A Baby Might Have Unlocked the 2026 Chicago Cubs Offense
The Chicago Cubs were supposed to face right-handed starter Drew Rasmussen on Tuesday night, but the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher was scratched four hours before first pitch. Rasmussen thought he would be in the clear to make the start against the Cubs, as he and his wife were expecting their second child later this week, but the couple’s daughter arrived earlier than they thought.
Rasmussen let the team know early in the day that he wouldn’t make the Tuesday night start against the Cubs, as he was headed to the hospital to be with his wife during the birth of their second child.
The 30-year-old pitcher has been one of the more underrated starters in MLB for a while. Injuries have limited the right-hander’s time on the mound, but in 2025, he was excellent, posting a 2.76 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 31 starts with the Rays. Rasmussen has only allowed two earned runs in 10 innings through his first two starts of the 2026 season, while striking out 10 batters, walking one, and only giving up six hits.
So, it was certainly a relief for the Cubs’ offense that they didn’t have to face Rasmussen on Tuesday. As a team, the Cubs had the third-lowest batting average heading into that game at .199, while their combined 84 wRC+ ranked 25th in MLB.
Prior to Tuesday, the Cubs’ offense had five or fewer hits in five of their first 10 games of the season. Well, that changed with the Rays needing to make a last-minute switch on the mound.
The Cubs exploded at the plate with 16 hits against the Rays en route to a 9-2 win.
Nico Hoerner: 2-4, 2 RBI, BB
Alex Bregman: 3-5, R
Pete Crow-Armstrong: 3-5, HR, 3 R
Moises Ballesteros: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Dansby Swanson: 2-5, 2 R
Michael Conforto: 2-3, RBI, R, BB
Matt Shaw: 2-5, RBI
The Cubs had 18 hard-hit balls, which means an exit velocity of 95mph or higher, so they weren’t getting cheated at the plate, as 11 of those went for hits. And thankfully, those balls actually got down for hits, even though the team wasn’t producing results; they were hitting the ball hard through the first 10 games of the season.
If anyone is panicking and wants some copium, take a hit. Here you go. pic.twitter.com/U2KquXjWkD
— Cubs Desk Jockey (@CubsDJ) April 7, 2026
The positive regression had to come eventually, and maybe it helped not having to face Rasmussen, who has held hitters to a career .217 batting average against him.
A good night for the Cubs after a very tough day on the injury front, and we talked about it on the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.