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Second City October: World Series Game Five Preview, Cleveland (3-1) at Cubs (1-3)

Here, almost as succinctly as I can put it, is everything we know about Game Five: It will be October 30th, the latest in the year the Cubs have played a game in franchise history. Jon Lester will start against Trevor Bauer, so the Cubs will once again have the advantage in the pitching matchup, playoff […]

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Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and World Series Game 5 Preview

This piece, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Editor-in-Chief Aaron Gleeman, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. One night after Corey Kluber and the rest of the Cleveland squad put them on the brink of elimination, the Cubs turn to their own playoff-tested ace, Jon Lester, to keep their season alive […]

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Playoff Prospectus: The Highlight Reel—World Series Game 4

This piece, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Ashley Varela, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. If you’ve read this site for any length of time, you know that cherry-picked statistics often do more harm than good when it comes to player evaluation. When used to appreciate the Cubs’ long […]

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Playoff Prospectus: Wrigley Goes Silent as Cleveland Sees the Finish Line

This piece, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Aaron Gleeman, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. Game 4 was anything but a managerial chess match at Wrigley Field, as Cleveland jumped out to an early lead and broke things open for good in the seventh inning on the way to […]

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Playoff Prospectus: Of Errors, Common and Uncommon

This piece, written by BP Wrigleyville’s Rian Watt, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the postseason, “Playoff Prospectus”. Errors are not the best way to measure a fielder’s quality. You know that. I know you know that. But still, here’s a fact for you: Kris Bryant committed just 14 errors all season, […]