Jake Arrieta pitched eight scoreless innings Tuesday night, as the Cubs defeated the Padres 5-3. I lead with this because it’s impressive, of course, but also as a simple reminder that it happened, because for much of this second game in San Diego, Arrieta’s gem was overshadowed by his teammates’ other feats on the diamond. […]
Author: Clarissa Young
Game 112 Recap: Cubs 3 Angels 1
Another day, another win. Another series, another sweep. The Cubs continued their tremendous second half form with a ninth win in a row, putting them 30 games above .500. Speaking of the second half, Jason Hammel is looking just fine, thanks. The right-hander pitched seven scoreless frames Wednesday night, striking out six and walking two […]
Series Preview: Cubs at Athletics, August 5–7
The Cubs travel to Oakland for a three-game series against the A’s this weekend, a match-up that’s more than tempting to frame as a battle of high-profile front office execs. Or, if not a battle—given the disparate states of these two franchises—at least a meditation on the paths of two of the game’s biggest movers. For […]
Game 104 Recap: Cubs 7 Mariners 6
“The Cubs win on a walk-off bunt by Jon Lester in the twelfth inning,” is a collection of words which have no business being fit together to explain a real life event, but, here we are. It was a game in which five Cubs played left field, and one of them was Travis Wood, who made […]
Game 98 Recap: White Sox 5 Cubs 4
The White Sox walked it off in this heartbreaker, but it wasn’t all bad news for the North Siders. Top Play (WPA): As close as this game was until the very end, the Cubs never once held a lead. Their most valuable play, naturally, was that which afforded them a tantalizing tie in the ninth. And where […]
Game 90 Recap: Cubs 3 Rangers 1
Top Play (WPA): Let’s take a moment to swoon over Yu Darvish’s slider: a dirty, pretty thing that eludes batters with its sudden downward drop-off. In just his fourth start of 2016 and his first following a DL stint for shoulder discomfort, Darvish wielded his standout pitch brilliantly, striking out seven Cubs by the time […]
Game 88 Recap: Cubs 6 Pirates 5
Oh, how they needed that. Top Play (WPA): With Dexter Fowler injured, “You go, we go,” has become a more fitting slogan for the Cubs’ opponents, who have persisted lately in hammering Cubs pitching almost immediately after the Cubs’ batters put runs on the board. Such was the case again in today’s cat-and-mouse game. Ben […]
Game 56 Recap: Cubs 6 Phillies 4
It shouldn’t have been this close, not when Dexter Fowler, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Jorge Soler all had multi-hit games; not when Jon Lester faced the minimum in seven of his eight innings. Here’s how it went down: Top Play (WPA): “You go, we go.” Or, as has become a familiar pattern this season, when […]
Game 51 Recap: Cubs 2 Dodgers 1
Top Play (WPA): Mike Bolsinger held the Cubs hitless the first time through the order, though in very Bolsinger-ian fashion, he did so in a less-than-threatening manner, hitting both Dexter Fowler and Javier Baez with pitches and allowing another walk to Jason Heyward. The Cubs were determined to improve the second time around, and following a Dexter Fowler walk […]
Series Preview: Atlanta Braves, April 29-May 1
While the Atlanta Braves as an organization have embraced the tank, their players on the field are still trying not to suck. But they’re trying to the tune of a league-worst .591 OPS with four collective home runs. Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox may have snapped a string of eight straight losses, but eight in […]