It’s an accepted fact that Joe Maddon is a progressive manager. We don’t know anything about managing, not really; we don’t know how much control they have over what they’re doing, and we mostly see the very small part of the job that manifests itself as in-game strategy. But what we do know has given […]
Author: Henry Druschel
Evaluating Theo’s Recent Past, and the Mysteries of His Future
The draft is today, which is very cool if you’re a prospect person. If you aren’t, the draft can be a bit befuddling, as it’s hard to tell which decisions are good and which are bad when you don’t recognize any of the players being chosen, and all the catastrophic and/or spectacular effects of those decisions won’t manifest […]
Game 48 Recap: Cubs 7 Phillies 2
This game–and this whole series, really–went about as expected, given what we think we know about the Phillies and Cubs. The former were projected to be quite bad, and while they’ve won more than half their games thus far, they’re still bad. The latter were projected to be quite good, and they’ve been very, very […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Pirates, May 13–15
After a three-game sweep of the Pirates in their first meeting of the year, the Cubs again face the Bucs starting today, this time at home. They’re coming off a Padres series that ended with a not only the first consecutive losses of the year, but two losses in the same day. The day off yesterday […]
What Has to Happen for the Cubs to Be Bad? Will It?
It’s a good time to be a Cubs fan. It’s a good time to be a baseball fan of any sort, for that matter. It’s fun to live in a world where this is possible, “this” of course being the Cubs’s insane, nearly unprecedented, 25-8 start, which they’ve accomplished via a terrifying offense, outstanding starting […]
Game 23 Recap: Braves 4 Cubs 3 (10)
The Cubs played an extra-inning matinee under grey Chicago skies on Sunday, closing out a rain-shortened two-game set against the Braves. The main news going into today’s game was Kris Bryant’s return from a brief hiatus due to an ankle sprain. He was sporting a brace in the game, but given the Cubs’ depth, one has to think […]
In Glory, Arrieta’s Four Moments of Imperfection
Your first thought or impression upon hearing about a no-hitter, either in-progress or completed, is probably something like “Wow!” That covers thoughts two through twelve, too–general feelings of astonishment and excitement at the possibility or completion of a historic feat. Around thought fifteen context starts to creep in, which cuts in every direction; e.g., “this is […]
What Can We Make of the Cubs’ (Very) Good Start?
The Cubs have spent the first eight games of the season generally wreaking havoc on their opponents. With the Orioles dropping their first game yesterday, the Cubs are now tied with Baltimore for the best record in the league thus far, at 7-1. With the exception of a 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks involving lots of […]
Series Preview: Cincinnati Reds, April 11–14
Seven games into 2016, the Cubs are finally in Chicago for the home opener, a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. After sweeping the Angels, the Cubs took three of four from the Diamondbacks, and roll into town with a healthy 5-1 record, their best start since 1988. The Reds, too, are off to a 5-1 start, perhaps […]
Game 6 Recap: Cubs 7 Diamondbacks 3
It was an exciting game in Arizona on Sunday afternoon, featuring home runs, near-home runs, pitcher home runs, and a Chicago offense that continues to look nigh unstoppable. Jake Arrieta pitched like a mere mortal instead of his demigod self of 2015, but mortal is plenty good enough when backed by an offense as dangerous as this […]