CRAIG KIMBREL NEWS

Blows second save Kimbrel (0-2) gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in two-thirds of an inning Saturday to take the loss and blow his second save of the season as the Cubs fell 9-8 to the Tige...

Impact The Cubs pushed one run across in the top of the 10th in the see-saw affair, but Kimbrel couldn't slam the door in the bottom of the frame as JaCoby Jones' stolen base set up Harold Castro's walkoff single. It's only the second time in 16 appearances this season Kimbrel has been tagged for an earned run, and his ratios (1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 41.0 percent strikeout rate) remain at a level he hasn't seen since his heyday with Atlanta nearly a decade ago.

MAY 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Hendricks expected to start for the Cubs against Tigers

The Cubs will start Kyle Hendricks on Sunday and the Tigers are expected to counter with Matthew Boyd

MAY 16, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Castro's hit in 10th gives Tigers 9-8 win over Cubs

Harold Castro hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning off Craig Kimbrel to give the Detroit Tigers a 9-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs

MAY 16, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Collects seventh save Kimbrel struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his seventh save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Tigers.

Impact The veteran closer's renaissance continued as he fired 10 of 12 pitches for strikes. Kimbrel is 7-for-8 in save chances to begin the year, but more impressively he's posted a 0.60 ERA through 15 innings, along with a 24:7 K:BB, after failing to get his ERA below 5.00 in either of the prior two seasons.

MAY 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Bryant hits 2-run homer, Cubs outlast Detroit 4-2

Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer in the third inning, and the Chicago Cubs went on to a 4-2 victory over the Tigers, snapping Detroit’s four-game winning streak

MAY 15, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Notches sixth save Kimbrel allowed one walk with zero strikeouts during a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Saturday versus Pittsburgh.

Impact The 32-year-old delivered a two-out walk to Phillip Evans but otherwise had no issues setting down the Pirates. Kimbrel is 6-for-7 in save chances with a 0.64 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB through 14 innings to begin the 2021 campaign.

MAY 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Duffy's pinch-hit lifts Cubs over Pirates 3-2

Pinch-hitter Matt Duffy had a go-ahead single in the seventh inning, reliever Keegan Thompson pitched three scoreless innings for his first major league victory and the Chicago Cub...

MAY 8, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Davies, Pederson lead Cubs over Pirates 3-2, 4th win in row

Zach Davies allowed five hits in seven scoreless innings, Rex Brothers got his first save in eight years and the Chicago Cubs held on to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2, extending...

MAY 7, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Castellanos, Reds top Cubs 13-12 in 10 innings

Nick Castellanos hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a wild 13-12 victory over the Chicago Cubs

MAY 2, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nails down fifth save Kimbrel worked around two hits to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and record the save in Saturday's win over the Reds. He struck out two.

Impact Kimbrel had a rocky start to the bottom of the ninth, allowing consecutive singles to put runners on the corners, but the veteran reliever then struck out two hitters before ending the game on a Nick Castellanos groundout. Kimbrel has been excellent so far, as he now have five saves in as many chances to go along with a perfect 0.00 ERA. He should have a fairly firm grip on the closer's role moving forward.

MAY 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Hoerner delivers key hit, Cubs 'pen stops Reds in 3-2 win

Nick Hoerner hit a go-ahead single in the sixth inning and the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen shut down the Cincinnati Reds in a testy 3-2 win

MAY 2, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Craig Kimbrel’s command has led him back to dominance Who would’ve thought we’d be talking about Craig Kimbrel as one of the league’s best bullpen arms in the year 2021?

APRIL 28, 2021 • BEYONDTHEBOXSCORE.COM

Extends scoreless streak Kimbrel, who pitched a clean ninth inning with a strikeout in Thursday's 10-inning win over the Mets, has not allowed a run this season through eight appearances (9.0 innings pitch...

Impact It's been exactly the start Kimbrel and fantasy managers hoped for after the veteran struggled the last two seasons in Chicago. Kimbrel's fastball velocity is basically the same in 2021 as it was in 2020 (96.7 vs. 96.9 mph), but his BB/9 is down and he's also had better luck when he does allow contact. Last year, batters had a BABIP of .333 against the righty, and that figure has dropped to .071 so far this season. That number should increase some, but Kimbrel misses enough bats that he should continue to be successful as long as he keeps limiting free passes.

APRIL 23, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Mets Manager Questions White Spot On Craig Kimbrel's Cubs Cap A white spot on the cap of Chicago Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel drew the suspicion of New York Mets manager Luis Rojas.

APRIL 22, 2021 • NESN.COM

Arrieta pitches Cubs to 3-1 win over Mets on cool night

Jake Arrieta pitched five effective innings, Craig Kimbrel escaped a jam in the ninth and the Chicago Cubs used some aggressive baserunning to beat the New York Mets 3-1

APRIL 21, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Escapes with fourth save Kimbrel worked around a hit and two walks to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and secure the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Mets.

Impact Kimbrel made things interesting, as he loaded the bases with just one out, but the veteran reliever then struck out Brandon Nimmo and induced a Francisco Lindor groundout to end the game. Kimbrel now has four saves this season and has yet to allow a run. He should have a pretty firm hold on the closer's role due to his strong start, but he'll need the 7-9 Cubs to start scoring more runs if he wants to see a significant uptick in save opportunities.

APRIL 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Keeps scoreless streak intact Kimbrel worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless inning in Sunday's 13-4 loss to Atlanta. He struck out one.

Impact Kimbrel hadn't pitched in five days, so the Cubs brought him in for the ninth inning despite the nine-run deficit. The veteran reliever was able to keep Atlanta off the board in the low-leverage appearance, running his scoreless inning streak to seven to start the season. Chicago is just 6-9 through 15 games, but Kimbrel's performance coming off of disappointing 2019 and 2020 campaigns has been a bright spot so far.

APRIL 19, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Plunked again, Contreras hits back with HR, Cubs beat Brews

Willson Contreras struck back after getting plunked again by the Brewers, hitting a two-run homer in the eighth inning as the Chicago Cubs rallied past Milwaukee 3-2 on Tuesday nig...

APRIL 14, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Records another save Tuesday Kimbrel pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to record the save in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Brewers. He walked one and struck out one.

Impact It's been smooth sailing so far for Kimbrel, who has started the season with six scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts and three saves across five appearances. If the veteran reliever can keep this up, he should be a valuable fantasy asset the rest of the way, though he struggled mightily each of the last two seasons, so fantasy managers may be hesitant to fully buy into the small sample.

APRIL 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Secures second save Thursday Kimbrel pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts to secure the save in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Pirates.

Impact Kimbrel has yet to allow a baserunner in four appearances (4.2 innings) this season, and he has nine strikeouts and two saves as well. It's an encouraging start for the veteran reliever following two down seasons in Chicago, and he'll be a valuable fantasy asset as long as he's pitching well and closing out games for the Cubs.

APRIL 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Cubs break out of slump, slip by reeling Pirates 4-2

Jayy Baez hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning and the Chicago Cubs’ struggling offense came to life in a 4-2 over Pittsburgh

APRIL 8, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Has another clean outing Wednesday Kimbrel pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout in Wednesday's 4-2, 10-inning loss to the Brewers

Impact Kimbrel pitched a clean ninth inning in a 1-1 game, but the Cubs allowed three runs in the 10th inning to take the loss. The veteran reliever has yet to allow a hit or a walk across three innings of work, and he's struck out six. It's too early to definitively say that Kimbrel is back to his old self after struggling in 2019 and 2020, but it's certainly encouraging to see him get off to a good start.

APRIL 8, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Notches first save Kimbrel recorded his first save of the season, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning Sunday against the Pirates.

Impact Kimbrel entered the ninth inning in his first save opportunity of the year and retired all three batters he faced. The Cubs have Kimbrel set up to receive the majority of save situations this season. The veteran reliever was shaky in 2020 and will have to close games more consistently like he did Sunday in order to keep his role.

APRIL 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Notches first save Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts to record the save in Sunday's win over the Pirates.

Impact Kimbrel picked up his first save of 2021 and recorded his second consecutive scoreless outing to begin the season. It's a good start for the veteran reliever, who posted a 5.28 ERA last year and a 6.53 ERA in 2019. Fantasy managers will want to see Kimbrel string together a few more good appearances to really feel confident, but he's got fantasy value as long as he has the closer role in Chicago and is pitching well.

APRIL 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Zach Davies wins Chicago debut as Cubs beat Pirates 4-3

Zach Davies pitched into the sixth inning in his Chicago Cubs debut, leading his new team to a 4-3 victory over the short-handed Pittsburgh Pirates

APRIL 4, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS