Photo courtesy of David Banks-USA TODAY Sports Having buried my head in sports statistics for the better part of the past fifteen years, I often take for granted the sports literacy of the typical fan, particularly when it comes to the utilization of some of the newer measures. I was listening to 670 The Score […]
Tag: Chicago Cubs
Cubbie Ks a Concern?
Photo courtesy of Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports I was doing research for a piece on the difference in strikeout rates depending on whether there were runners in scoring position or if the bases were empty, and I was struck by a number that leaped off the page at me. In addition to the Cubs bucking […]
Was Castro’s Mild Dash Worth It?
Photo courtesy of David Banks-USA TODAY Sports My wife and I were driving to Chicago last Friday to help our younger daughter move from one Lakeview apartment to another. It really wasn’t the ideal time to move, with the Cubs at home, but a confluence of events made these days the only ones that would […]
Breaking Down the Cubs Defense
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports Cubs fans had every right to be excited entering 2015. In addition to the wealth of young talent, new additions like Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, Miguel Montero, and David Ross had even the most jaded Cubs fan thinking positive thoughts. In the face of this optimism, a rational […]
The 2007 Cubs: 15-14 on May 6th
Photo courtesy of Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports As the Cubs continue their steady climb towards contention, it’s natural that comparisons will be drawn between this year’s team and the last Chicago Cubs playoff squad—the 97-win 2008 Chicago Cubs. Indeed, BP Wrigleyville’s own Editor-in-Chief, Sahadev Sharma, has a piece up today drawing that exact comparison, noting that the latter-day […]
Hey: Why Aren’t the Cubs Turning Any Double Plays?
Photo courtesy of Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports The first month of baseball is in the books, and the Chicago Cubs, at 12-8, are nicely in the thick of things. Maybe that doesn’t sound like much after just 20 games, but, hey, it’s been a while since we could say the Cubs were very much still […]
The Ramifications of a 13-Man Pitching Staff
Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports The Cubs called up Junior Lake and sent Brian Schlitter down on Monday, and until then they had been carrying a 13-man pitching staff, and there’s many reasons for that. They had a stretch of consecutive games from April 17-29 without an off day, even though they received […]
The Impact of Hitting the Pitcher Eighth
Joe Maddon stated he was going to bat his pitcher in the eighth slot in the batting order, and so far this year, he’s stuck to his guns. Regardless of the hitting abilities of the pitcher involved or the player slotted in the ninth spot, the Cubs pitcher has batted eighth in every game so […]
Game Nine Recap: Padres 5 Cubs 4
Top Play (WPA): With the Cubs leading 4-2 in the top of the seventh, Brian Schlitter had Wil Myers in an 0-2 hole with two outs and two men on. Schlitter threw a 96 mph fastball tailing in towards the right-handed batter that, to all watching, appeared to be strike three. The home plate umpire […]