What You Need to Know Kyle Hendricks was mostly excellent in a duel against Tanner Roark, going seven strong innings. But Daniel Murphy had his number, tagging the Professor for two home runs. Javier Baez went deep, but it wasn’t enough to win the first game of a potential NLDS preview. Next Level After getting […]
Author: Kenny Kelly
Game 107 Recap: Diamondbacks 10, Cubs 8
What You Need to Know The Cubs and Diamondbacks plumbed the depths of insanity in a game which saw four lead changes, three rain delays, three Paul Goldschmidt homers, and thirteen pitchers across seven hours. I think the Diamondbacks won. Next Level For a game that started an hour and a half late, it sure looked […]
Game 97 Recap: Cubs 5, Cardinals 3
What You Need to Know While you were watching Game of Thrones, the Cubs reclaimed theirs, tying the Brewers at the top of the NL Central for the first time since May 26th. A pair of home runs bit José Quintana, but Willson Contreras and the offense picked him up. Next Level They had to […]
Appreciation for Brian Duensing
Halfway through the season, it’s become apparent that we’re living in one of those alternate PECOTA-projected simulations where the Cubs are a .500 team, the Brewers are just good enough to hold on to first, the Diamondbacks and Rockies are legitimately good, and the Giants are having one of the worst seasons in their history. There […]
Game 84 Recap: Cubs 7, Rays 3
What You Need to Know John Lackey wasn’t terrible, giving up three runs in six innings. Meanwhile, the Cubs couldn’t catch a break with every line drive finding a glove and every deep fly coming just short of the wall. After six innings of BABIP-related frustration, Jon Jay tied the game with a three-run dinger, […]
Game 74 Recap: Cubs 5, Marlins 3
What You Need to Know: After a rocky start, Jon Lester threw seven strong innings backed by big days from Ian Happ and Javier Baez. Carl Edwards Jr. and Wade Davis were perfect out of the bullpen to preserve the win. Next Level: After getting shut out in last night’s game, it seemed as if the […]
Game 61 Recap: Rockies 9, Cubs 1
What You Need to Know: Eddie Butler pitched well, but the Cubs lost their fourth in a row, dropping them below .500. The Rockies’ starter, Jeff Hoffman, was excellent, striking out eight in 6 1/3 innings. Next Level: In Jeff Hoffman’s first three starts this year, he struck out 24 and walked one in 19 […]
Game 43 Recap: Giants 6, Cubs 4
What You Need to Know: John Lackey was bad; Joe Panik was great. The defense was spectacular, and the Cubs made it interesting, but in the end it wasn’t enough. Next Level: Including the postseason, the Cubs have been 9-1 against the Giants at Wrigley Field in the last two years. As a Giants fan […]
Game 16 Recap: Cubs 6 Reds 5 (11)
What You Need to Know Jon Lester was imperfect tonight and the Reds tagged him for five runs in 5 2/3 innings, but the Cubs’ offense refused to die yet again as Anthony Rizzo tied the game with a three-run homer in the ninth. The Cubs finally caught up to the formerly first-place Reds. April […]
The Case for Shifting Behind Brett Anderson
In 2016, teams employed a defensive shift more than ever before. Across the majors, teams shifted 28,072 times. The Cubs, whose defense maintained a historically good BABIP, shifted the least with just 603 batters faced with some sort of defensive shift in place. The Cubs appear to be one step ahead against the rest of […]