OPS: Pitchers who rake.
Three up:
- Cubs pitchers drove in the majority of the Cubs runs today. Hendricks hit a bases-loaded single in the second inning off Jeff Samardzija, who was sloppy all through his short outing. Travis Wood tacked on a solo home run in the fourth inning to give insurance that the Cubs didn’t end up needing, but felt extra important with the bullpen needing so much work in this game. Even if you ignore their pitching results, they were still the Cubs top WPA-getters on the day.
- Speaking of, the bullpen came up huge. Their combined line was 5.1 innings, 2 hits, no walks, no runs, and six strikeouts. Wood and Mike Montgomery both went multiple innings, and having them around was why the Cubs didn’t really need Hammel around for long relief. Hector Rondon in particular looked fantastic, dealing like his pre-injury self.
- Tough to pick a third player in particular here, as the Cubs really spread around the good plays, so I’ll go with Ben Zobrist for driving in the first run of the day to get the Cubs off to a good start.
Three down:
- Kyle Hendricks got knocked out of the game with a forearm bruise after taking a liner in the fourth inning. No broken bones at least
but it’s a good thing the Cubs have a 2-0 lead, because I’m not sure what they would do for game five if it came to that. I’m guessing he’d be okay by then, but I don’t know what the next option would be – Montgomery? Somehow adding Hammel to the roster due to injury? Neither of these options particularly fills me with confidence for a possible loser goes home game.(I am an idiot). Get well soon, Kyle. - Javy Baez got TOOTBLAN’d after taking a little too long to admire a long double to left. It was also after a replay that deduced he was off the bag for a few shakes while Panik had the tag down on him. *inserts tedious argument about rules semantics*
- Who would have guessed that this broadcast would make us wish for that FS1 atrocity? Bob Costas is the worst.
Next up: Jake Arrieta and the Cubs go for the sweep against Madison Bumgarner on Monday night, game time at 8:40 CT.
Comments
That was a really fun game to be at, though that Baez out was ridiculous. At least I didn’t have to hear a lecture about hustling.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Lester is scheduled for game five. They have a four-man rotation.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Duh. I am an idiot (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
This game was really fun to be at. It never felt particularly close, and the place went nuts on the Travis Wood HR.
It’d be swell if they could find a way to beat Bumgarner on Monday. If only the Cubs had a Cy Young winner they could send against him…
PerkinsQuote Reply
It’s a strange feeling expecting this team to win in the playoffs.
dmick89Quote Reply
It’s kind of like being told all your life that rock’n’roll music is the devil and it will destroy your soul, and then growing up to realize that not only is not something to fear, but it’s a rollicking good time.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Perkins,
Arrieta perfect game. I accept nothing less.
But seriously, will Montero definitely get the start with Jake against such a tough lefty like Bumgarner? I would rather Ross get a turn. And another no-hitter.
ceruleanQuote Reply
cerulean,
What’s Jake’s ERA/BABIP /etc with Montero vs Ross or Castillo?
BVSQuote Reply
I miss Beef Castle too…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
But no, not really, because this set of catchers is fine.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I know. It’s not like everyone at home didn’t realize that Baez fucked up. We have eyes. Say something and move on. Costas just sucks and that play was an example of why. He can’t leave shit alone. He talked about the Baez play as if it was the biggest deal ever. It could hurt the fucking children for generations to come! Then he complained about replay. I can understand not liking replay to be used in such situations, but the bottom line is that the rule is that if the fielder has the ball on the runner at any time he’s off the base, he’s out. That’s as much a part of the rules as getting to the base first. They got it right, but again, I can understand someone not wanting it to be used on those plays. I just don’t need to hear about it for 5 minutes.
I thought Costas only did the Olympics, which was great because there’s not a chance I’d watch them.
dmick89Quote Reply
Can Rizzo and Bryant start hitting so we don’t have to hear about they have sucked in the postseason every time they come to the plate? Small sample size, people!!!
dmick89Quote Reply
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-cubs-did-something-that-hasnt-been-done-in-92-years-and-nobody-wanted-to-talk-about-it-063524316.html
GWQuote Reply
You all made me glad I listened to the radio broadcast instead of tv. Pat’s take was that it is common for young players to get caught up in the moment and it’s something Baez will have to work on and will, and that was the end of it.
JoshQuote Reply
cerulean,
I have to think Montero over Ross, given Jake’s comfort level with him. I don’t think Ross is better enough offensively to necessitate that move, especially against Bumgarner.
It’d be great to see them hang an L on Bumgarner, but I’m expecting the Cubs to lose in a low scoring game and then light up Matt Moore in game 4.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Oh yeah, can they please stop showing Bill Murray? I don’t give a fuck what he’s doing. Right after the win they cut to him rather than the players. Just stupid.
dmick89Quote Reply
Perkins,
There’s no way Montero is even on the roster if he wasn’t starting this game.
berseliusQuote Reply
Big, if true.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
dmick89,
What killed me was Eddie Vedder wearing a backwards helmet and giddily tapping Theo on the shoulder as David Ross flied out in Game 1. Note to self: do not watch games with Eddie Vedder.
GWQuote Reply
Part of the price of playoff baseball. At least until they win it all.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-2016-cubs-are-already-a-success/
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Excellent story. Thanks.
mylesQuote Reply
They were showing him repeatedly on the jumbotrons at the park as well. I don’t mind it as much since it’s Bill Murray, but I hope they don’t start panning to any and every Chicago-related celebrity going forward.
PerkinsQuote Reply
GW,
Yeah, that was terrible too. Why do they think we give a shit about these people? I don’t even give a shit what Maddon has to say in between innings if they’re going to show it split screen or whatever crap that was. He’s the manager so if I don’t care what he says at that point, I sure as hell don’t want to see Bill Murray praying or Eddie Vedder tapping on Theo’s shoulder. Just show me the game. I’ll take that blimp cam view over that stuff.
dmick89Quote Reply
Perkins,
I like Murray well enough, but he’s a comedian. I don’t care what he’s doing at the game or what his thoughts are about this team. I like Pearl Jam (or rather I used to be a big fan), but I don’t want to see Vedder either. I can understand showing Murray once, but I would much, much rather watch the team right after a win than some fan celebrate.
dmick89Quote Reply
Rizzo is gonna hit 3 splash shots and Bryant is gonna break the Coke bottle. That’ll shut them right up.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
The Cubs FO’s Occult Research Division concludes that Bumgarner’s ungodly powers are contained in his eyes. Jake Arrieta steals his powers by looking at him and goes on to hit three home runs and pitch a perfect game.
berseliusQuote Reply
PerkinsQuote Reply
Still getting huge cognitive dissonance from seeing Rich HIll pitch meaningful innings. Missed that curveball.
berseliusQuote Reply
Another young talent the Cubs let get away.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
He’s no Bryan Lahair.
dmick89Quote Reply
Correct
SKQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
(dying laughing). Can’t even count the number of times I’ve said Castillo instead of Contreras this year.
BVSQuote Reply
I hope Dodgers-Nats goes the distance.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I hope game five gets postponed and then goes 20 innings.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
BVS,
The Cubs should never have given Beef Contrary away.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Meh. I want the Cubs to face the best.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Dodgers lose.
SKQuote Reply
Why is the Nationals’ mascot some sort of chicken?
SKQuote Reply
SK,
I think it’s supposed to be an eagle.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
SK,
Seems like a pretty good mascot for the team located in the nation’s capitol. Other suggestions were too offensive.
dmick89Quote Reply
According to 538 Elo—the chances of the Cubs winning tomorrow are about the same as them facing the Blue Jays or the Injians (that’s the racist way to spell it, right?) in the World Series.
ceruleanQuote Reply
cerulean,
Isn’t it Injin?
dmick89Quote Reply
SK,
Benjamin Franklin wanted it to be a turkey.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
wrt the recent replay controversy, I think one possible solution would be to change the rule so that the runner is safe so long as he stays over the base. There would still be some difficult judgment calls, but it would at least eliminate the “his foot came off the bag for 2 milliseconds” nitpicking.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
I like that they call an out an out. Baez was out. Should be scored a double though since he was safe at 2nd until he came off the bag.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I’m not personally convinced that they’re is a problem that needs solving, but these overturned calls seem to piss a lot of people off. This suggestion seemed to me like a fairly unobtrusive way to assuage these fans.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
dmick89,
Yeah, it should be scored a double. No, he should not have been called out. I feel the same when I don’t have a stake in it, or even when it goes against the team I want to win.
Why? Three reasons:
1) It violates the spirit of the rules, even to calling into question the plays of the past. This is a fuzzy, emotional, human meatsack kind of reason, but it’s certainly a valid one. The impetus to replay to my mind was the human-element-driven not-so-perfect perfect game by Galarraga a half dozen years ago. The fact that there is an equal amount of controversy and outrage at the injustice meted out by a limited number of camera angles means that the review is itself a distraction from the game, just as the lack of review was before. Which brings up the fact that…
2) More of these reviews are undesirable. It really is awful to wait for these judgments to come down on television. It’s even more awful in person. And in the playoffs where managers get an extra challenge to burn, it’s just a drag. This is not entertainment. I am not entertained. Which points to…
3) The rules of the game should favor the play of the game. Baseball is entertainment. It is some of the best entertainment. If a simple rule would fix a glaring issue about baseball—like one that foments outrage while also being agonizingly slow—then do it because it makes the game better. I am all for excising anything about the play of the game that resembles tax loopholes.
So what’s the fix? Baserunner must make initial contact with the base. After contact is initiated, the runner has secured the base until the runner’s body is no longer over the base or is not touching the base at all.
If that sounds crazy and stupid, baseball already has a special rule for first base that depends on which way the runner turns after running through the bag. This is not significantly different.
ceruleanQuote Reply
MLBN has a Spanish feed of this Jays-Rangers game, it certainly beats the usual announcers
BerseliusQuote Reply
I concur. I watched a few games this year in Spanish and found them mildly entertaining.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Confirmation bias suggests Jays will blast their way through the AL so if Cubs make it, that might be a bit scary. Although Cubs pitching is a lot better than what the Jays have faced so far.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Another in-game interview going on while someone hits a home run.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
I’m fine with a rule change, but people are going to complain about replay because that’s what people do (myself included at times).
cerulean,
I don’t have a problem with more replays. I’d like to see quicker replays (if you can’t tell within 30 seconds, initial call stands would be my suggestion). I want them to get it right and it’s not like plays in which the runner came off the base at 2nd or 3rd weren’t called out prior to replay. They were. There were just fewer of them because it was too difficult to tell, but sometimes even the umpire prior to replay would get it wrong. Those calls are now overturned when the guy is safe. I just see this as calling it as it’s always been called, except it’s more thorough and that’s good in my opinion.
dmick89Quote Reply
I like replay. I’m in favor of expanding it as much as possible. I want the correct calls to be made.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
They need a 1 minute time limit. Challenge right away or do eye in the sky.
Also, if TEX can just get this to be a 1-run game, they should be ok.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Heyyyyyyy…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Now it’s a 1-run game the other way.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
This is turning out to be quite a game.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
dmick89,
I disagree that they used to call ones anything like the Baez one last night. I bet every single one had a player actually coming off the bag by oversliding or overrunning it. Those are perfectly fine. I have an issue of those plays where a runner’s motion and contact with the bag lead to a temporary bounce and separation, sometimes simply because of the reflex of self-preservation, like when a guy’s knee comes at your face.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Wow. What an ending.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Defense matters. Just ask the Rangers. That was nuts.
ceruleanQuote Reply
OK, this replay challenge is annoying and gratuitous.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hope to see the same tomorrow in Cleveland.
berseliusQuote Reply
This will not happen, guaranteed.
(They are playing in Boston.)
ceruleanQuote Reply
False.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
cerulean,
I meant over sliding or coming off the bag in some noticeable way. Those were called. I guess I don’t see a whole lot of difference between that and what Baez did. The glove is on the fielder when the runner isn’t on the base. That it couldn’t be seen without the help of replay only tells me that replay was more necessary than we thought. The rules don’t state anything about how a runner may come off the base. It’s only that he’s off the base. If MLB thinks it needs to clarify that and allow some runners to be safe while off the base, that’s fine. I don’t really care one way or the other, but as long as the rule is that the runner is off the base, Baez is out.
Personally, I have no problem with the rule as it is now. I haven’t found those plays to be the least bit upsetting other than for obviously biased reasons. Clearly not everyone shares that view and that’s fine.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’m going to fly to Cleveland and watch this game in a bar there just to make this comment true (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
dmick89,
its not fine your a bad person an you shoud feel bad
#commentsOnTehInternets
ceruleanQuote Reply
For the nicest comment on this thread, I do want to acknowledge that the best team at winning 1-run games this season was eliminated in a 1-run game.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Kris Bryant is homering off of Bumgarner today.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
That would be a good start to getting the announcers to shut up about how he and Rizzo have not done well in the playoffs.
dmick89Quote Reply
This might be against our policies, but I want to share a facebook video of my daughter’s batflip.
https://www.facebook.com/13734670/videos/10106954650346888/
If I have to go without dinner, so be it.
MylesQuote Reply
Time to grab this series by the…hand.
EdwinQuote Reply
Dead link for me. Probably because I deleted my Facebook account…and they know.
ceruleanQuote Reply
I didn’t realize OV had policies.
EdwinQuote Reply
…off to Never-Neverland?
~or~
…if you want to live?
ceruleanQuote Reply
All venture-capital-backed startup unicorns have policies. How do you think they get to be valued at a billion dollars?
ceruleanQuote Reply
cerulean,
I like the first one.
EdwinQuote Reply
cerulean,
Promoting cross selling in investor calls?
EdwinQuote Reply
Am I the only one who read the Post About Posts?
IIRC, it had a link about links.
SKQuote Reply
This is a baseball blog, not a golf blog.
BerseliusQuote Reply
Berselius,
Nor is it a blog about artisanal sausage
BerseliusQuote Reply
Myles,
You are doing the parenting thing right
BerseliusQuote Reply
That’s a GD shame.
uncle daveQuote Reply
So…righty load the lineup, or keep good defense?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
Good question. Joe said he’s considering changes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if C was the only difference. I could see Soler replacing Heyward maybe, but as b pointed out, Montero’s job on the NLDS roster is to start this game so I don’t think we’ll see Ross or Contreras.
SKQuote Reply
SK,
My 200,000 lire
CF Fowler
LF Bryant
1B Rizzo
2B Zobrist
LF Soler
SS Russell
3B Baez
C Montero
P Arrieta
berseliusQuote Reply
Jake gonna have to keep the balls out of RF
Rice CubeQuote Reply
cerulean,
We lost over $900 million in our first year. Shitty management, but we’ve not paid taxes since.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’d like to see Contreras behind the plate tonight, but I doubt it happens.
dmick89Quote Reply
Though you never know with Joe, maybe the spray charts say the Giants never hit it to RF (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Only thing is, I don’t think Joe has gone with Bryant (or Zobrist) in RF lately. When Heyward has sat, it’s been Szczur or Almora. At least I think this is true, but facts don’t really matter, so.
SKQuote Reply
You were just performing your fiduciary duty.
EdwinQuote Reply
CF Fowler
RF Bryant
1B Rizzo
2B Zobrist
LF Soler
3B Baez
SS Russell
C Montero
SP Arrieta
This is my guess.
Wait, this is exactly what Berselius guess. We have to be wrong.
MylesQuote Reply
Zo in right George in left.
SKQuote Reply
Social Technology Network Synergy Utilization Automation is a tough industry.
ceruleanQuote Reply
SK,
Let’s score some runs and then put in the better defenders.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice Cube,
I like Rested Soler.
SKQuote Reply
Part of me is hoping the Cubs clinch this tomorrow. I’m somewhat concerned Joe would let Lackey’s ego dictate his NLCS rotation. I’m afraid if this doesn’t go four, Lackey starts game one.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hendricks and Lackey switch places given the contusion, but I don’t think there is a chance Maddon will be swayed by Lackey’s ego.
ceruleanQuote Reply
https://twitter.com/SamMillerBB/status/590723626544062465
GWQuote Reply
cerulean,
This. I’d actually guess that if they clinch tonight, the NLCS rotation looks like Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks, Lackey. That gives Hendricks an extra couple days of rest (with the travel day) and still puts the best three in line to start twice.
PerkinsQuote Reply
cerulean,
Not much difference between Lackey and Hendricks, in my mind. I might prefer Lackey.
GWQuote Reply
game thread: http://obstructedview.net/nlds-game-3-cubs-giants-game-thread/
dmick89Quote Reply
(dying laughing) @ Reddick
BerseliusQuote Reply
Wow. Jansen got roughed up. That doesn’t happen very often.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply