Last year, the Cubs played the Cardinals on September 23-25, and the story was somewhat different. The Cubs had already clinched the NL Central and were simply playing out the season to see how many wins they could rack up (103). While they might prefer to be back in that position this year if they had […]
Tag: Series Preview
Playoff Prospectus: NLCS Preview—Dodgers vs. Cubs
The piece previewed here, written by Baseball Prospectus’s Editor-in-Chief Aaron Gleeman, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the playoffs, “Playoff Prospectus”. Additional series coverage, exclusive to BP Wrigleyville, can be found here, under the name “Second City October”. Dave Roberts and the Dodgers pulled out all the stops in Game 5 of the NLDS, […]
Playoff Prospectus: NLDS Preview, Giants vs. Cubs ($)
The piece previewed here, written by BP Wrigleyville’s Editor-in-Chief Rian Watt, forms part of the main site’s comprehensive coverage of the playoffs, “Playoff Prospectus”. Additional series coverage, exclusive to BP Wrigleyville, can be found here, under the name “Second City October”. The thing about the playoffs is that the best teams don’t always win. That’s what […]
Second City October: NLDS Series Preview
This piece, written by BP Wrigleyville’s Henry Druschel, forms part of our in-house coverage of the Cubs in the playoffs, “Second City October”. Additional NLDS coverage, written by Rian Watt and originally run on the main site’s series “Playoff Prospectus,” can be found here. They’ve been a long, long time in coming, but the real playoffs are finally here. The […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Reds, September 30-October 2
If a Series Preview is written for a 100-win team on the last weekend of the regular season and everybody is looking towards the postseason, does it really exist? After all, the division has been clinched. The league’s best record is all sewn up. The season’s closing weekend is a final victory lap for what […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Pirates, September 26-29
This preview was jointly written by Zack Moser and Nate Greabe. (Zack) If I were to tell you that the Cubs were merely playing out the string in their final series versus the Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds, you would be forgiven for thinking that something had gone horribly wrong. As it is, the Cubs’ weekend […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs Cardinals, September 23-25
The search for meaning in the meaningless. It is the human condition and the fate that observers of this Cubs team have found themselves in for weeks. Now the Cubs playing a meaningless final series against the Cardinals in September is hardly unfamiliar, but the only drama for the Cubs being the chance to win […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Reds, September 19-21
With the strange weekend series against the Brewers behind them, the Cubs stay at Wrigley to face the other team holding up the bottom of the NL Central standings. The past series was one of tempered celebration — both because winning the division has felt like an expected inevitability and step in the process toward […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs. Brewers, September 15-18
We know by now that this series is about clinching. We know by now that it’s rather unlikely that it won’t happen while the Milwaukee Brewers are in town. That’s a dubious honor for them to hold, sure, but with just over two weeks left of the regular season games to play before they are […]
Series Preview: Cubs vs Cardinals, September 12-14
The Cubs and Cardinals have played several drama-filled and meaningful September series in recent memory. The Cubs chasing a playoff spot last year took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals twice in September. Any mention of important September series between these two teams must include the 5 game series to the start the month in […]