OSS: Cubs sweep both ends of a doubleheader against the best team in baseball, because baseball.
Three+ up:
- As much as we complain about the team’s offensive struggles this year, it’s the pitching that’s really holding this team back. That was not the case today, as Cyle pitched a ‘complete’ game in the opener, and rookie callup Keegan Thompson had a solid emergency start, shutting out the champs for 3.2 innings and actually making it look like there isn’t just a long line of tumbleweeds behind Adbert Alzolay on the young pitching front. The bullpen struggled a bit at the back end of game 2, but if you had told me that the Cubs pitching staff would limit the Dodgers to just 4 runs over 16 innings I would have asked for some of whatever you were smoking.
- David Bote had a big day from start to finish – he hit a bases-clearing double off Clayton Kershaw in game one to open up a big lead, and ended the day with a walkoff single in the ninth inning of game two.
- Javy Baez was the WPA winner overall on the day, thanks to his two-out, two run homer to re-tie the game in extras.
- Kris Bryant was red-hot for most of the day, snagging two extra base hits and a walk in his first five PAs, and started game two in CF. He also scored the winning run in extras.
Three down:
- It wasn’t all great for KB though, as he managed to strike out twice with the bases loaded while the Cubs clung to a one run lead in game two. Somehow his total WPA for the game was only -0.04.
- The Cubs offense overall left approximately 500 men on base in the second game…Ron Santo is sighing loudly somewhere in the ether.
- I’d quibble a bit with picking Dillon Maples as their first guy up in extras, but as I said above I’m not going to be too bothered by the overall pitching performance in this one. The Dodgers are pretty good.
Next up: The Cubs go for the sweep, somehow, at 6:40 PM CT. Adbert Alzolay takes on some guy named Walker Buehler. Sounds like a cake walk, right?
Comments
“The Cubs go for the sweep” is not a group of words I expected to see arranged in that particular order today.
andcountingQuote Reply
*snicker*
https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2021/05/05/tony-la-russa-made-his-closer-run-the-bases-in-the-10th-inning-because-he-didnt-know-the-rules/
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
LF Pederson
1B Bryant
SS Baez
C Contreras
RF Heyward
2B Bote
3B Duffy
CF Marisnick
P Alzolay
berseliusQuote Reply
Buehler is having a very May 6ish game tonight.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Nice of him to return to pitching like a mortal so the Cubs could strand a runner at 3rd.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Alzolay, on the other hand…
andcountingQuote Reply
Dammit.
andcountingQuote Reply
Jake!!
andcountingQuote Reply
who the fuck is jake marisnick
uncle daveQuote Reply
Also, (dying laughing) at his 2017 bump
uncle daveQuote Reply
The Cubs shouldn’t have a stop signal at third base. Just run or you’re not scoring.
andcountingQuote Reply
Damn, thought Joc had that.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rough night for Contreras.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rizzo!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
(dying laughing)
PerkinsQuote Reply
Missed the back half of the game, what madness is this.
berseliusQuote Reply
This team swept the dodgers???
WaLiQuote Reply
Gotta get to 80 wins somehow.
PerkinsQuote Reply
whatisbestinlife.conan.jpg
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
berseliusQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
The most dignified way for Pujols to end his career would be for the Cardinals to pick him up and start him every day. I, for one, hope this happens.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Don’t discount the power of Cardinal Devil Magic. He’d probably win a MVP (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
Wrigley!
andcountingQuote Reply
Joc.
andcountingQuote Reply
As best as I can tell, Bryant hasn’t played 3B since April 18, during which time he’s started every outfield position multiple times and 1B.
andcountingQuote Reply
Davies probably shouldn’t still be in the game.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
evergreen post
uncle daveQuote Reply
Fitting to have Robbie Gould sing the stretch with the Cubs up 3-0.
andcountingQuote Reply
Unwavering commitment to the TOOTBLAN by Pederson. As close as you can come to getting picked off twice in between pitches.
andcountingQuote Reply
Was Kimbrel unavailable?
PerkinsQuote Reply
……
berseliusQuote Reply
M——-> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
hbprbi
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
That’s a really bad way to make a third out, David.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
cubs win
SKQuote Reply
Not sure why Kyle is allergic to the first inning so far this year.
berseliusQuote Reply
6 bloopers and a pulled OF hamstring…it’s not what you want
berseliusQuote Reply
(dying laughing), Cyle must have burned some rabbits’ feet last night.
berseliusQuote Reply
Cool, this place is still here. Go…..Cubs? That’s the team, right? Been awhile.
MillertimeQuote Reply
Millertime,
i’ve been pushing to re-brand this place as a wnba blog but no luck so far
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Millertime,
Whale cum back to our cast iron pan and Pizza Hut milf website!
berseliusQuote Reply
My wife and I had one of those tiny little humans last year. Also I cheer for the Brewers as well as the Cubs now because I’ve come down with Stockholm syndrome living in Milwaukee.
MillertimeQuote Reply
Millertime,
Congrats!
berseliusQuote Reply
Adbert Alzolay is a pleasant surprise this year. A Cubs starting pitching prospect that can actually strike guys out is nice. For some reason the name Adbert always makes me think of Ogbert The Nerd from 30 Rock.
MillertimeQuote Reply
berselius,
For rooting for the Brewers instead of Cubs?
WaLiQuote Reply
Run!
andcountingQuote Reply
Or don’t. I can’t tell you what to do.
andcountingQuote Reply
I keep forgetting this game is happening right now.
MillertimeQuote Reply
This guy on the Indians is throwing 100 mph cutters. What is this world coming to.
MillertimeQuote Reply
(dying laughing), I totally forgot today was a day game.
berseliusQuote Reply
1-15 with RISP….that’s Cub
berseliusQuote Reply
I’m really not a fan of the new Runner on 2nd Extra Innings rule. Feels strange.
MillertimeQuote Reply
Oh its over now. I feel…nothing.
MillertimeQuote Reply
Millertime,
I thought I would hate it at first, but now I kind of like it.
berseliusQuote Reply
Congrats! My wife and I just had a daughter in the fall, and will definitely raise her as a Yankees fan.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Congrats to you and yours as well, Perkins!
berseliusQuote Reply
Perkins,
Congrats!
I’m going to push my son into tennis so that I can live my dreams through him.
MillertimeQuote Reply
The Cubs seem like such a middle of the road team. I’m kind of curious what their end game is? Like, even if things break well and they go on a hot streak to stay competitive for the division, do they really have the kind of pitching rotation to carry them through the playoffs?
I’m at the point where I’m ready to embrace the rebuild, but hopefully I’m not over-reacting to their current level of play.
MillertimeQuote Reply
I’m expecting a minor sell-off before the trade deadline – one or more of KB, Baez, and Rizzo seems likely to be traded, but I also expect at least one of them to be extended – Baez seems the most likely. If Marisnick comes back and continues to hit, or if Joc keeps improving, I’d expect one of them to be gone.
The Cubs have a few relatively high volatility assets they could probably flip for some longer term pieces if they do well enough, in addition to the core members on their final contract year, so it seems like the 2013/14 playbook, but with the potential upside being playoff contention. Unless they get shit hot for more than a week before the ASB though, I kinda doubt the band stays together through the season.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Of the three, Baez is the one I’d least like to extend. Very entertaining player, but his hitting fundamentals have been scaring me for years.
I’d love to extend Bryant, but his situation and agent makes him the least likely to be extended.
MillertimeQuote Reply
Millertime,
Bryant is definitely the one I would most want to extend, especially since he’s looking more like the 2015-17 version of himself this year. Baez is the one I think is most likely to extend both because (unlike Rizzo) he didn’t set a deadline that has passed, and because he’s so fun to watch.
I think it’s at least a couple years before the Cubs can look competitive to dominant again, and Baez would bridge those eras in a manner that makes the team at least a little fun to watch. Not saying it’s the right move, but I could see it.
PerkinsQuote Reply
i can almost guarantee you that they will get just hot enough so that any big sell-off seems unjustified. that’s what’s happened each of the last 4ish years and it will happen again this year. they will get just hot enough to keep hope alive, and then the trade deadline will come and go without any big moves, and then they will finish in fourth place.
they have had the chance several times to go one route or another (sign long-term solutions or else break up the team) and they have been just good enough to where they felt that neither approach was justified – just slap some duct tape over the issue and everything will be all right.
and now they’re fucked. there will not be a big sell-off (and even if there is, they will get very little for their assets), and the on-field performance for the past several seasons has not been enjoyable. super disappointing after the 2016 season and all of the potential that (we thought) they had.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
OH SHIT YOU GUYS i made this comment before i saw the blockbuster signing that just got announced
i take it all back
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
I’m less convinced they’ll continue failing either to shit or get off the pot. They already traded Darvish at his peak value, which makes me think Hoyer will be less sentimental and optimistic at the trade deadline. I also don’t think this team is as talented as the 2018-20 versions, so maybe there’s less room for the FO to dream on their potential.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rizzo has always seemed like the guy they would extend…I’m still surprised that it has not happened yet.
berseliusQuote Reply
Extending Rizzo would be nice. Even if it’s not the most efficient WAR/$ ratio, I think it’d be nice to reward the guy who was basically the start of the rebuild and face of the franchise through everything.
I feel like my fandom has really changed over the past 10-15 years. I used to be way more into advanced stats and being efficient with contracts/extensions, trading guys for prospects and all that. Now I just want a couple fun players to watch so that I’m entertained for a couple hours.
MillertimeQuote Reply
It me
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
I still hate bunts with the fire of 10000 suns though.
berseliusQuote Reply
Go Cubs boo striped cats
berseliusQuote Reply
KBOOM
berseliusQuote Reply
Didn’t think that Rizzo double had the distance to hit the wall….pretty much a frozen rope
berseliusQuote Reply
Cubed (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
Man, Bryant was lucky he didn’t get hit by that bat fragment
berseliusQuote Reply
I like how Baez goes into swing mode after taking three balls. He hates walking.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
M ———> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
http://amp.thecomeback.com/mlb/ryne-sandberg-is-now-a-spokesman-for-a-weed-company-just-started-using-regularly-to-take-the-edge-off.html?__twitter_impression=true
Uh…
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Gonna be a while until we top John Boehner, weed hype man.
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
DH Pederson
LF KB
SS Baez
1B Rizzo
3B Duffy
CF Happ
RF Heyward
2B Sogard
C Wolters
berseliusQuote Reply
A couple of xbh…not too shabby to start
berseliusQuote Reply
Duffy!
berseliusQuote Reply
Matt Duffy seems like a pretty good signing so far.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Okay, Keegan. That’ll do.
andcountingQuote Reply
He struck out the side, and the Tigers made contact with only one pitch tin the inning.
andcountingQuote Reply
Sigh, I don’t want more of this extra-innings garbage.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
did the cubs sign Matt Duffy so that Hendricks wouldn’t be the only guy that looked like that
SKQuote Reply
(dying laughing)
maybe they wanted the Brewers hitters to be confused as to why their manager was in the IF.
berseliusQuote Reply
runz!
berseliusQuote Reply
Happ!
berseliusQuote Reply
JD kind of spicy today
berseliusQuote Reply
So Len left because Crane and Ricketts made them wear suits on the broadcast last year and now they’re back to casual fleece vests?
SKQuote Reply
I know it’s only the Tigers, but nice to see Cyle looking like Cyle today.
berseliusQuote Reply
New thread
http://www.obstructedview.net/cubs-5-tigers-1/
berseliusQuote Reply