The new balanced schedule is bringing some rarely-seen faces to Wrigley Field next season.
Major League Baseball released the tentative 2023 schedule on Wednesday. In the new format, all 30 teams play each other. It will feature fewer games against divisional opponents – 13 games against each instead of 19 – and more interleague games – 46 instead of 20.
The Cubs and White Sox will play two-game series on both sides of town, at Guaranteed Rate Field July 25-26 and at Wrigley Aug. 15-16.
From the American League, the Cubs will also host the Rangers, Mariners, Rays, Orioles, Guardians, Red Sox and Royals. They’ll hit the road to play the A’s, Twins, Astros, Angels, Yankees, Blue Jays and Tigers.
“I think it’s exciting,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “New cities, getting outside your division more. Playing the same teams over and over again is fine. But it’s just more exciting to play new teams and travel around, going to Minnesota, Houston consistently.”
Series against the Brewers bookend the Cubs’ 2023 season. They open at home against the Brewers on March 30 and close in Milwaukee on Oct. 1. Other highlights include the London Series against the Cardinals on June 24-25.
Roster shuffle
The Cubs made a series of roster moves involving their pitching staff in the aftermath of a doubleheader Tuesday.
They selected right-hander Luke Farrell to start Wednesday and optioned right-hander Anderson Espinoza, who threw three innings Tuesday in Game 2, to Triple-A Iowa.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Cubs transferred Kyle Hendricks (right shoulder strain) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Hendricks acknowledged this week that he won’t return this season.
The Cubs also placed lefty Steven Brault on the 15-day IL with a left shoulder strain and recalled reliever Kervin Castro from Triple-A. They returned Nicholas Padilla, who served as the 27th man, to Triple-A.
Farrell, making his season debut in the Cubs’ 7-1 win, held the Cardinals to one run through 4 1⁄3 innings.
“I love it here,” said Farrell, who in 2018 appeared in 20 games for the Cubs. “I worked my tail off to get back here, and I wanted to make the most of the opportunity. It was a great night.”
Contreras out of lineup
Catcher Willson Contreras was out of the lineup for the second straight day on Wednesday, and his status is day-to-day, according to Ross.
“Better than yesterday, but there’s still some swelling in the ankle that just kind of has come up out of nowhere,” Ross said. “So, day to day, [the athletic training staff is] working on him.”
Contreras originally rolled his ankle during the ‘Field of Dreams’ game two weeks ago, but he played through it. According to the team, Contreras’ ankle felt stiff when he woke up Tuesday morning. After treatment, he was available off the bench in Game 2, which the Cubs lost 13-3.
“I would have used him last night if it had been any kind of game,” Ross said.
Szcerzer gives back
Former Cub Matt Szczur, who has embraced his artistic talents in his post-MLB career, is using his NFT art to help raise money to help patients in need of bone marrow and stem cell transplants. Szczur himself helped save a toddler’s life by donating stem cells in 2010.
🚨 Dropping FRIDAY at 10am EST on @NiftyGateway!
— Matt Szczur (@superSZCZ4) August 24, 2022
"Be The Match" (Open Edition) 💀🎀
Drop will be open for 48 hours! 50% of the proceeds will benefit the @BeTheMatch Foundation.
Let’s save some lives! ❤️🩹
Now, he’s partnering with Be The Match, which registers potential donors, connects patients to their matches, and helps support patients’ costs. On Friday, Szczur is set to release an NFT collection, with half the proceeds going to the Be the Match Foundation.
