Date: August 13, 2015 Opponent: Milwaukee Brewers Location: Wrigley Field Introduction What a difference three months can make. When Jon Lester faced the Milwaukee Brewers on May 1st, he was coming off a frustrating first month in a Cubs uniform, and sported a 6.23 ERA and 2.031 WHIP. Lester was in the midst of a […]
Author: Andrew Felper
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 22
Date: August 7, 2015 Opponent: San Francisco Giants Location: Wrigley Field Introduction On Friday afternoon, with a playoff atmosphere permeating the sold-out Friendly Confines from the first pitch, Jon Lester took the ball against one of the National League’s best offenses. There are just two words to describe the type of start Lester delivered against […]
Paying His Dues to the Dirt: Dexter Fowler’s BABIP Highs and Lows
Call it the “Curse of the BP Wrigleyville Digital Magazine,” though you could probably come up with a catchier title. For our recently released midseason special, I wrote about Dexter Fowler providing the best production from a Cubs center fielder in a half-decade. When I began the piece in mid-June, Fowler ranked among the top […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 21
Date: July 29, 2015 Opponent: Colorado Rockies Location: Wrigley Field Introduction Perhaps the Cubs should lobby the Gregorian calendar folks to change the date of Jon Lester’s next start to July 34. Why would he ever want this month to end? I mean, just at look Lester’s July numbers after Wednesday’s start against the Colorado […]
Rise and Fall and Rise: Miguel Montero and Sinkers
Last Thursday’s news that Miguel Montero will open the second half on the 15-day disabled list with a hand injury was certainly disappointing. While his OPS has dropped more than 100 points in the past month, he remains an above league-average hitter (.272 TAv and 104 OPS+), who provides power, an ability to draw a […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 19
Date: July 18, 2015 Opponent: Atlanta Braves Location: Turner Field Introduction When Jon Lester recorded his fourth victory of the season, Mad Men was still on the air, the Chicago Blackhawks had yet to begin the Western Conference Finals, and the Women’s World Cup was three weeks from opening in Canada. It’s been awhile since […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 18
Date: July 11 Opponent: Chicago White Sox Location: Wrigley Field Introduction Typically, I open the Ballad with a remark so witty or a pop culture reference so inspired that it likely causes my reader to say, “I try to be a supportive dad, Andrew, but there’s limits.” In the final Ballad of the season’s first […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 17
Date: July 6 Opponent: St. Louis Cardinals Location: Wrigley Field Introduction Damn you, baseball. It was amazing. Then it was stomach-churning. And finally, you wanted to punch the nearest wall, table, or inanimate red object. Damn. You. Baseball. First the positive, because despite the stupid outcome, it should be acknowledged that Jon Lester’s 17th start […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 15
Date: July 1 Opponent: New York Mets Location: Citi Field Introduction NYC. New York, New York. The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleep. Beantown. The Land Before Time II. Regardless of your favorite nickname for the city, New York was exactly where Jon Lester needed to be for his first start of July. As […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 15
Date: June 25 Opponent: Los Angeles Dodgers Location: Wrigley Field Introduction Who likes June, anyways? All that sunshine, ideal weather, and the sheer ecstasy of life’s limitless possibilities. No, thank you! Good riddance, I say, and I am pretty sure Jon Lester is with me. Over the course a decade-long career filled […]