cristopher Sánchez.
• Can anyone slow down the Yankees?
The Yankees offense looks unstoppable right now (except for one statistical oddity, but we digress). Not even Jacob deGrom could slow down the Bronx Bombers last night, when Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s tiebreaking home run off the two-time Cy Young winner (complete with epic bat flip) led New York to its fifth straight win. The Yankees have won 15 of their last 17 games and have the best record in the AL.
• Can the Rays slow down everyone?
It’s funny, though — the Yankees are barely in first place in their own division, even though the entire American League has a grand total of three teams above .500. That’s because the Rays are extremely hot, too. Today’s victory over the Blue Jays was their sixth straight win and their 12th win in their last 13 games, and it gave them their MLB-leading fifth series sweep. Unlike the slugging Yanks, though, the key for the Rays is shutting down opposing offenses. They have an MLB-best 1.23 ERA as a team since the start of their 12-1 stretch.
CHECK OUT THIS NEW BREW CREW SHOE
If you loved the Brewers’ new City Connect uniforms, you’re in luck. The Brew Crew is dropping a limited-edition Nike sneaker to match.
The custom Nike Air Max 1, in the colors and style of the Brewers’ City Connect uniforms that debuted last month, will be exclusively available at MODA3 in Milwaukee’s Third Ward on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT.
A limited number of the City Connect sneakers will also be available for sale to ticketed fans at Saturday night’s Brewers-Yankees game at American Family Field.
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RJ Hamster 