Top Play (WPA): Kyle Hendricks, wonderfully profiled by our own Rian Watt, pitched very well against the Brewers Wednesday evening, but not well enough to best baby-faced Zach Davies in the game that will be forever known as The Battle between Two Pitchers Who Look Considerably Younger Than This 23-Year-Old Author. Hendricks cruised through four and […]
Tag: Recap
Game 151 Recap: Cubs 4 Brewers 0
Top Play (WPA): The Cubs didn’t need much scoring in this one, but they still got a big hit from Kris Bryant. With no score in the bottom of the third, Bryant stepped in against Tyler Cravy with two outs and Kyle Schwarber standing on first base. Cravy threw a 94-mph fastball that just hit […]
Game 150 Recap: Cubs 9 Brewers 5
Top Play (WPA): Back on August 12th, Jason Hammel and the Cubs were clinging to a one-run lead against the Brewers. With two down and a man on base in the sixth, Adam Lind stepped to the plate getting ready to face Hammel, but Maddon came out and removed his veteran righty in favor of southpaw […]
GAME 149 RECAP: CARDINALS 4 CUBS 3
Top Play (WPA): With the Cardinals leading 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth, Chris Coghlan rapped a leadoff single. After Anthony Rizzo walked on a full count, Mike Matheny opted for Jonathan Broxton to replace Kevin Siegrist. Broxton proceeded to walk Kris Bryant to load the bases for Tommy La Stella. La Stella—known for his patient approach—worked […]
Game 148 Recap: Cubs 5 Cardinals 4
Top Play (WPA): The Cubs’ lead came early in this one, and—were it not for some dramatics in the ninth inning—it would have brought with it the lede story of the day. The second batter of the game, Jorge Soler, managed to work a walk off of Cardinals’ starter Michael Wacha, and Kris Bryant promptly sent him […]
Game 147 Recap: Cubs 8 Cardinals 3
Top Play (WPA): Starlin Castro. I’m putting his name up front because he’s what this game will be remembered for. And although I’ll get to the details of that storyline later (in ‘Trends to Watch’), for now I must say just this: Castro’s fifth-inning two-run home run (+0.221) was the biggest play of the game, by WPA, and his sixth-inning […]
GAME 146 RECAP: CUBS 9 PIRATES 6
Top Play (WPA): The Cubs might not end up winning the division, but taking three of four from the Pirates moves them ever closer to the coveted first Wild Card spot. This game was, as many of the recent games have been, a wild rollercoaster ride of a baseball game, but the end result was worth it. […]
Game 145 Recap: Cubs 3 Pirates 2
Top Play (WPA): With the Cubs leading 2-1 in the eighth, the Pirates had their leadoff batter reach for the first time all night on a Neil Walker infield single. Francisco Cervelli followed, hitting a knuckling liner at Javier Baez playing shortstop. Pinch-runner Pedro Florimon was going on the pitch, thus making a catch an easy […]
Game 144 Recap: Cubs 2 Pirates 1
Top Play (WPA): With the Cubs having lost the first half of the day-night double-header, they were relying on Jon Lester (3.50 ERA/3.03 FIP/3.90 DRA) to come through with a big game—and he certainly delivered. A complete-game gem of a performance from Lester made this game not only satisfying to watch as a fan, but a […]
Game 143 Recap: Pirates 5, Cubs 4
Top Play (WPA): This game felt like it was over early, with Jason Hammel struggling to get through even the 3 2/3 he did complete and the offense’s ineptitude versus peak Gerrit Cole. The Cubs would eventually relinquish the ballgame late, another episode in the team’s recent reliever struggles. Despite this, the afternoon’s top play […]