The Cubs’ starting pitching staff has collectively assembled a season to this point that rivals that of any other staff in baseball, if not surpasses them. And what makes this even more interesting is the fact that they are doing this in part on the backs of a couple of pitchers who are outperforming their […]
Author: Jared Wyllys
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Reds, June 27-29
By their nature, series previews are all about looking ahead, written in anticipation of the three or four games that are to come and an attempt at making sense of what they might bring. However, the past week of Cubs baseball has been the source of such great angst that it might be difficult to […]
The Bullpen: Not the Achilles Heel You’re Looking For
The irony of the legend of Achilles is that his name, far from being a symbol of strength, is now largely associated with the notion of a single critical vulnerability. And, more to the point, whenever we’re confronted with something that strikes us as without weakness, our minds immediately flit to the young demigod, dipped by […]
Game 66 Recap: Cubs 4 Pirates 3
It’s possible that, after tonight, the Pirates front office is planning a secession from the NL Central. They were swept by the Cardinals last weekend and are staring the possibility of another in division sweep in this one. They’ve been almost entirely helpless against the Cubs this year, and currently sit closer to last place […]
(Briefly) Profiling the Cubs’ First Three Picks
Editor’s Note: We’ll have a more detailed rundown of quite a few more Cubs picks coming later this week, but for now, please enjoy this taster by Jared Wyllys. Probably more so than in any other professional sport, drafting players as a part of building a successful baseball team is a process that, as researched […]
Game 59 Recap: Braves 5 Cubs 1
Sometimes the worst team in baseball beats the best one, and it’s best not to read too heavily into that result. Top Play (WPA): Perhaps the lone bright spot of tonight’s loss is that the Cubs were in the best position to turn this game into a win on Albert Almora’s third inning double to left (+0.066). […]
Life On The Edge of Glory: A Conversation With Matt Murton
In July of 2005, Matt Murton was just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee and in all likelihood thinking most about his next game for the Cubs’ Double-A squad. Then his phone rang. His agent, on the other end of the line, explained the situation: Murton was headed to Florida—the place where he was born, and where he saw his […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Phillies, May 27-29
The Phillies have been perhaps one of the National League’s biggest surprises so far in 2016, and while they might be just a testament to the weirdness of baseball (their run differential doesn’t quite line up with their spot in the standings) many Cubs fans are still getting over the last series between these two […]
Game 45 Recap: Cubs 9 Cardinals 8
In a divisional rivalry that has been rife with intrigue, particularly since last fall, the last game of this week’s series was bound not to go out with a whimper. This afternoon’s dogfight between the Cubs and Cardinals looked a lot more like what we might expect between these two teams later in the season. Not […]
Game 41 Recap: Giants 5 Cubs 3
Almost, but just not enough tonight. Top Play (WPA): No surprise, but the third inning that featured both Kris Bryant’s deep shot to center and the Ben Zobrist single the preceded a Jorge Soler walk increased the Cubs’ win expectancy the most. After Soler walked, the Cubs win expectancy sat at 36.5%, which was the highest […]