The Gang Does Day Baseball Wednesday day baseball is a rare treat… is such a saccharine statement that my teeth actually hurt. Nevertheless, Wednesday afternoon was indeed a productive one for the Chicago Cubs. Things started ominously for both sides, as Phillies starter Vince Velasquez departed just two pitches into the game (it was later diagnosed […]
Author: Andrew Felper
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Diamondbacks, June 3-5
Disappointing results? Terrible alternate uniforms? Executives who barge into opposing team’s broadcast booths? The Arizona Diamondbacks have it all (but mostly those three things)! And all of it will be on display starting Friday afternoon, as the Diamondbacks arrive on the North Side to open up a three game series. It will be their only trip to […]
Series Preview: Cubs at Giants, May 20-22
If the City of San Francisco can survive the waking nightmare that was Fuller House, the Cubs should feel confident they can survive losing two out of three to the Milwaukee Brewers. Perhaps they can take solace in this fact as they touch down in the City by the Bay for the only time in 2016. While […]
Game 37 Recap: Brewers 4 Cubs 2
It’s tough to blame the Cubs. I mean, who the hell likes Tuesdays? Tuesdays are the work week’s purgatory. Tuesdays are Wednesday’s Monday. Nothing good happens on Tuesdays, and that played out tonight in Milwaukee. The Brewers’ Chase Anderson took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Kyle Hendricks gave up four earned runs in 5.1 […]
Game 33 Recap: Padres 1 Cubs 0
The Cubs entered the nightcap of their twin bill in full-on freefall mode (by 2016 standards), on the heels of one-game losing streak that had spanned the course of several hours. And now, despite an absolutely superb effort from John Lackey, the losing streak has stretched to a world-shattering two games, as the Cubs fell […]
Game 25 Recap: Cubs 7 Pirates 1
Can routine dominance become boring? From 1991 through 2005, the Atlanta Braves won 14 consecutive National League East division titles. During the first nine of those seasons, they finished lower than fourth in NL home attendance just once. In the next five seasons, they never finished higher than sixth in attendance, and twice finished tenth. Braves […]
The 2016 Ballad of Jake Arrieta: The No-Hitter Edition, One Night Only
Introduction “We’re getting the band back together.” “You’re kidding. No way.” “We’re on a mission from God.” — Jake Blues, Mr. Fabulous, Elwood Blues We’re back. The Ballad is back, even if just for one night. And while it did not take divine intervention, it required a feat of historic proportions: Jake Arrieta becoming the […]
Inside the At-Bat: Addison Russell’s Go Ahead, Eighth Inning Home Run
Welcome to another installment of Inside the At-Bat, BP Wrigleyville’s semi-regular feature breaking down a key battle in the season’s biggest series and most intriguing matchups. The pieces are completed sometime around 1:30 AM EST, so please forgive typos, errant Brooks Baseball charts, and Bob’s Burgers dialogue typed out accidentally by our exhaustive scribe. Tonight, […]
Inside the At-Bat: Anthony Rizzo’s First-Inning RBI
Welcome to the first regular season installment of Inside the At-Bat, a BP Wrigleyville series that began amid a flurry of typos and Brooks Baseball graphs in the late night hours (Eastern Standard Time!) following each game of the 2015 postseason. In 2016, it will not appear every night, but we’ll be checking often during the season’s biggest series, […]
In Praise of Miguel Montero: The Tim Meadows of the Chicago Cubs
The Beatles had George Harrison. Late 1990s Saturday Night Live had Tim Meadows. The 2015-2016 Cubs have Miguel Montero. It seems unavoidable that every great institution has a forgotten contributor. That is, a member of the organization who, upon initial consideration, would not be mentioned as the most valuable, indispensable, or aesthetically pleasing to watch. Be […]