The Cubs face the Yankees on July 12 after an 11-0 loss. Matthew Boyd duels Max Fried as Chicago fights to stop Aaron Judge and protect its NL Central lead.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
After a humbling 11-0 shellacking to open the series in New York, the Cubs are looking for a massive response today at Yankee Stadium. With the NL Central lead down to a single game, the pressure is on Matthew Boyd to silence the Bronx Bombers' bats and for the offense to wake up against one of the league's best in Max Fried. It's a gut-check game for a first-place team.
Even after trading a top prospect for Kyle Tucker, the Cubs still boast seven players in MLB's Top 100.
There's no sugarcoating Friday's 11-0 loss. It was a beatdown. Today, the Cubs send their own ace, lefty Matthew Boyd (9-3, 2.52 ERA), to the mound in a crucial bounce-back spot. The task is tall, as he faces Yankees' ace Max Fried (11-2, 2.27 ERA) and a lineup led by the formidable Aaron Judge, who's hitting .354 with 34 homers. The Cubs' offense, which was non-existent in the series opener, will need big contributions from slugger Seiya Suzuki (25 HR, 77 RBI) and the consistent Michael Busch (.294 AVG) to have a chance. As of this afternoon, the game is underway, with every pitch feeling critical for maintaining that slim one-game lead over Milwaukee.
While the big league club battles in the Bronx, the future of the organization put on a power display. No. 3 prospect Jefferson Rojas, a dynamic 20-year-old infielder, had a monster game for the High-A South Bend Cubs, launching two home runs. It's exactly the kind of high-impact performance that has scouts buzzing and gives fans a glimpse of the next wave of talent developing in the system.
Rojas's big day is a symptom of a larger organizational strength. Despite dealing top prospect Cam Smith to acquire Kyle Tucker, the Cubs' farm system remains one of the best in baseball. The club still has an incredible seven Top 100 prospects, six of whom are position players. Farm director Jason Kanzler recently emphasized the depth at the upper levels, noting that Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa are stocked with players who can either help the big league club down the stretch or become valuable assets as the trade deadline looms. This robust pipeline gives the front office immense flexibility to improve the current team without mortgaging the future.
Today's split-screen action perfectly captures the state of the 2025 Cubs: a team fighting tooth and nail to win now, backed by a wave of talent that promises a bright future. Whether they pull out a victory against the Yankees or not, the performance of prospects like Rojas and the overall health of the farm system prove the organization is built for sustained success. As the trade deadline approaches, that depth will be the Cubs' greatest asset in their quest for a division crown and beyond.
