Last weekend I watched from afar as Noah Syndegaard was finally placed on the disabled list, and the New York Mets organization left their fans to talk themselves off the ledge one blog post at a time. Part of me felt some sort of perverse pleasure in this; after all, the Mets are the team that caught the Cubs […]
Category: Articles
Game 28 Recap: Cubs 5, Phillies 4 (13)
What You Need To Know: The force was most definitely not with the Cubs or Phillies tonight. It was a back and forth game in which neither team really seemed able to take full advantage of any offensive opportunity, each instead producing a string of one-run innings that left the scorecard looking more like an […]
What’s up with Willson?
Coming into the 2017 season, one of the many reasons to be optimistic was getting a full season of catcher Willson Contreras. The 24-year-old backstop burst onto the scene in 2016, solidifying himself as the Cubs every day catcher in the second half of the season. He was not only better with the glove than […]
Game 27 Recap: Cubs 5, Phillies 4
What You Need To Know: Once again, a Cubs starter decided to pull the “Hey Rocky, watch my offense pull a rabbit out of my hat!” routine and give up some first inning runs. It was Jake Arrieta again, though this time it was only two runs, and the offense was able to eradicate that deficit […]
Adam Jones’s Experience: or, Why Your Team Is Not Special
Last spring, I tweeted a joke about Jason Heyward’s first game in St. Louis after signing his eight-year contract with the Cubs. BREAKING: forty thousand white people boo black man for getting a raise — zack moser (@BeersNTrumpets) April 19, 2016 The outfielder met a hostile crowd, and many of the Busch Stadium attendees showed […]
Game 26 Recap: Cubs 8, Phillies 3
What You Need To Know: A couple Cubs came in from the cold, came down from the wire tonight. Kyle Schwarber produced a three-run pulverizer that essentially won the game. It was his first homer in nearly three weeks, with the last coming on April 18th. It was only his fourth hit in the last 10 […]
Miguel Montero: Examining His Early Role & Resurgent Production
I’ll be honest. I was not particularly excited about Miguel Montero as a member of this team, at least on paper, heading into the 2017 season. And there was likely a significant group that figured he’d be traded at some point after his strong words about (lack of) playing time and (lack of) communication that […]
Game 25 Recap: Phillies 10(,000,000), Cubs 2
What you need to know: After an 80-minute rainout, the Cubs opted to start the game in the midst of a 15-minute torrential downpour. The first pitch couldn’t wait another 15 minutes, I guess. Perhaps the team wanted to ensure that their starters continue giving up first inning runs. And Brett Anderson played along, if damply and […]
Checking in on Eddy Martinez
The Chicago Cubs are reaping the benefits of a stacked farm system. The fact that they have continued to graduate players to the big league club, or trade others, and still maintain a high ranking in just about all prospect ranking systems speaks volumes. Names like Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, Dylan Cease, Jorge Soler, Arismendy […]
Game 24 Recap: Red Sox 6, Cubs 2
In what might have been the most predictable moment of this weekend, ESPN began its coverage of tonight’s game with a cartoon featuring the Bambino sitting next to the Billy Goat. Apparently in the midst of all of the human resources carnage in Bristol last week, one of the people they fired was the guy […]