Mervis singles, lifts struggling Cubs in debut

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2 years ago

May 6, 2023

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Bradford Doolittle, ESPN Staff WriterMay 5, 2023, 06:34 PM ET
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- Sports reporter, Kansas City Star, 2002-09
- Writer, Baseball, Baseball Prospectus
- Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus
- Member, Baseball Writers Association of America
- Member, Professional Basketball Writers Association

CHICAGO — Matt Mervis‘ climb to the big leagues was both meandering and steep. When debut day finally arrived on a lustrous Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, the pinnacle moment almost didn’t happen.

“I was hoping for the fourth at-bat,” Mervis said after his eighth-inning single drove in an insurance run in the Cubs’ 4-1 win over the Marlins at the Friendly Confines.

Mervis joined the club from Triple-A Iowa on Friday upon the Cubs’ returning from a tough road trip through Miami and Washington on which they lost six of seven, with five of the losses coming by a single run.

“It sucks hard,” was how Cubs manager David Ross described the spate of narrow defeats. Still, the mood was lightened by the arrival of Mervis, who was hitting .286/.402/.560 at Triple-A Iowa with six homers and 27 RBIs in 24 games.

That’s what happens with any touted new arrival: a resurgence of hope. Perhaps echoing that notion was the weather itself, warm and flawless on a sunny afternoon on the north side of Chicago.

“They just said, ‘Pack stuff and get to the stadium, and congratulations,'” Mervis said, describing the call he received from the Cubs telling him he was hitting the big-time. He added, “This is all I’ve wanted to do for pretty much my whole life.”

While Mervis’ Triple-A numbers suggested an eventual promotion was inevitable, it wasn’t long ago that it seemed inconceivable. After a four-year career at Duke in which Mervis was as coveted for his pitching arm as his bat, he went undrafted in the 2020 draft, which was truncated to five rounds because of the pandemic.

Mervis signed with the Cubs as a free agent. While he heard many times that he should focus on pitching, he always thought his future would be forged with his still-developing ability with the bat. His insistence on that belief was a big step that led to Friday’s game.

Still, things moved slowly. Mervis hit just .209 during his first season of professional games in 2021 but then leaped to .309 across three levels in 2022 while mashing 36 homers. In fact, that became his nickname: Mash.

“My parents like it,” Mervis said. “We all have T-shirts and my friends jokingly call me that sometimes. It is strange to be a minor leaguer with a nickname, but I don’t mind.”

With the Cubs floundering a bit on offense during the rough road trip, and the Mervis mash in effect at Iowa, the time for his long-awaited call arrived. His parents, who had been en route to watch him play in the minors, had to reroute to Chicago, all while dealing with the emotions of their son realizing his dream.

After meeting with the media and studying the labyrinthine passageways beneath 109-year-old Wrigley Field before the game, Mervis took the field with his teammates, and before he knew it, he was striding to the plate for his first MLB at-bat against Marlins righty Edward Cabrera in the second inning.

The crowd, all too familiar with Mervis’ prospect profile, gave him a rousing, prolonged welcome as he stepped to the plate.

“That was really cool,” Mervis said. “Obviously the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, and for people to cheer for me like that was something I’ve never experienced before.”

Also: Mervis had never faced a big league pitcher in a big league game before, and Cabrera greeted him with a nasty changeup at the knees — at 92.4 mph. He ended up striking out in that first at-bat. He grounded out in the fourth and struck out again in the sixth.

Hey, the big leagues are tough. Meanwhile, the well-pitched game zipped along, and with the Cubs leading 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Mervis was due to be the fifth batter up in the inning.

The first two hitters went down quickly, but Cody Bellinger blooped a double after Marlins right fielder Garrett Hampson fell down. With tough lefty Tanner Scott on the mound, Miami walked righty Trey Mancini intentionally to bring the lefty-swinging Mervis to the plate for another shot at his first hit.

Mervis didn’t waste that fourth at-bat. Instead he very much lived up to his name — he mashed. Mervis’ line shot to right rocketed off the bat at 111 mph and plated Bellinger to give the Cubs an insurance run in the tense contest.

“That was fun,” Mervis said. “I was trying not to overthink it.”

The response was typical on a day that Mervis seemed to handle with the ease of a veteran, even with so much going on and his parents watching from the stands.

“I liked the way he handled the moments,” Ross said. “Didn’t get outside of himself and took some good swings on some nasty pitches.”

With his first game, first hit and first RBI all under his belt, and the ball with which he collected his first big league knock secured, the only question remaining for Mervis was what he would do with the memento.

“It’s going to my dad,” Mervis said. “He was wearing my Fall League jersey today. He gets the bats and gloves and all that stuff. I know he presents that stuff proudly in his office.”

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Follow live: Blue Jays host Yankees in Game 2 of ALDS

Published

3 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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Brewers CF Chourio’s status uncertain for Game 2

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3 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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Brewers CF Chourio's status uncertain for Game 2

Jesse RogersOct 5, 2025, 04:41 PM ET
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MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers centerfielder Jackson Chourio‘s status for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs on Monday is uncertain after an MRI on his right hamstring came back inconclusive, according to manager Pat Murphy.

Chourio, 21, left Game 1 on Saturday after legging out an infield hit in the bottom of the second inning. It’s the same hamstring he injured in July — also while playing against the Cubs — putting his immediate playing future in doubt.

“I can’t give you a definitive, but I know that we’re going to test some things today,” Murphy said on Sunday afternoon. “He’s going to be out there today. I don’t know that he’ll do much, but the MRI came back and it’s inconclusive and it’s not a serious hamstring strain, but it’s not necessarily something that won’t limit him.”

Chourio was 3 for 3 in the game before leaving. Murphy indicated rookie Isaac Collins would likely take Chourio’s place in the lineup if the latter player can’t go.

The Brewers manager also announced lefty Aaron Ashby will start Game 2 for his team, though he probably won’t last long after throwing 1⅓ innings on Saturday. He’s likely opening the game to help neutralize Cubs leadoff man Michael Busch — also a lefty — who homered to start Game 1.

“He could go as long as we want him to,” Murphy said of Ashby.

Righty Quinn Priester is likely the bulk innings guy for the Brewers after Ashby, but Murphy stopped short of declaring his plans. The Cubs are countering with lefty Shota Imanaga, who pitched in Game 2 of the wild-card round against the San Diego Padres.

“He’s a competitor,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And I think he’s a thinking-man’s competitor, and he also pitches with a lot of joy on the mound, while competing at a really high level.”

Imanaga has a 5.73 ERA in four career games against the Brewers, including three starts this season.

“I think all the hitters, they understand what they need to do, and I think that’s the Brewers’ offense,” Imanaga said of his struggles against Milwaukee. “Even yesterday, just the next guy was up, the next guy was ready. So I think, for me, it’s just making sure, take it one out at a time, and then thinking about that one out.”

Murphy was asked about facing the second-year Cub who features a rising fastball and a sinking splitter.

“His heater plays way up,” Murphy said. “If it says 91, the hitter sees it as 95 to 96.”

Milwaukee won Game 1 in a route, 9-3.

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AP Week 6 poll reaction: What’s next for each Top 25 team

Published

4 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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AP Week 6 poll reaction: What's next for each Top 25 team

Oct 5, 2025, 02:25 PM ET

The latest AP poll is out. Most ranked teams held steady. The Ohio State Buckeyes stayed atop the poll after a convincing win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and the Miami Hurricanes bolstered their résumé with a win over the Florida State Seminoles. But both the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions and then No. 9 Texas Longhorns were stunned by unranked opponents. (UCLA and Florida, respectively.)

What does it all mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.

Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.

All times Eastern.

Previous ranking: 1

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Minnesota 42-3

Stat to know: Ohio State has allowed 25 total points this season. That is the fewest points allowed through five games by a Big Ten team since 1985 Michigan.

What’s next: Saturday at Illinois, noon, Fox

Previous ranking: 3

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Florida State 28-22

Stat to know: Miami has three straight wins against AP-ranked opponents within a season for the first time since 2004.

What’s next: Oct. 17 vs. Louisville, 7 p.m.

Previous ranking: 2

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Indiana, 3:30 p.m., CBS

Previous ranking: 4

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Washington State, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network

Previous ranking: 6

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Mississippi State 31-9

Stat to know: This is Texas A&M’s first 5-0 start since 2016.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Florida, 7 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 5

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Kent State 44-0

Stat to know: This was Oklahoma’s first shutout since its 2023 win over Arkansas State.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Texas (in Dallas), 3:30 p.m., ABC

Previous ranking: 8

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday at Oregon, 3:30 p.m., CBS

Previous ranking: 10

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Vanderbilt 30-14

Stat to know: Kalen DeBoer is now 13-2 in matchups between two ranked teams.

What’s next: Saturday at Missouri, noon, ABC

Previous ranking: 11

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated Houston 35-11

Stat to know: Texas Tech has now won five straight games by 20-plus points for first time since 1953-54.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Kansas, 7:30 p.m., Fox

Previous ranking: 12

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Kentucky 35-14

Stat to know: Georgia has a 16-game win streak against Kentucky.

What’s next: Saturday at Auburn, 7:30 p.m., ABC

Previous ranking: 13

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. South Carolina, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network

Previous ranking: 15

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Arkansas, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network

Previous ranking: 17

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network

Previous ranking: 19

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Idle

What’s next: Saturday vs. Alabama, noon, ABC

Previous ranking: 20

2025 record: 4-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Wisconsin 24-10

Stat to know: Michigan has now won consecutive games against Wisconsin for the first time since 2002.

What’s next: Saturday at USC, 7:30 p.m., NBC

Previous ranking: 21

2025 record: 3-2

Week 6 result: Defeated Boise State 28-7

Stat to know: Against Boise State, Notre Dame had four interceptions in a game for the first time since 2023.

What’s next: Saturday vs. NC State, 3:30 p.m., Peacock

Previous ranking: 22

2025 record: 5-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Purdue 42-27

Stat to know: Illinois has now won consecutive games against Purdue for the first time since 2001-02.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Ohio State, noon, Fox

Previous ranking: 23

2025 record: 5-0

Week 6 result: Defeated West Virginia 38-24

Stat to know: BYU has started 5-0 for the sixth time in program history.

What’s next: Saturday at Arizona, 8 p.m., ESPN2

Previous ranking: 24

2025 record: 5-1

Week 6 result: Defeated Louisville 30-27 (OT)

Stat to know: The win over Louisville is Virginia’s second straight overtime win. Virginia had never won multiple overtime games in a season prior to 2025.

What’s next: Oct. 18 vs. Washington State, 6:30 p.m., The CW