OSS: Cubs file an insurance run claim, hang on to win it. Three up: Addison Muscle had a great day at the plate, driving in three runs on two hits that seemed to land in the exact same place down the right field line. Kemp got to the first one a little faster than the second, which led to Javy being …
Cubs 4, Nationals 3
OSS: Javy walks it off in the 13th to complete the sweep of the Nationals. Three up Javy Baez hit a long blast to the left field bleachers to end this looooong, sloppy, game. Not surprisingly, he was the Cubs leading WPA position player of the day. The bullpen posted eight scoreless innings after Jake Arrieta could only make it through three …
Cubs 8, Nationals 5 (5/7/16)
OSS: It’s better to be lucky and good. Three Six up: Too many great performances to fit into the usual format today. Addison Russell had a huge day at the plate, posting a .431 WPA thanks to an RBI single in the sixth that sent Nats starter Gio Gonzalez to the showers and a two-run double in the seventh that gave the Cubs the …
Cubs 8, Nationals 6 (5/6/16)
OSS: Ben Zobrist homers again. And again. Three up: Ben Zobrist is just utterly on fire right now, homering twice and drawing two walks in today’s game. *Quietly deletes the WTF @ tbe Ben Zobrist signing post from the offseason*. When Rendon homered in the second PA of the game, it only made me more confident that the Cubs would have …
Cubs 5, Nats 2 (5/5/16)
OSS: “Zobrist high-fiving so hard that he nearly fell down is a pretty good microcosm for the season.” – umbra Three up: Zobrist had most of the RsBI today, with a bases clogged single in the fourth and an insurancey two run homer in the eighth. The Cubs ended up needing those extra runs, as the Nats finally broke through in …
Series Preview/Game Thread: Washington Nationals (19-8) at Chicago Cubs (20-6)
The two best teams in baseball square off for a big four game series at Wrigley field. The Nats hot start has largely been driven by their pitching staff, which has allowed the second fewest runs per game in all of MLB. The team heading up the pack is the Chicago Cubs, who also lead the league in runs scored. …
Cubs 6, Pirates 2 (5/4/16)
OSS: What is best in life? To crush your enemies, to drive them before you, to hear the lamentations of their fanbase. Three up: Ben Zobrist was the WPA hero of the day, mostly due to a three run homer in the third inning that ended up as the nominal GWRBI. You just can’t make any mistakes against this Cubs lineup …
Cubs 7, Pirates 1 (5/3/16)
OSS: Fuck, this team. Three up: I don’t even know who to single out here, the Cubs are kicking ass and taking names from one of their main competitors for a playoff spot despite having three of their top position players out for injuries of varying severity. Tim fucking FedEx, the backup-backup-backup catcher was the top position player in WPA. Arrieta walked two batters …
Cubs 7, Pirates 2 (5/2/16)
OSS: Cubs rack up Cole’s pitch count for the second game in a row and chase him early. Three up: Anthony Rizzo paced the Cubs in WPA on the day, mostly due to a game tying double in the third inning and another in the fifth. It is great to see the hits dropping for him again. David Ross had the other …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (17-6) at Pittsburgh Pirates (15-10)
The Cubs and Pirates meet for the first time since the Cubs treated the Pirates like the Gatorade cooler in the Pirates dugout. One can hope that tempers are cooler this time around. The Pirates have come out of the gate hot with the best team wOBA in all of baseball. Their pitching, however, has been less good, posting a …