A World Series between the two teams with the longest championship droughts comes with enough intrigue before the games start, but add a split set of games in the first two at Progressive Field, and that drama only grows. Last night, the bandage was pulled off quickly when Jon Lester gave up two first inning runs […]
Day: October 26, 2016
Second City October: The Beauty of Belief, And Those Who’d Take It Away
Javier Baez, Most Valuable Player of the 2016 NLCS, has fourteen postseason hits for seven RBIs through Game One of the World Series. That’s better than Kris Bryant. It’s better than every other Cub. And it says nothing of his dazzling defense. Willson Contreras has knocked a cool .409 in his October attempts, which is […]
Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and World Series Game 2 Preview
This preview, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Mike Gianella, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. Cleveland took Game 1, shutting out Chicago behind Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen. Now the Cubs try to even it up tonight at Progressive Field in Game 2. Chicago Cubs (Jake Arrieta) […]
Second City October: World Series Game Two Preview, Cubs (0-1) vs. Cleveland (1-0)
Looming is what this game feels like. The start time has been moved an hour ahead to try to avoid the impending rain fall in Cleveland. The Cubs need at least one game in Cleveland no matter what, and the Cubs have, on paper, a favorable pitching matchup, and so the math has not changed […]
Playoff Prospectus: The Highlight Reel—World Series G1
This piece, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Ashley Varela, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. Sandy Koufax was the first to do it, as you may well imagine. On a Wednesday in 1963, in front of 69,000 fans bleeding navy and white pinstripes over the wooden seats of a […]
Playoff Prospectus: The Kluber Clinic
This piece, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Trevor Strunk, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. There are certain games in the postseason, particularly in the World Series, whose results seem scripted from the first pitch. I’m not trying to suggest that the postseason is rigged or anything fishy, of […]
Playoff Prospectus: Assessing the Managers’ Moves in Game One
This piece, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Matt Trueblood, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. There was a wealth of strategic intrigue surrounding Game 1 of the World Series before it even began. Jon Lester started for the Cubs, so there was the now-familiar chatter about how Cleveland planned […]
BP Wrigleycast Quick Take: Fly the L for Game One
BP Wrigleycast is BP Wrigleyville’s in-house podcast, hosted by Isaac Bennett, Ryan Davis, Carlos Portocarrero, and Joel Reese. The latest episode, “Fly the L for Game One”, can be found here.