On the day of his introduction as Cubs manager, Joe Maddon declared, “I’m gonna talk World Series this year.” Since that beginning, the eminently quotable Maddon has continued to embrace bold predictions while keeping the young Cubs loose yet focused, and players like Anthony Rizzo have echoed the confident tone set by their philosophical skipper. And, at last, […]
Category: Articles
They Built It, and the Cubs Are Coming
I love a lot of things about baseball, but the thing I love most—at least off the field—is roster construction. There’s something beautifully technical and delicate about putting together a group of 25 guys that, while limited by certain constraints (age, positional ability, money), will produce the most wins possible for your ballclub. It’s a really, really hard […]
Game 162 Recap: Cubs 3 Brewers 1
Top Play (WPA): The Cubs closed out their regular-season slate with a win (their 97th) in Milwaukee on Sunday, beating the Brewers 3-1 on the back of a strong—and perhaps final—start from Dan Haren, and a clutch hit from Anthony Rizzo. That hit, Rizzo’s final regular-season contribution to a brilliant season, came in the first inning, […]
The 2015 Ballad of Jon Lester: Start No. 32
Date: September 30, 2015 Opponent: Cincinnati Reds Location: Great American Ballpark Introduction Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end Since April, my greatest hope was that one day this feature would be to baseball analysis what Semisonic is to music. Today, with the regular season now complete, I have decided this hope has been realized. […]
Game 161 Recap: Cubs 1 Brewers 0
Top Play (WPA): The pivotal inning of the Cubs’ 96th win—a total which tied the 2015 club for their second-best record since 1945—wasn’t the inning in which the Cubs scored the game’s only run. Rather, it was the tense bottom of the eighth inning, where the Brewers threatened to score against Fernando Rodney. Prior to that point, […]
GAME 160 RECAP: CUBS 6 BREWERS 1
Top Play (WPA): Addison Russell led off the third inning by hitting a majestic drive down the left-field line that missed leaving the yard by just a few inches. Two batters later, Tommy La Stella turned on a fastball, smacking it into the corner in right to score Russell (+.119). Bottom Play (WPA): After a wild pitch moved La […]
Maddon Reaches into the Unknown as Arrieta Reaches New Heights
If you are even on the periphery of Cubs fandom at the moment, there’s a good chance you’re aware that Jake Arrieta is having an absolutely brilliant season on the mound. I don’t really need to go over the numbers yet another time, but here’s the deal: he’s good. But I don’t want to talk […]
Eyes on Cole, Cubs Feeling Wild
It’s not exactly news that the Cubs are going to be playing in the Wild Card game in 2015. Even if they have only been officially assured a playoff spot for a little less than a week, it’s been virtually a lock for what seems like forever. And although the location of the game isn’t quite decided […]
Game 159 Recap: Cubs 5 Reds 3
Top Play (WPA): Austin Jackson drove in five runs Wednesday, and so what did he do in his second plate appearance Thursday? Nothing relevant to yesterday, because what happened yesterday has very little to do with what happened today and any attempt to suggest otherwise would just be building a false narrative. He homered (+0.270)! The […]
That’s So Cub: A Look at the Top September Contributors and Moments
It’s the beginning of October, which not only means that Halloween is around the corner and you might even hear the first ominous tinkle of mall Christmas music, but also that I, as I have since the beginning of time the beginning of the season, will sit down and write about the top Cubs’ contributors and moments from the previous […]