Tim did a good job recapping his feelings about the so-called "Crosstown Classic" on Friday. I don't have much more to add, except that the Barrett-Pierzynski fight is one of my top ten favorite moments in the past decade or so of Cubs fandom (also making the list – Zambrano ejecting an umpire, Cubs four game sweep of the Brewers …
Umpires practicing their ejection moves for June 10-13
Temperes flared in yesterday's Cubs game after Reds starter Johnny Cueto threw a pitch over David DeJesus's head in the sixth inning. Cueto was visibly pissed with DeJesus at the start of the game when he felt DeJesus stepped out of the batters box several times and took way too long to get ready at the plate. Both benches were warned …
Cubs at Reds gamethread 5.26
The Reds go for the sweep in what is easily the best pitching matchup of the series. Here are the lineups Cubs wOBA wOBA Reds CF David DeJesus .365 .413 CF Shin-Soo Choo SS Starlin Castro .291 .259 SS Zack Cozart 1B Anthony Rizzo .354 .438 1B Joey Votto LF Alfonso Soriano .297 .348 2B Brandon Phillips RF Nate Schierholtz …
Series Preview: Cubs (18-28) at Reds (29-18)
The Cubs are back in the basement of the NL Central following their winless series against the Pirates. If the season ended today, they would have the fourth pick in the 2014 draft. The Reds, meanwhile, are coming off a sweep of the Mets and get their ace back this week. Team Overviews Cubs Reds wRC+ 90 (11th) 99 …
Matt Garza Debut game thread and mini series preview
Here's a preview of today's game. I'll add info on the rest of the series later tonight. Pitching Matchup Matt Garza, RHP (-,-,-,3.63) vs Wandy Rodriguez, LHP (3.25, 125, 3.99, 3.73), 6:05 PM CT Garza is finally back! He looked sharp in his rehab outings, capping it off with a six strikeout, zero walk six-inning shutout in Iowa his last …
OV Daily Facepalm 5.21.13
Matt Garza returns tonight Garza is back and ready to go tonight, bumping Villanueva to the bullpen. The Cubs say Villanueva will be used in long relief, but given how their late inning options have sucked lately I'd rather see him in the late inning mix with Fujikawa and Transformed Kevin Gregg. Suddenly the Cubs pen doesn't looks quite as …
Series Preview: New York Mets (15-23) at Chicago Cubs (17-23)
The Mets have lost seven of their last ten games, including a sweep by the Pirates and a near-sweep by the Cardinals. Luckily for the Mets, they have the Marlins in their division so it will be difficult to drop into last place. I was surprised to read that they've placed foruth in the division for four straight years – …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (13-21) at Washington Nationals (19-15)
The Nats have had a bit of a streaky season so far. They've swept the Mets, White Sox, and Tigers and have been swept by the Braves and Cardinals. They're currently riding a four game winning streak. Inconsistent offense has plagued the team this year (sounds familiar). I'm wishing I was back home this weekend, as just about everyone I …
Series mini-preview: St. Louis Cardinals (20-11) at Chicago Cubs (12-20)
It's a short series, so I'll make this a short post. The Cardinals are good. The Cubs are not. Pitching Probables I list ERA, FIP-, xFIP, and ZiPS FIP for each pitcher. Tuesday: Lance Lynn, RHP (2.75, 80, 3.88, 3.71) vs Travis Wood, LHP (2.50, 91, 4.44, 4.35), 7:05 PM CT Unsurprisingly for the Cardinals pitching staff, Lynn is a ground …
15 Years Ago Today
Arguably the greatest pitching performance ever.