Two years ago, I wrote my second feature ever at BP Wrigleyville about Justin Grimm’s newfound success after he ditched his slider for a curveball. His 2015 and 2016 seasons were improvements on a breakout 2014, as he struck out around 30 percent of hitters while allowing few home runs. After two seasons of making […]
Category: Articles
Game 99: Cubs 7, White Sox 2
What you need to know: Despite striking out 11 times against White Sox starter Carlos Rodon, the Cubs had a stranglehold on the game from the first inning on. It was on a three-run homer in that inning from Willson Contreras that delivered the deciding runs, despite John Lackey trying his best to prevent that […]
Kyle Schwarber’s Battle with BABIP
Kyle Schwarber is not as bad as the bulk of his numbers this season would seem to indicate. In fact, there’s one really telling stat that lends hope to the idea of Schwarber being quite a bit better than his statistics have advertised this year. Because he is hitting .181 and reaching base at a .299 clip […]
Game 98 Recap: White Sox 3, Cubs 1
I don’t like making excuses for any baseball loss. The season is too long, there are too many games, and on any day a pitcher can jump up and bite you or any hitter just has a 4-for-4 day or whatever else. Still, a day game right after an emotional win barely 14 hours before […]
What’s Going On With Wade Davis?
This may be a totally stupid question. After all, Weigh Davis is yet to blow a save, and in the end the name of the game is the runs you give up and the runs you score. Davis has never let the opposition score more runs than the Cubs already have this season. That’s the […]
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 […]
The Riot That Nobody Predicted
On August 25th, 1948, the House Un-American Activities Committee first televised one of its sessions, a stand-off between former State Department official, now-accused Soviet Spy Alger Hiss and former US Communist party member, now-Time Magazine editor Whittaker Chambers. The day, dubbed “Confrontation Day,” grabbed national headlines across the country, promising to be the first of many […]
Game 96 Recap: Cubs 3, Cardinals 2
It seems like every year, at least every year the Cubs are good, and certainly every year that they’ve been better than the Cardinals (sadly not nearly enough), the Cards come to Wrigley and win a series in the middle of the summer that unnecessarily gets the meatball air-raid sirens going. You’ll recall last year […]
Prospect Profile: Brandon Hughes and His Athleticism Are a Big Surprise
As the Eugene Emeralds’ playoff push continues this weekend, a bright spot for the Cubs’ Short Season Class A team has been the play of switch-hitting outfielder Brandon Hughes. A 2017 16th round pick out of Michigan State, Hughes is currently hitting .395 in just 12 games. Hughes is one of the few position players […]
Game 95: Cardinals 11, Cubs 4
What you need to know: Early home runs from Willson Contreras and Randal Grichuk along with an RBI double from old friend Dexter Fowler had things knotted up through four and a half innings. That’s when Anthony Rizzo stepped to the plate and drove in a run to give the Cubs the lead. That is, until […]