What You Need To Know: Cole Hamels was brilliant, and if it wasn’t for a handful of duck-snorts and dog-belches (sure, why not?), he might have made a run at a Maddux tonight. The Reds also played this one as if they wanted to get to Girl and The Goat before it closes, or like a […]
Author: Sam Fels
Is David Bote For Real?
In reality, it doesn’t matter if he is or not in one sense. David Bote has provided us all a moment from this season we’ll never forget. The kind of fairy tale that’s so preposterous you really can’t believe it actually happened. Anything that sprung out of your imagination in your living room or backyard […]
Game 116 Recap: Nationals 9, Cubs 4
What You Need To Know: Next Level: Well, it seems we do this after every Lester start the past month, but there’s no reason to start anywhere else. Eight earned runs while getting 11 outs. In 32 and 2/3rds innings since July 1st, he’s given up 35 earned runs. I don’t need to do the […]
Albert Almora Needs To Get Off The Ground
You can pick any player on the Cubs this year, almost, and there’s probably been intense debate about said player in various forums. Addison Russell, Ian Happ, Jason Heyward, Jon Lester, Yu Darvish, Kyle Schwarber, and the list is probably longer. And a lot of these players have swung the majority from one side to […]
Addison’s July Of Discontent
Addison Russell’s season certainly has had an up-and-down quality to it. His April basically ended up in a puddle, as he was trying out a new approach and using the opposite field more and more. That led to a pretty spirited May and June, with that new approach paying off and pitchers having to return […]
Game 111 Recap: Padres 10, Cubs 6
What You Need To Know: Life is nothing but ennui. Next Level: This series is a pretty tight example of why the truth about the Cubs lies somewhere in the middle of the poles of the screaming banshees who will tell you either the Cubs are trash or they’re clearly the best team in the NL. They […]
Game 110 Recap: Cubs 5, Padres 4
What You Need To Know: They don’t all have to be Rembrandts. The Cubs scored all five runs in the second inning, And really, the game was a microcosm of the whole season, and why most feel this team is good, even really good, but falling just short of the juggernaut/demon-fist it sometimes threatens to be. […]
Game 109 Recap: Cubs 5, Padres 4
What You Need To Know: It was harder than it had to be. This was a Padres lineup, which should be enough for any pitcher to gain some swagger against, bereft of Wil Myers (and his missing L). Jose Quintana acted accordingly, holding the Pads to one run over six, and never let a man settle […]
The Table Is Set, The Pieces Are Moving
The trade deadline has passed, and while some things might happen between now and the waiver deadline of August 31st, we basically know what every team is going to crash with toward the wire. So let’s reset the field, see who’s better off and who is… well, the Brewers. Central Cubs: We broke down the Hamels trade […]
Game 104 Recap: Cardinals 6, Cubs 2
What You Need To Know: Jose Quintana didn’t have it, Miles Mikolas did, and that’s really all there is to know. Q was touched up for six runs in the first, and while the Cubs have done their share of Copperfield acts this season, that’s a bit much to ask. Next Level: There really isn’t much point […]