Cubs 4, Marlins 1

In Postgame by berselius71 Comments

OSS: Bryzzo each homer, Cubs cruise to a series win.

Three up:

  1. Kris Bryant’s hot hitting streak continues, homering yet again in this one. KB also drew two walks, coming around to score on…
  2. Another home run from Anthony Rizzo. It’s nice to see both guys hitting at the same time. Bryant improved his wRC+ to 145, and Rizzo’s is now 147. They still have a ways to go if they want to match the mighty bat of Jon Lester, who has a 176.
  3. Mike Montgomery looked great in long relief today, pitching five innings of shutout ball in relief of Yu Darvish. If Monty ends up as Darvish’s effective handcuff, it could free up Chatwood for a more significant late innings role…

Three down:

  1. Yu Darvish had another wild start, walking six and racking up nearly 100 pitches in just four innings. At least while Darvish didn’t know where the ball was going, neither did the batters, who struck out seven times and only managed one hit and one run.
  2. David Bote’s slump continues, as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts in this game. It was his fourth straight start without a hit.
  3. The Cardinals are winning big against the Pirates as I write this.

Next up: The Cubs host the Brewers for a weekend series. Jose Quintana faces Gio Gonzalez in the opener at 1:20 PM CT.

Share this Post

Comments

  2. Author
    berselius

    Too busy/lazy to write a preview for the next series. Probably not a big matchup anyway but too lazy to check.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    1
  3. Author
    berselius

    To-day’s base ball squadron

    CF Almora
    LF Bryant
    1B Rizzo
    SS Baez
    C Contreras
    3B Bote
    RF Heyward
    2B ?
    P Quintana

      Quote  Reply

    2

    0
  4. WaLi

    berselius: 2B ?

    Man poor Russell is getting so much hate. It’s understandable, but it’s interesting to see how negatively male to female domestic abuse is viewed. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t read much about Russel’s story, but my understanding is this is a first-time offense and he is going through all the recovery steps. I think addiction/substance abuse was viewed this negatively in the past but society has become more understanding with it. Repeat offenders are now viewed more sympathetically (look at Josh Hamilton or Josh Gordon). I wonder if this is because most everyone has smoked pot, drank alcohol, or been affected one way or another by addiction so it hits closer to home.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  6. Ryno

    WaLi: Man poor Russell is getting so much hate. It’s understandable, but it’s interesting to see how negatively male to female domestic abuse is viewed. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t read much about Russel’s story, but my understanding is this is a first-time offense and he is going through all the recovery steps.

    That’s not what I heard.

    I think people these days also recognize that substance abuse is a relatively victimless crime. And, quite frankly, harassment of females is not longer tolerated at the level it was even 20 years ago.

      Quote  Reply

    3

    0
  10. Author
    berselius

    When Kevin Cook launches into the sagas of the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, fan partisanship gives way to the lore of two of the league’s oldest teams. In Ten Innings at Wrigley, Cook delves into the culture of baseball at a tipping point through a May 17, 1979, rubber match that turned into “the wildest ballgame ever.”
    Cook admirably winnows remarkable team histories to set the table. The Cubs, “born to lose” and cursed by a goat, were not a big market team in 1979, with Wrigley (a character in its own right) used for other events (e.g., ski-jumping contests) to make money. The Phillies were also “lovable losers,” the last original franchise yet to win a World Series. But they were on the rise with something to prove, winning three straight division titles.
    The game supports an inning-by-inning and pitch-by-pitch written recounting. With winds gusting to 30 mph, six runs in the first 10 minutes, 97 total bases and a run total of 45 that stands as the second highest of all time, the garbage truck fire beyond the bleachers is a mere afterthought. Many of the game’s legendary and most colorful characters were playing (Rose, Bowa, Buckner, Kingman, Maddox) on the brink of epic cultural and league changes–cable television, the high-five, facial hair, computers, labor strikes and modern metrics, to name a few. Cook seamlessly blends these issues into this reconstruction of the game and its aftermath, a slice of history fans of any team will relish. –Lauren O’Brien of Malcolm Avenue Review
    Discover: The histories (and futures) of some of Major League Baseball’s greatest franchises and players are relayed through a record-setting, extra-inning 1979 game.

    I love that the description of this game includes a literal trash fire (dying laughing)

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  11. cerulean

    Russell has such a kind, young face and quiet persona that he appears like a gentle soul. But in light of these events, I think he, like many outliers before him, has not developed a sophisticated enough theory of mind to have much compassion and is clearly not naturally empathetic.

    ? It’s as if the brain has a finite set of neurons — brilliance, whether athletically or intellectually or musically, necessarily takes away from the self-introspection that some take for granted.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  12. dmick89

    berselius,

    There’s also something especially disgusting about the physical power imbalance between a man and a woman being taken advantage of in by those who abuse their wives. It’s also why we view spousal abuse by a woman as less than that of a male even though we shouldn’t.

      Quote  Reply

    1

    0
  15. WaLi

    What I meant by first-time offense is that it was the first time he was punished and is getting counseling. I doubt he only hit/abused her once.

    I am in no way condoning harassment of females, but I do believe in second chances for most things. There is a line though where some people don’t deserve a second chance.

    Outside a few exceptions, substance abuse in no way a victimless crime though. Having been a child of alcoholic (and spousal abuse) parents and operated a rehab for a few years I would venture to say that substance abuse does more damage to spouses/family than physical abuse does the two are often intertwined.

      Quote  Reply

    1

    0
  18. Smokestack Lightning

    cerulean: It’s as if the brain has a finite set of neurons — brilliance, whether athletically or intellectually or musically, necessarily takes away from the self-introspection that some take for granted.
      Quote  

    This explains why I am not very smart and not very good at sports and music. It’s because I’m so good at self-introspection.

    Honestly, AR has been back two days and I’m done with the Cubs rehab project. The situation is an unnecessary, unwanted distraction, and the Cubs don’t really need another groundball hitter. I hope he gets his head figured out and turns his life around, but let him do it in an Orioles or Tigers uni. If he becomes a superstar, so be it.

      Quote  Reply

    4

    0
  22. dmick89

    WaLi: Outside a few exceptions, substance abuse in no way a victimless crime though. Having been a child of alcoholic (and spousal abuse) parents and operated a rehab for a few years I would venture to say that substance abuse does more damage to spouses/family than physical abuse does the two are often intertwined.

    You’re right that it’s not victimless in many cases. I still think there are distinct differences between an addict and abuser. The biggest might be that abuse is intentionally inflicting pain on others while that isn’t generally true of addicts. Second, addiction is a disease. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn in the future that abuse is as well, but the two still seem different enough to me.

    That said, I think it’s wrong to just throw people away no matter how much we might want to. So I’m not upset that Russell gets a second chance at playing MLB. I’d have preferred it be elsewhere just because I don’t think he adds much to this team at this point in his career. I hope Russell has learned and is still learning. I hope he can become a decent member of society.

    I read a cool story recently about how someone was robbed at gunpoint. The victim wrote a letter to the judge in the case about how little her life changed as a result of the crime and that the purchases made on her credit cards were all necessities. The criminal wasn’t out purchasing televisions or anything like that. The judge admitted that the letter changed her opinion on the case and rather than sentencing the woman to several years in prison, she got a suspended probation for 2 years. During those two years she can answer honestly that she has not been convicted of a felony on applications so the hope is that the woman can get her life together. The point is that if she can complete those two years without violating the terms of her probation, she’s not the type of person you want to throw in prison for a long time while making it more difficult for her to get a job in the future. So yeah, second chances are great. Hopefully Russell does something with his.

      Quote  Reply

    4

    0
  24. WaLi

    dmick89,

    That’s a great story. My wife was held at gun point and she had the guy arrested (dying laughing). Granted he had just murdered a guy the day before.

    I personally don’t agree with the 100% with the addiction disease model. I do think there are mental illnesses that are more likely to contribute to substance use, but a larger contribution to addiction are the environmental factors. There have been some studies on this such as “Rat Park”
    https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2018/10/new-nida-research-reveals-power-social-reinforcers

    I think these same factors contribute to violence, domestic or otherwise. If someone grows up in a violent household and that’s all they see, they are more likely to reconstruct those actions in their own household. I can only speak anecdotally on this, but my dad was in a war losing an eye and appeared to have what we would now call PTSD to it. This probably contributed to alcoholism and spousal abuse. I now know inside he is a good person (although it took him moving halfway across the world to realize this) but he was dealt a crappy hand and was mentally unable to change it. Now I would never hit my family, but I do see that I am quick to raise my voice, because that is what I was used to growing up. I realize though that I need to correct that behavior and work on it.

    There are also some people are just wired differently and are just violent that no rehab/counseling would fix. I’m hopeful that Russell doesn’t fall in this category. Looking at his background, it looks like his father may have been absent growing up (he was adopted by his stepfather at 12). I do think the Cubs handled a lot of the Russell thing wrong and the Cubs would probably be better off without him (especially since he plays in Chicago), but since he is here I’ll support him until he proves otherwise.

      Quote  Reply

    1

    0
  25. Perkins

    It would have been nice if the Cubs had kept this one close so Counsell would have to burn Josh Hader.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  26. BVS

    Patrick Mooney on Russell in the Athletic today. Some more details on the Cubs approach to Russell.

    As Theo has said, no one has to like Russell being on the team. Certainly no one has to root for him. But it is in the best interest of everyone if the Cubs can help him through rehab and behavior modification. If successful, they might even be a model for others. They might fail, but I know people who have overcome being abusive and subsequently been good, loving spouses. It is possible. Meanwhile, passing judgment on Russell’s recovery program and progress is intellectually lazy because no one knows what it is and it is none of our business. It is an unreasonable request and by now a tired trope (that and constant 6-man rotation refs are why I’ve given up on Bleacher Nation.) Demanding the details intrudes as much on his exes and kids as it does on him.

      Quote  Reply

    4

    0
  27. andcounting

    BVS,

    Interesting. It’s also interesting that Reidy spoke up a bit about this on Instagram. In one of the comments, she voiced thankfulness for people’s support as well as a general detachment from the criticism Russell is receiving with a pretty gracious message about believing in second chances for people willing to take responsibility and face the consequences of their actions. She wrote, “At some point there’s got to be an end to the degradation.” It’s pretty encouraging as far as where she is in the process. The other comments are littered with human garbage, of course.

      Quote  Reply

    3

    0
  38. Rizzo the Rat

    I’m really tired of these leadoff walks, even though they haven’t amounted to anything yet.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  54. dmick89

    There are more people that attend the local high school baseball games than there are in attendance at Wrigley right now. It’s embarrassing that they still play in front of 18 people.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  56. andcounting

    I generally don’t favor bunting, but I don’t understand not bunting with Chatwood there. Any non-popup and Javy almost certainly scores.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  61. dmick89

    andcounting,

    Yeah, because it’s way more fun hanging out here than watching a 1-1 game in the 15th inning. If I made a list of things I wanted to do, going to a game that was going to be 1-1 in the 15th inning would be near the bottom of the list.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  62. andcounting

    Perkins,

    I don’t know, if you hold a team to 4 hits through 14 innings, you kinda deserve consideration for a win. Obviously the offense has sucked, but the run-prevention manager has done a decent job today.

      Quote  Reply

    1

    0
  64. andcounting

    dmick89,

    Same. Granted, I haven’t seen Wrigley in person since they started renovating so I have no idea how many Pizza Hut MILFs or cast iron skillet workshops they have now.

      Quote  Reply

    1

    0
  65. dmick89

    I used to favor an extra inning system that would start innings after the 10th with runners on base, but I’m just against extra innings altogether now. Bring back the tie.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    3

Leave a Comment