Before I get to previewing this bloodbath, I just want to mention that it was fun to watch the Cubs take three of four from their little brothers to the north.
Team Overviews
Teams stats with respective league rankings in parens.
| Yankees | Cubs | |
| wOBA | .353 (1st) | .318 (6th) |
| UBR | -1.9 (9th) | -7.1 (16th) |
| UZR | 11.6 (3rd) | -15.5 (15th) |
| SP FIP | 3.96 (6th) | 4.17 (14th) |
| RP FIP | 3.33 (1st) | 4.12 (16th) |
When the Cubs “offense” is the best thing it has going for it, the team is in trouble (dying laughing).
The Yankees wOBA leader is possibly-almost-Cub Curtis Granderson, who has his 21 home runs. Teixera, A-Rod, and Cano are also having their usual solid seasons. Jeter, who is missing this series with an injury, has a measly .298 wOBA on the season and is hovering just over replacement level.
Larry Rothschild seems to be doing just find by his pitching staff. The big story that I remember after the Yanks signed him was that people thought he could fix AJ Burnett. But it doesn’t look like there’s that much of a difference – he has the same FIP (4.33) as he’s had three times in the past 5 seasons.
Pitching Matchups
Friday Friday: Freddy Garcia, RHP (3.60, 4.48, 4.12, 4.33) vs Doug Davis, RHP (5.90, 3.51, 4.28, 4.16), 1:20 PM CT, CSN
For all the complaints about the crappiness of Doug Davis, Washed Up Starting Pitcher, the Yankees are arguably throwing out an even worse pitcher in Garcia. Garcia gives up a ton of fly balls. The ballhawks should be busy today.
Saturday Saturday: A. J. Burnett, RHP (4.09, 4.33, 3.91, 4.15) vs Ryan Dempster, RHP (5.48, 4.15, 3.31, 3.75), 3:10 PM CT, FOX
At least with Demp starting on a FOX saturday it means that it’s far less likely we’ll see his awful Will Farell doing Harry Caray impression. Demp shut out the Brewers for seven innings in his last start, striking out seven and walking one. I don’t think he’ll be able to drop his ERA below 4 this season, but I think he’ll pull it below 4.5 by late July so you can at least say that he averaged a quality start.
As I mentioned above, Rothschild hasn’t made a huge difference on Burnett. His walk rate and HR rates have dropped slightly but his HR/FB is the same – he’s just generated a few more grounders this year. He’s had a lot of luck with BABIP (.242) but should continue to have another decent, above averageish year.
Sunday Sunday Sunday: C. C. Sabathia, LHP (3.28, 2.85, 3.50, 2.97) vs Randy Wells, RHP (5.63, 5.25, 4.65, 3.90), 7:05 PM CT, ESPN
Wells came back too soon, but it’s not like he was much worse than who was pitching in his place. Wells had a surprisingly decent start against the Brewers, giving up two runs over six innings. It looked like it was going to be another early exit for him as he was racking up a big pitch count early, but he got more efficient as the game went on. Maybe it’s a sign he’s turning it around. Or maybe not – he struck out seven in his first start back but since then he’s only struck out five batters in his last three starts combined (14 IP).
Depite a dip in his strikeout rate, C.C. is having another great year. He’s averaging seven innings a start, reduced his walks, and has only allowed four HRs in 107 innings. Of course, that 3.8% HR/FB rate isn’t going to last but he’s been quite successful over his career limiting HRs (8.2% HR/FB). He has an opt-out in his contract so he should make big money yet again with some team this offseason. It’s hard to believe it was so long ago when the Cubs beat him on the way to a four game sweep of the Brewers.
Prediction
Cubs swept, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win today’s game.
No mention of Granderson’s off the chart intangibles? For shame.
[quote name=Mish]No mention of Granderson’s off the chart intangibles? For shame.[/quote]
Mish, you need some context to do that. The intanglibles chart for Granderson is infinitely large so it would consume the entire internet.
Another prediction:
http://itsaboutthemoney.net/archives/2011/06/17/series-preview-yankees-cubs/
http://www.cubsfx.com/2011/06/yankee-staff-overview.html
[quote name=Berselius]http://www.cubsfx.com/2011/06/yankee-staff-overview.html[/quote]
Is Harry a physicist or a mathematician? His posts are always so remarkably detailed. Great read.
Anyone with an active BCB account that doesn’t want it anymore?
If we can take 2/3 against the Yanks, then I inch that much closer to taking the coveted T-shirt. Yes, I will be holding my breath.
Off to the farce, fuckfaces.
No offense to Doug Davis, but my Ottoneu Pick Six is loaded with Yankees.
[quote name=Rice Cube]Is Harry a physicist or a mathematician? His posts are always so remarkably detailed. Great read.[/quote]I believe he’s a mathemagician.
[quote name=Brad at Cubs Stats]I believe he’s a mathemagician.[/quote]
I haven’t seen that word in print since I was 10 and got that “Contact” kids magazine.
Yankees lineup:
RF Swisher
CF Granderson
1B Teixiera
3B Rodriguez
2B Cano
C Martin
SS Nunez
LF Gardner
P Garcia
Ouchy.
I can’t help noticing that’s a bit better than the Cubs’ lineup. I hope Davis’ batting practice fastballs will be enough to hold them.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/richard_rothschild/06/14/wrigley/index.html?eref=twitter_feed
Interesting.
[quote name=ACT]I can’t help noticing that’s a bit better than the Cubs’ lineup. I hope Davis’ batting practice fastballs will be enough to hold them.[/quote]
I think we’ve agreed to drop the word “fast”. He just throws balls.
[quote name=ACT]I can’t help noticing that’s a bit better than the Cubs’ lineup. I hope Davis’ batting practice fastballs will be enough to hold them.[/quote]
FWIW Garcia throws an 88 MPH ball
This game feels like it will be a 15-9 slugfest
Fine. The Yanks are going to bust his balls.
[quote name=Rice Cube]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/richard_rothschild/06/14/wrigley/index.html?eref=twitter_feed
Interesting.[/quote]Yes, please.
[quote name=BradleyWoodrum]Yes, please.[/quote]
Forgot to h/t to Doc Blume there.
Some recognition!
[quote name=Rice Cube]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/richard_rothschild/06/14/wrigley/index.html?eref=twitter_feed
Interesting.[/quote]He misspelled “Sandberg.”
[quote name=ACT]He misspelled “Sandberg.”[/quote]
Hopefully he won’t get dinner.
I was at that game against Sabathia in 2008. Best game I’ve ever attended…Miller Park was electric the whole game. Cubs pulled away from the Brewers there and never looked back.
[quote name=Perkins]I was at that game against Sabathia in 2008. Best game I’ve ever attended…Miller Park was electric the whole game. Cubs pulled away from the Brewers there and never looked back.[/quote]
(dying laughing), I knew I’d get the year wrong.
For folks who are interested in the proposed realignment that probably won’t happen for another 20 years because MLB likes to drag their feet:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings110617
[quote name=Berselius](dying laughing), I knew I’d get the year wrong.[/quote]I miss 2008, as far as baseball is concerned. That season was fucking magical.
[quote name=Perkins]I was at that game against Sabathia in 2008. Best game I’ve ever attended…Miller Park was electric the whole game. Cubs pulled away from the Brewers there and never looked back.[/quote]
I remember the Brewers coming within a game (or something) on that Sunday before the 4-game series started. I can’t remember too many midseason matchups I looked forward to as much as that. Didn’t Soriano leadoff with a HR off Sabathia? Outstanding series.
http://www.theheckler.com/2011/06/17/cubs-spruce-up-dumpy-wrigley-with-new-wallpaper/
(dying laughing)
[quote name=Mish]I remember the Brewers coming within a game (or something) on that Sunday before the 4-game series started. I can’t remember too many midseason matchups I looked forward to as much as that. Didn’t Soriano leadoff with a HR off Sabathia? Outstanding series.[/quote]I think he doubled off the wall to lead off, and homered in his next AB. The Cubs were pretty much the only NL team to have CC’s number that year.
[quote name=Perkins]I miss 2008, as far as baseball is concerned. That season was fucking magical.[/quote]
Me too. I only went to one game, and it was the division clincher against the Cardinals. Buying that ticket months in advance sure worked out (dying laughing)
[quote name=Rice Cube]http://www.theheckler.com/2011/06/17/cubs-spruce-up-dumpy-wrigley-with-new-wallpaper/
(dying laughing)[/quote]Too funny.
[quote name=Berselius]Me too. I only went to one game, and it was the division clincher against the Cardinals. Buying that ticket months in advance sure worked out (dying laughing)[/quote]
That’s some good luck there. I got to the Brewers one, and one in DC in April when Reed Johnson made that awesome catch. But they ended up losing that one on a walk-off grand slam by the Nats’ backup catcher. Fucking Bob Howry. (dying laughing)
Wow, I missed this great piece on Fay Vincent from the other day
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/12427/vincent-bashes-cuban
I’m strangely optimistic about our chances for this series. Except for CC we’re definitely not seeing their best pitchers. I could see the Cubs winning the first one and pulling an upset over Sabathia. I know, I’m an idiot.
Q said he informed Hilly he’d play today “days in advance.”
[quote name=Jayson Stark]An NL executive who spoke with Cubs GM Jim Hendry says there’s no likely scenario where Ryan Dempster is traded. Earlier today, there were indications the Yankees at least have an eye on Dempster, who has full no-trade rights and a $14MM player option for 2012.[/quote].
Dempster can’t be traded because then he couldn’t do his impression of Wil Farrell’s Harry Carray impression. The New York crowd would boo him right off stage.
Doug Davis has a no-hitter through 1. I don’t think anyone predicted this.
There’s the Cubs’ walk of the game.
[quote name=Josh]Doug Davis has a no-hitter through 1. I don’t think anyone predicted this.[/quote]
That’s the beauty of short hops
ZOMFG the Cubs are winning!
[quote name=Rice Cube]ZOMFG the Cubs are winning![/quote]
(dying laughing), Zonk is pronouncing Nunez as “New-nez”
Best #3 hitter ever!
Zonk’s pronunciations are legendary. I liked “Yovanny Ga*cough*do.”
Damn, I thought that was long gone off the bat
The double into the ivy looked like it got stuck so the Cubs got a gift run there, although Kosuke probably would’ve scored on Rami’s single anyway.
No hitter through two. I consider this a moral victory.
Looks Doug has toned down that leg pause thing. Or maybe he varies the timing.
Anyone listening to the radio? Was that injury to Hee-Seop Choi that he described the one that gave Choi a concussion and basically ruined his career?
Did Swisher forget how to swing the bat? Holy crap.
Castro = Double double
What’s this “slugging” thing the Cubs have doing the past couple games? Get back to singles and bunts fuckfaces.
Station to station, the way the game is meant to be played.
At some point the Yankees will wake up, but this is pretty fun.
[quote name=Rice Cube]At some point the Yankees will wake up, but this is pretty fun.[/quote]The need a HUGE padding before it gets to the bullpens.
C’mon Campy.
FYI:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-identity-of-Vancouver-8217-s-famous-kissing?urn=nhl-wp7436
There was a method to the madness.
Aw! Lost the no-no.
Damn.
No-noListening to the Yankees broadcasters talk about what a hole Wrigley is and how the neighborhood has voted down things like a big scoreboard, and how the press boxes are like a mile away from the field because they can’t remodel, etc.
[quote name=Jayson Stark]“I don’t know that Jose Reyes is his type of guy because he plays when he wants to… And nobody hates players like that more than [Sabean] does.”[/quote]
(dying laughing) @ Sabean
Davis lost the no-no when he walked Teixeira in the first inning. He lost the no-hitter this inning
/grinds axe
I thought a no-no = no-hitter and no walks no hits would be a perfecto.
[quote name=Josh]I thought a no-no = no-hitter and no walks no hits would be a perfecto.[/quote]
This is just a personal axe that I grind, nothing official. I just think it makes a lot more sense to call a perfect game a no-no since it is no hits and no walks.
[quote name=Josh]I thought a no-no = no-hitter and no walks no hits would be a perfecto.[/quote]
I thought so too, but I always thought a no/no should be no walks/no hits.
I like the -1.
In that case, a no-no would have to be a level between no-hitter and perfect. A perfect would be a no-no-no: No walks, no hits, no errors.
I don’t think errors kill a perfect game
EDIT: never mind, I’m wrong. A perfect game would also mean no hit batsmen, etc.
Yeah, a perfect is no baserunners.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_game
An error that results in a baserunner would kill it. I’m not sure what other kind of error there is.
isn’t a dropped 3rd strike scored as an E2?
It would be a passed ball or wild pitch, depending.
[quote name=Josh]An error that results in a baserunner would kill it. I’m not sure what other kind of error there is.[/quote]
Continuing to bat Corey Patterson 1st or 2nd in 2005 is an error that very rarely resulted in a baserunner.
Wow. Doug Davis 6 innings no runs. Effectively lobbing.
[quote name=Bubba Biscuit]Continuing to bat Corey Patterson 1st or 2nd in 2005 is an error that very rarely resulted in a baserunner.[/quote]touche
TOOTBLAN
[quote name=Rice Cube]TOOTBLAN[/quote]
I think that was just a TOOTB, RC
[quote name=Josh]Wow. Doug Davis 6 innings no runs. Effectively lobbing.[/quote]www.howthehelldiddougdavispullthatoff.com
I figured id just provide the url right away to save time.
I don’t know what Doug did to appease the luck dragons, but they’re smiling on him today. Maybe they’re just apologetic for how they’ve treated him so far this year.
Bringing Doug in to bat one more time and face the Yankees lineup again? Ugh.
What the fuck? Did Doug Davis just hit for himself in the 7th?
He’s thrown over 100 pitches, and after a pitch-hitter, the Yankees hitters are going to face him for the fourth time. Yay.
doug davis is awesome
You let Doug Davis pitch it out. I say if he blows his shoulder and never pitches again, it would be worth this win. This is the best he will ever pitch.
That double is on Quade.
I’m not worried about a blown shoulder. I’m worried about how pitchers lose effectiveness as the game goes on. I’d rather have a below-average reliever on the mound than Davis the third or fourth time through the order.
At least he took him out after that. He didn’t, say, let him walk the bases AND give up a grand slam.
[quote name=Josh]At least he took him out after that. He didn’t, say, let him walk the bases AND give up a grand slam.[/quote]I still can’t believe he allowed that to happen.
Oh yeah, and Doug is also as close a thing as there is to an automatic out at the plate.
[quote name=ACT]Oh yeah, and Doug is also as close a thing as there is to an automatic out at the plate.[/quote]Ted Lilly would beg to differ.
Those sandwiches look so bad they make me want to vomit.
This whole game was an anomaly, might as well let Doug see if he can pull a Roy Halladay. It seems unlikely, but so does 7 innings with only 2 hits.
[quote name=mb21]Those sandwiches look so bad they make me want to vomit.[/quote]
That’s just how disgusting Marmol’s sliders are (dying laughing)
[quote name=Josh]This whole game was an anomaly, might as well let Doug see if he can pull a Roy Halladay.[/quote]
“Normally I wear protection, but then I thought, when am I gonna make it back to Haiti?”
If nothing else, Reed’s good for a highlight reel catch or three every year.
Hey, a Dickerdoodle sighting
Yet another Cub-dominated list: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-pedro-cerrano-all-stars/
[quote name=ACT]Yet another Cub-dominated list: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-pedro-cerrano-all-stars//quote
Well then I say fuck you Jobu. I do it myself.
[quote name=Berselius]I think that was just a TOOTB, RC[/quote]
CS on a pitchout = no TOOTBLAN?
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=15981705
[quote name=Jame Gumb]Anyone with an active BCB account that doesn’t want it anymore?[/quote]I have a spare one I never did anything with. But you’re probably long gone now.
[quote name=GBTS]I figured id just provide the url right away to save time.[/quote]It’s called the pre-URL, I guess you didn’t know.
[quote name=Berselius]Hey, a Dickerdoodle sighting[/quote]Doesn’t he post here?
Z might waive his NTC!
[quote name=Rice Cube]Z might waive his NTC![/quote]He’s been saying comments like this for a while now. Essentially, “I’ll be here as long as the Cubs want me. And if they want to trade me, they obviously don’t want me.”
Thanks, RC. new thread up: http://www.obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/articles/zambrano-willing-to-waive-no-trade-clause.html