Apologies for the newsletterless Monday. A late afternoon Sunday nap on the couch while watching TV turned into Monday morning. Thankfully, the Cubs have the day off today, which gave me an extra day to write down my thoughts on their weekend series before they continue their homestand this week.

Kyle Hendricks was better this weekend but still not good enough.

Facing a Marlins team that entered play on Sunday with a 69 wRC+ should have been precisely what the doctor ordered for Kyle Hendricks, who needed a strong start after opening the season with a 12.71 ERA.

It wasn’t.

Hendricks gave up four runs on six hits over four innings while striking out five and walking none. It was better. But according to Cubs skipper Craig Counsell, better isn’t good enough.

“I thought there were some positive signs,” manager Craig Counsell said. “There were no walks, five strikeouts. I do think he limited the hard contact, for the most part. But they strung together a good rally, and we’re still looking at four runs on the board after four innings. Some good steps, some positive steps, some good innings, for sure. But we need better results, frankly.”

Despite the strong words from Counsell, Hendricks was better. His five strikeouts were his best output of the season. He didn’t walk anyone, another positive, and he got a lot of soft contact (85.5 mph average exit velocity), some of which unfortunately found grass for Miami.

If Hendricks can build on that start and turn it into something even better, he could buy himself some leash with Counsell. If not, he’s likely running out of time in the Cubs rotation. It’s as simple as that at this point.

Jameson Taillon looked good in his return. What does that mean for the Cubs rotation?

Jameson Taillon looked good on Friday, allowing three hits and walking none while striking out four in his return to the Cubs rotation against Miami. Considering the fact that Cubs starters haven’t been able to work deep into games this season, a healthy and effective Taillon is a massive addition to the rotation.

For now, it doesn’t mean much. Justin Steele is still on the mend, but when he returns, it could mean the end of Kyle Hendricks in the rotation.

When Steele returns, the Cubs rotation will include Steele, Taillon, Shōta Imanaga, Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, and Hendricks. The first three are locks. Assad has a 2.11 ERA in four starts this season, so he’s not going anywhere. Wicks could be the odd man out in favor of Hendricks with a 5.29 ERA in four starts. Wicks has been better than Hendricks, but the veteran could get the benefit of the doubt over Wicks in the short term.

There’s also Ben Brown to consider for that fifth spot in the rotation. Brown has made two starts for the Cubs this season and three relief appearances. He has a 3.93 ERA and has improved each time he takes the mound.

It’s a first-world problem, indeed, but something to consider as the Cubs trend toward a fully healthy rotation.

Adbert Alzolay is out as the Cubs closer after blowing another save over the weekend.

Alzolay has four blown saves in seven chances this season. That’s enough for Craig Counsell, who removed Alzolay from the closer role.

Despite not being Counsell’s ninth-inning guy for now, Alzolay insists he’ll be back in that role eventually. “I was built for that role.”

“I’m not going to suck for six months. I know I’m going to figure it out. It’s not even questionable. I’m not just going to be this guy for the next five months. I’ve got at least 55 more games to pitch, so I know I will figure it out.”

Alzolay was 22-of-25 in save opportunities last season. Chances are, he’s right. He’s not going to suck for five months. But for now, he does, and Counsell won’t allow him to do so in the ninth inning with the lead on the line.

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The Chicago Blackhawks season is over. Veteran forward Nick Foligno had some strong words regarding the team's state last week after their final game in Los Angeles.

“We have to change. I want to change. We can’t go through this again. And I certainly won’t allow it.

“Either the mindset changes from the group or personnel changes.”

Foligno is right. Things need to change. Kyle Davidson’s Blackhawks have operated with the shield of the rebuild moniker since he took the job two years ago. It was fair. He inherited a disaster from the previous regime. And to his credit, he’s done a tremendous job of accomplishing everything he set out to do when he took over.

I remember being at his first end-of-season presser at the United Center. Everyone on the beat was invited to the conference room, which overlooked the atrium. Davidson entered the room, shook each of our hands, and then laid out his plan for the team, which included rebuilding a barren farm system and prospect pipeline.

The mission was accomplished (with more reinforcements this summer, with Chicago owning two first-rounders, three second-rounders, and two third-rounders in the NHL Draft).

But as Davidson pointed out at his end-of-season presser last week, the time for the Blackhawks to move into the next phase of his vision is now.

“We want to take the next step here and progress,” Davidson said. “We don’t want to finish where we finished this year moving forward. That’s not what we’re looking to do anymore. It’s something we’re going to be conscious of moving forward. Hopefully, we can see a little more success and some positive steps in the standings and on the ice here moving forward.”

Before anyone gets any ideas, Davidson was clear: a Stanley Cup contender is not the next phase of his vision. Two years ago, Davidson made it clear that he would not make the mistakes that his predecessors did in trying to take shortcuts to that window. Better is next. Contender will arrive organically.

“I don’t know how many points or standing slots that is, but we can’t finish second-last in the league,” Davidson said. “I think the standard has to be raised. The expectation has to be raised. Through that, accountability will be raised. That’s the nature of the path we’re on. Eventually, we have to start making positive steps. And I think we’ve reached that point.

“I’m not saying that we’re going to be competing for playoffs or Stanley Cups or anything next year. I don’t know how realistic that is. It’s the best league in the world, best players and best teams in the world. To say we’re just going to improve a whole great deal in the standings is difficult. But we need to be better. And it’s time to take a step forward. Previous to this year, we finished third last. This year, we finished second last. That can happen again. We need to start moving up and onward. That’s the exciting part of the process. It may not be a huge leap, but there has to be some positive momentum to be carried forward starting next year.”

Davidson said that he will look to bring in players who fit his vision in the short and long term this summer and hopes to have competitions for starting roles across the board in training camp.

While Davidson isn’t willing to deviate from his plan and accelerate the timeline by spending recklessly, he made it clear that everyone's expectations have been raised. We’re one step closer to winning hockey, being the expectation at 1901 W. Madison Street.

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What’s on deck?

• Cubs vs. Astros | 6:40 PM CT | Marquee