The Chicago Cubs’ next 12 games come against teams in the bottom of their respective divisions: three more with the Cincinnati Reds, three with the Blue Jays, another set of three with the Reds and three with the Phillies. If tonight is any indication, this could be a fun couple of weeks. In the first […]
Category: Articles
Prospect Profile: Duncan Robinson Is Proving to Be a Unique Arm
When it comes to publicity, I think Duncan Robinson has been badly overlooked this year. I find the lack of press especially odd because he was the Cubs minor-league pitcher of the month for May while at South Bend. Robinson might not be the sexy type of pitcher who throws in the upper 90s, but he does […]
Game 116 Recap: Cubs 7, Diamondbacks 2
What You Need To Know: Jake Arrieta kept his hot streak going, being able to play Frogger for six innings, weaving in and out of mostly self-inflicted traffic to only surrender one run. That propped up an offense that was once against squandering chances long enough for the dam to break in the last two innings, […]
Game 115 Recap: Diamondbacks 6, Cubs 2
What You Need to Know: Jon Lester pitched well until the sixth inning, when the wheels came off. Arizona scored four in that inning, and the Cubs couldn’t eek out a single run versus D-Backs starter Patrick Corbin, rallying late for two versus erstwhile Cub Fernando Rodney before dropping the second game of the series. […]
Game 114 Recap: Cubs 8, Diamondbacks 3
What You Need to Know: The Cubs struck early in the first when Taijuan Walker lived up to his name: three walks and a passed ball later, the Cubs had a 2-0 lead. Kris Bryant added an RBI single in the third, and Kyle Schwarber—in his first game at Chase Field since his injury last […]
Has 2017 Been the Best Case Scenario for Albert Almora?
As the 2017 season got underway, one of the more questionable elements of the active roster was Albert Almora Jr.’s place on it. With the signing of Jon Jay, the likelihood that Ben Zobrist would see some time in the outfield, and the existence of Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward, it remained to be seen how much […]
Javier Baez: Acknowledging The Good Over The Bad and The Ugly
It has taken about 1,100 plate appearances at the Major League level, but we’re finally getting a sense of who Javy Baez is. Not that his skill set wasn’t always relatively apparent. But in his age 24 season in which he’s already logged almost 340 of those PAs, there’s finally some semblance of balance in […]
I’m Walkin’ Here: A Bullpen Story
The Cubs bullpen, by and large, has been good, as it was expected to be. Overall, the bullpen sports an impressive 4.01 DRA, good for fourth in the majors, whereas the starters rank 14th with a 4.86. On the more traditional side, the relievers have fared just as well, with a 3.45 ERA that ranks […]
Game 112 Recap: Giants 6, Cubs 3
What You Need to Know Jose Quintana and the Cubs ran into some tough luck against one of the most snake-bit teams in either league. The offense created several opportunities, but the big hit never came. There would be no thrilling ninth inning comeback against this iteration of the Giants bullpen. Not with super closer […]
Like Magic: On the Value of Javy Báez
To fully appreciate the Javier Báez experience, one must love drama. For those who buy in, thrilling highs, confounding lows, and rare delights await. They know his body of work features more than a few empty at bats. But redemption comes in impeccably well-timed hitting, no-look tags, swimming slides, pilfered home plates, and so much […]