If hitting is contagious, as many are wont to believe, then the Cubs (last night excluded) have a pernicious cold on top of the flu with some sort of weird infection to top it off. After scoring five runs in five games versus the middling Pirates and lowly Tigers, all courtesy of the solo home […]
Tag: Struggles
Albert Almora Needs To Get Off The Ground
You can pick any player on the Cubs this year, almost, and there’s probably been intense debate about said player in various forums. Addison Russell, Ian Happ, Jason Heyward, Jon Lester, Yu Darvish, Kyle Schwarber, and the list is probably longer. And a lot of these players have swung the majority from one side to […]
Tyler Chatwood and the false hope of escaping Colorado
“No. No! NO! Stop it! Stop it, please! I beg you! This is sin! This is sin! This is sin! It’s a sin, it’s a sin, it’s a sin!” –Little Alex, A Clockwork Orange ALSO: –Me during any Tyler Chatwood start Actually, hold on a sec… that implies that a Chatwood start is like watching […]
Who Is 2018 José Quintana?
With one out in the fifth inning on Saturday, Joe Maddon exited the dugout and strolled to the pitcher’s mound. The Cubs skipper was about to pull José Quintana after only 83 pitches and the game tied at three, despite the bullpen’s generally overworked state. It was a contentious move, and there was a bit […]
Breaking Balls Continue to Flummox Cubs
We were served a full plate of narrative heft last fall when the Cubs bested Cleveland in the World Series. As I have relayed elsewhere, there was an abundance of good stories for those who wanted them: the historical angle, of course, but also the return of Kyle Schwarber, the feats of Andrew Miller, the […]
It’s Past Time To Talk About Jason Heyward
In the beginning, the defense goes “It’s just April. It’s chilly. He’ll pick up when the weather warms up.” In June, it becomes “It’s still early in the season. He’s adjusting.” But when the season approaches the 152 games played mark, as it did on the North Side this past Wednesday evening, the sentiment becomes […]
A Month In, Contreras Still Shining
It’s been just over a month since catching prodigy Willson Contreras was called up to the major leagues, and in true Cubs prospect fashion, Contreras made his debut with a bang against the division rival Pirates. Contreras sent a first pitch home run into the bleachers during his first at bat at Wrigley Field, and […]
It’s Almost Mid-June, and Heyward’s Struggles Are Still Not Concerning
As we are slowly but surely reaching the 100-games-left-in-the-season mark of the 2016 season, it’s a bit surprising to see that Jason Heyward’s slash line is sitting at a dismal .226/.323/.313. He’s only hit three home runs on the season so far, and is striking out at a 20 percent clip—something Heyward hasn’t done since […]