What You Need To Know: Once again, the Cubs offense went Copperfield against a pitcher you were sure was straight out of the EA Sports Name Generator. This time it was a collection of whosits and whatnots, with Miguel Diaz exiting in the 3rd with an arm injury, followed by Craig Stammen (yes, still in the league), […]
Category: Articles
Anthony Rizzo: Leadoff Experiment Should Be More Than That
In search of a spark for what has been a relatively stagnant offense for the majority of 2017, Joe Maddon made waves last week when he inserted his slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo into the top spot in the batting order against the New York Mets. What has ensued has been an offense that, while […]
Game 70 Recap: Cubs 4, Padres 0
What You Need to Know: On June 30, 2015, as a member of the Mariners, Mike Montgomery held the Padres to just one hit over nine innings for his second consecutive complete-game shutout. One trade and World Series Ring later, two weeks shy of the second anniversary of the CGSHO, the lefty zeroed the Padres again […]
It’s Time To Talk About Victor Caratini
Almost exactly a year ago, on June 19, 2016, Cubs catching prospect Willson Contreras received a standing ovation in the first major league at bat of his career. Contreras, who made a dramatic leap onto the prospect radar with a monster 2015 season, had sustained his success in 2016 at Triple-A Iowa and suddenly was a […]
Game 69 Recap: Cubs 3, Padres 2
Hey look, the Cubs can beat the Padres! That feels like leading the sports page with a 72 point headline screaming “WASHINGTON GENERALS LOSE.” Normally, it should not be this exhilarating to beat the Padres. And yet it certainly is tonight. Hell, the only reason you should be exhilarated in a game with the Padres […]
The 2017 Leadoff Experiment and the Backdrop of Cubs Leadoff History
“Anthony loves batting leadoff!” –Anthony Rizzo, upon homering for the second day in a row There are a lot of skills that go into becoming the greatest leadoff hitter of all time. And it’s comforting to know Rizzo has already mastered referring to himself in the third person. Until the big first baseman took over […]
Thomas Hatch – What Are the Keys to His Dominant Run?
I first saw Thomas Hatch pitch for Oklahoma State in the College World Series (CWS) in 2016. He pitched a complete game against the University of California-Santa Barbara and I really liked what I saw that game. He struck out seven but got a lot of ground ball outs using a three pitch repertoire of a […]
Game 68 Recap: Cubs 7, Pirates 1
What You Need to Know: The Cubs steal away from Pittsburgh with a series victory, thanks to a rare strong outing from John Lackey and timely hits from Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo. Contreras doubled twice to drive in three runs, and Rizzo continued his tear at the plate, adding a two-run homer. Next Level: […]
Game 67 Recap: Pirates 4, Cubs 3
What You Need To Know: Two nights in a row, the Cubs entered the top of the ninth inning trailing 4-3. Alas, they went down in order this time and failed to pull off the magic they did the night before. Well, you don’t score six runs in the ninth inning every night. Maybe that’s why […]
Zack’s Sack: A Wrigleyville Mailbag, Vol. 4
Hello, and welcome to the fourth installment of Zack’s Sack, a BP Wrigleyville mailbag! It’s an extra hefty edition this week. Find me at @beersntrumpets on Twitter to ask me questions. I’ll answer just about anything. Questions posed by Twitter followers have been unedited for the sake of embarrassing them utterly. Any similarities to other […]