Top Play (WPA): The Cubs jumped all over Braves starter Matthew Wisler, and in doing so got out the brooms for their four-game sweep. After Dexter Fowler led off the bottom half of the first with a homer to left field to make the score 1-0, Kris Bryant cranked one out to right field, with Anthony Rizzo on first base, to make the score 3-0 (+0.173).
The Cubs bashed again today, which has sort of been their thing lately. The really interesting thing was that Fowler, Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, and Miguel Montero all hit home runs to the opposite field. Chris Coghlan hit one the opposite way last night, so it’s not a stretch to think that #OppoTaco is something that they’ve been working on collectively at the plate. Whatever works, right?
Bottom Play (WPA): The Braves did have a chance early on in this game. With two outs and nobody on in the top of the first, Jason Hammel hit Freddie Freeman with a pitch and Nick Swisher lined a single to center field, putting runners on first and second for Adonis Garcia. But Garcia grounded to Bryant at third, who threw over to Rizzo with plenty of time to end the inning (-.041).
Hammel was much better in this start than he has been recently. He went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out eight Braves batters. He was able to control his fastball and slider, and threw more than 100 pitches (104 on the day) for the first time since July 31 (in a win against Milwaukee). Here is a pitch plot from today’s game, followed by one from his last game, against the Tigers on August 18:
When he misses up with his fastball and down with his slider, he struggles to get outs. When his location is on, Hammel is an effective starter.
Key Moment: Kris Bryant’s second homer of the day, a blast to deep center field that landed in the juniper bushes, was number 19 for him on the season. That made the score 9-2 and was the icing on the cake, as the Cubs would go on to win the game by a score of 9-3. Bryant was 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and two dingers on the day. It seems that he finds the Friendly Confines a fine place to hit:
Kris Bryant on the road: .233/.332/.335 (.667 OPS), 3 HR in 241 PA Kris Bryant at home: .282/.393/.584 (.977 OPS), 14 HR in 242 PA
— Matt Clapp (@TheBlogfines) August 23, 2015
Trend to Watch: It’s all about that offense, baby. Remember back when the Cubs were just not a good offensive team, but were living off of their pitching? I’ve always told people I love watching a solid, well-played, 2-1 pitching duel—and that’s still true—but I really have come to appreciate watching the Cubs pound the stuffing out of the ball recently.
Cubs have scored five or more runs in 15 of their last 18 games.
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) August 23, 2015
Everyone is loving on Fowler’s hot streak since the All-Star break (and with good reason: the guy is smoking hot). But Montero has been big at the plate since returning from the disabled list, and it’s been hugely important in stabilizing what has turned into an everyday lineup for manager Joe Maddon. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and a home run in today’s win; even prior to the game, Montero was hitting .278/.350/.556 in 40 plate appearances since August 8.
Since that date, the Cubs are 9-2 when Montero starts behind the plate, and a big reason is because he improves the defense and framing behind the plate over Schwarber, and the offense at the plate over David Ross. Watch Miggy launch his three-run shot off of Wisler:
Coming Next: The Cubs (71-51) are set to make up a rainout at Wrigley Field tomorrow. They’ll take on the Cleveland Indians (58-65) with Jon Lester (3.58 ERA/3.18 FIP/4.22 DRA) against Corey Kluber (3.52 ERA/2.79 FIP/2.83 DRA). The Indians are in last place in the AL Central, but they’ve been better lately, going 9-6 over their most recent 15-game stretch. Kluber gave up six runs on six hits (four homers) in his last game against the Red Sox, but that came after two consecutive complete games in which he combined for 18 innings pitched, four hits, two runs, and 17 strikeouts.
Lead photo courtesy Dennis Wierzbicki—USA Today Sports.