Abraham Lincoln “Sweetbread” Bailey was the third and final of such a name to play professional baseball, following “Ham” Wade and Abe Wolstenholme. None of these three baseball players have much in common with President Abraham Lincoln save for their name, a shared love of baseball, and coincidental dates here and there. Moreover, all three […]
Tag: Chicago Cubs
Remembering a Puerto Rican Baseball Hero
If you feel moved in any way by this piece, please consider donating to United for Puerto Rico to aid America’s forgotten people in their lengthy, arduous recovery from Hurricane Maria. On February 9th, 1995, over 23,000 fans packed themselves into the 18,000 seat Hiram Bithorn Stadium to watch Puerto Rico’s “Dream Team” take on […]
Internal and External Options for Cubs’ Sixth-Man
As the Chicago Cubs look to repeat as World Series champs, they are currently seeking a little extra help in the starting rotation. With Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Mike Montgomery as the expected starting five, the need isn’t urgent, but adding quality depth now could be the difference between another […]
Game 112 Recap: Cubs 3 Angels 1
Another day, another win. Another series, another sweep. The Cubs continued their tremendous second half form with a ninth win in a row, putting them 30 games above .500. Speaking of the second half, Jason Hammel is looking just fine, thanks. The right-hander pitched seven scoreless frames Wednesday night, striking out six and walking two […]
The Cubs’ Bullpen High-Wire Act
Last weekend was an exciting one for the Cubs, sweeping the Giants and firmly establishing their claim as the team to beat for the last NL playoff spot. They certainly made it interesting, with James Russell and Jason Motte combining to turn a mop-up game on Saturday into something interesting, and Hector Rondon giving every […]
Day and Night: The Cubs’ Odd Home and Away Splits
Through Monday, the Cubs are 27-24 at home and 30-23 on the road. I try not to get too carried away over split data, but while this portrays a positive development, there are intriguing undertones. This table shows the difference in OPS for the Cubs since 2000 for home and away games (hOPS and aOPS), […]
Paying His Dues to the Dirt: Dexter Fowler’s BABIP Highs and Lows
Call it the “Curse of the BP Wrigleyville Digital Magazine,” though you could probably come up with a catchier title. For our recently released midseason special, I wrote about Dexter Fowler providing the best production from a Cubs center fielder in a half-decade. When I began the piece in mid-June, Fowler ranked among the top […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 21
Date: July 29, 2015 Opponent: Colorado Rockies Location: Wrigley Field Introduction Perhaps the Cubs should lobby the Gregorian calendar folks to change the date of Jon Lester’s next start to July 34. Why would he ever want this month to end? I mean, just at look Lester’s July numbers after Wednesday’s start against the Colorado […]
What History Says When You Start Four Rookies
I was listening to 670 The Score on Monday afternoon when Dan Bernstein asked whether a team that started four rookies had ever made the playoffs. I enjoy researching these types of questions, and Dan did leave quite a bit to the imagination. I chose to define “rookie” using the filter in the Baseball-Reference Play […]
Rise and Fall and Rise: Miguel Montero and Sinkers
Last Thursday’s news that Miguel Montero will open the second half on the 15-day disabled list with a hand injury was certainly disappointing. While his OPS has dropped more than 100 points in the past month, he remains an above league-average hitter (.272 TAv and 104 OPS+), who provides power, an ability to draw a […]