This one was a five hour barrel of laughs, let me tell you. Top Play (WPA): Here’s the cool news: Kris Bryant homered again (+.054). It was a solo shot off Mets starter Jacob deGrom in the fourth inning, and it broke up the no-hitter that the talented right-hander was spinning at the time. The […]
Tag: Game Recap
Game 78 Recap: Mets 4 CUbs 3
In any MLB season, a team should count on losing a dozen or so games in which they clearly outplayed their opponents. It’s just the way baseball works. It’s a game of thin margins of victory and wide error bars. The Cubs are much better than the Mets, and they played somewhat better than the […]
Game 76 Recap: Cubs 7 Reds 2
In the course of human history, there are times when ordinary people are thrust into harrowing situations that are too daunting to have previously comprehended. But when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, do we rise to meet these challenges? Do we shrink in the face of incalculable adversity? Heroes are made in these moments, and […]
Game 75 Recap: Cubs 11 Reds 8
Top Play (WPA): Bachelorette frontrunner Reigning Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant is five home runs away from his 2015 total of 26, following an impressive three-dinger night in Cincinnati. His first—a solo shot in the third—put the Cubs up 3-2 (+.119). His second, however, was the game’s lynchpin: with Jake Arrieta and Jason Heyward on […]
Game 74 Recap: Marlins 6 Cubs 1
This series was a reminder that nothing good has ever come out of the existence of the Miami Marlins. Marlins Park is a giant boondoggle that has cost Miami-Dade County over $500 million. It’s a shame because they clearly could have saved a lot of money by not building an upper deck. Jose Fernandez is […]
Game 73 Recap: Marlins 9 Cubs 6
This infuriating game started ominously, with walking periodontal testimonial John Lackey throwing 26 pitches in the first inning and allowing a run to the ageless Ichiro Suzuki on the classic walk/stolen base/single/sac fly combination. The Cubs made us think everyone would be OK as they pulled ahead 4-1 on homers by Miguel Montero and Addison Russell, but they couldn’t […]
Game 72 Recap: Cubs 5 Marlins 4
Ding dong, the Streak is dead. Top Play (WPA): When Willson Contreras stepped to the plate in the top of the seventh inning, the outcome of this game was very much in doubt. Even when the ball left his bat, it wasn’t exactly a sure thing. Heck, even as Giancarlo Stanton charged and gloved the ball, […]
Game 71 Recap: Marlins 4 Cubs 2
Top Play (WPA): The Cubs got a very strong start from Jon Lester, who pitched seven innings with just two earned runs and seven strikeouts. The bad news? The Cubs were absolutely shut down by Wei-Yin Chen, who had been really bad in his last few starts—a 9.88 ERA in 13.2 innings in his previous […]
Game 67 Recap: Cubs 10 Pirates 5
“It always seems one guy every year is that guy. On every staff there’s one guy that never gets any runs, regardless of how well that he pitches.” Maddon went on to commend the job Kyle Hendricks has done, improving both velocity and command this season, but through twelve starts he had nevertheless been that […]
Game 65 Recap: Cubs 6, Pirates 0
To use a tired cliché, that escalated quickly. Top Play (WPA): Jake Arrieta dispatched the Pittsburgh Pirates quickly in the bottom of the first inning, bringing the Cubs to bat against Pittsburgh left-hander Francisco Liriano in the bottom half. They wasted no time. Dexter Fowler singled on a ball that ricocheted off the third base […]