The Cubs’ offense began to break out of its weeks-long slump in its first two series out of the All-Star break. Their runs scored by game, since the break, read: 2, 4, 4, 4, 5, 1, 6. That’s hardly an explosion, but for a team who scored 51 runs in their final 20 games before […]
Tag: Kris Bryant
Pitchers Laying Low Against Bryant
I was playing golf with a friend of mine who’s a Cubs fan and knows I write about baseball. A couple weeks ago, he said, “Man, that uppercut swing of Kris Bryant drives me nuts. How does he ever plan on making contact?” Since my friend is a normal person, he’s unaware of sites like […]
The Fine Art of Choosing the Perfect Cubs Jersey
As you may have read here on this very website, the Cubs are actually… wait, let me check my advanced statistical modeling… “good” this year. So yes, you should go to Wrigley Field and support the team. And to really show your fandom, you should wear a Cubs jersey. But there’s an issue here, and it’s […]
A Chance to Change the Narrative: Kris Bryant and Other Cubs’ Rookie All-Stars
Shortly before last Monday’s game against the Cardinals—a miserable game, which I attended, regretted attending, and later recapped—a thing happened which went a pretty fair distance towards repairing the damage done to the psyche by that evening’s events: Kris Bryant was named a 2015 National League All-Star. This was good news for a number of reasons. First, […]
Can Participating in the Derby Hurt a Player’s Offensive Production?
Last week, it was announced that both Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant would participate in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game, and since they’re both going to be in Cincinnati anyway, why not? Almost immediately, consternation materialized as concerns mounted as to whether there might be deleterious effects by participating. With the explosion […]
It’s Been a Long Time Since Chicago Cubs Fans Had a Rooting Interest in the Home Run Derby
The 2004 Chicago Cubs season was a peculiar thing. The surprise and excitement of 2003 gave way to the … things that happened in the playoffs, but the formerly woeful and downtrodden Cubs came into 2004 a sudden favorite. And why not? Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Zambrano were on the rise. The Derrek Lee, […]
The Myth of the Kris Bryant Call-Up
As the Cubs pass the halfway mark of the season, it’s completely reasonable to look ahead and see how they might finish out the year. They have a four-game lead in the race for the final NL wild card spot, a race that in all likelihood will stay tight. As such, a story that had […]
That’s So Cub: A Look at the Top June Contributors and Moments
Today is July 1st, which means that my favorite holiday of the year—the Fourth of July—is just around the corner, that I will be moving back to Chicago from London tomorrow, and that I, as I have since the beginning of time since the beginning of the season, will sit down and write about the top Cubs’ […]
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
No matter how it ends, June will be a tough month for the Cubs. There were four games against the Nationals, and between here and the end of the month, there will be: two against the Tigers, four against the Indians, four against the Dodgers, and three against the Cardinals. That’s 17 games against, perhaps, […]
The Cubs at 50 Games
As the Cubs has passed the 50-game mark, they’re approaching the point where questions begin to be answered, and not always in a positive manner. With a 27-23 record after Tuesday, the Cubs would be right in the thick of the playoffs if they were to begin now. It’s not too soon to wonder if the […]