Cubs 3, Royals 1

In Postgame by berselius239 Comments

OSS: Javy Baez doing Jazy Baez things.

Three up:

  1. Javy Baez continues to do it all. In this game he hit his 25th HR of the year to give the Cubs the lead in the sixth, then doubled in an insurance run in the eighth. He also made a spectacular diving play at third base, snagging a liner right on the foul line and throwing the batter out at first from basically shallow LF. I thought the Javy for MVP talk that started percolating last week was dumb, but now I’ve moved to just kind of dumb. 4.1 fWAR doesn’t exactly scream MVP to me, but it’s good enough for third in the NL among position players, and I don’t think any of the pitchers have a shot at crossing over this year. Maybe it’s not as ridiculous as it seems. He’s been the best player on the best team in the NL.
  2. Cole Hamels had another solid start, though not as strikeout-y as his last one. In his two Cubs starts combined, he has 11 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO. Considering the bar most of us had set for him after the acquisition was merely better-than-Chatwood, that looks pretty good indeed.
  3. Ben Zobrist had a solid night against his former team, hitting a triple and an infield single and scoring a run on a wild pitch.

Three down:

  1. The Cubs let their best chance to blow this one wide open slip away in the fifth, when they had the bases loaded with just one out. However Royals pitcher Jacob Junis (who I kept calling Jake Jortles in my head) got Zobrist and Heyward to ground out and escaped the Cubs threat.
  2. Willson ran into another out on the basepaths on this one. The Cubs are an aggressive baserunning team and definitely come out ahead on balance, but it’s been touch to see some of the TOOTBLANs over the past week or so.
  3. Ian Happ came away with a golden sombrero in this one.

Next up: Monty takes on RHP Brad Keller at 7:15 PM CT. Keller is a swingman with a low strikeout rate that keeps the ball on the ground.

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Comments

  1. Rizzo the Rat

    Strop to Baez during the rain delay: “I screamed to him. 'Wake up, wake up. We have a game to play.'”

    — Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) August 7, 2018

    He should’ve screamed at Happ, too.

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  11. Perkins

    By fWAR, Cole Hamels has been twice as valuable in his two starts with the Cubs than in 20 starts with the Rangers.

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  13. cerulean

    On the Javy MVP talk and fWAR — I think his UZR this season is basically bullshit in measuring his defensive impact. He (and this goes for Heyward too) had a few misplays early in the season that seem to be weighted too heavily. And on top of that, there is no accounting for tagging and throwing guys out at the plate for infielders — that play a few days ago where he cut down the runner at the plate counts the same as him throwing to first. Some Contreras’ defense must be aided by the Javy tag. And his infield flexibility is totally discounted.

    He is third for position players in rWAR at 4.8, behind LoCain and Carpenter, and somehow leads the NL in oWAR despite never walking (though that must be post-positional adjustment — Carpenter has been Trout for a couple months now). With 50 games to play, Javy has been at least 5 WAR in my humble opinion, which puts him on pace for 7+ WAR. And that possible .300 ISO is pretty impressive from a superutility infielder. I don’t honestly think he’ll sustain it but he keeps sustaining it, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    MVP then? Hell no in the AL. But in the NL? The Cards are a dumpster fire and if they remain a trash heap, all else being equal, Javy’s value to the Cubs has been extraordinary, particularly accounting for the injuries and the baserunners/groundball pitching. I could make the case for Cain and Yelich and Arenado and Freeman because the Brewers and Rockies and Braves are still in contention, but I doubt any of those teams make it over the Dodgers and Nationals when all is said and done.

    (There is the possibility that Carpenter carries the Cards to the playoffs, in which case he probably should be the MVP given the dumpster fire. But I try not to think of such things.)

    All told, Javy has been the funnest player in baseball to watch in all facets — and given that walks are boring, his biggest flaw is bent toward excitement (though I do wish he were on the basepaths more). It is astonishing. Javy Baez, MVP, maybe. I would put it at a little less than a coin flip if the season ended now. Regardless, I think we need a Most Exciting Player award, because this is phenomenal to watch.

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  18. Rizzo the Rat

    I love how the Royals’ first baseman is a light-hitting backup catcher who’s hitting ninth (behind their light-hitting shortstop).

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  19. andcounting

    Bote’s average exit velocity is 96.3. Obviously it’s a small sample, but that’s a pretty good sample.

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  23. Myles Handley

    I’m going to look stupid for saying this, but I dont care. David Bote is a well above-average MLB player. He is going to have like a 115 wRC+ and play good defense.

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  25. Rizzo the Rat

    Why was Zobrist taken out? I hope it’s just to get some rest with a relatively comfortable lead.

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  30. andcounting

    Myles Handley:
    I’m going to look stupid for saying this, but I dont care. David Bote is a well above-average MLB player. He is going to have like a 115 wRC+ and play good defense.

    He’s really making you look like an idiot tonight.

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  33. Berselius is too lazy to login

    Rizzo the Rat:
    Cubs pitchers need to stop giving up hits to Escobar.

    You just can’t hold back the most exciting player in baseball.

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  37. Ryno

    Jayson Werth on MLB analytics: "They’ve got all these super nerds in the front office that know nothing about baseball…I think it’s killing the game. It’s to the point where just put computers out there. Just put laptops…It's a joke." https://t.co/RzMtDcPLPB

    — Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) August 8, 2018

    That would go really well with the robot umpires.

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  38. Ryno

    Sounds like Josh Donaldson is close to a rehab assignment. Anyone interested in trading for him to replace Bryant or do you guys all have Bote fever? Or both. Or neither.

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  39. dmick89

    Ryno,

    I wonder how much video of opposing pitchers Werth watched in his career that players prior to him didn’t have access to? I’m sure those old-timers thought Werth was a pussy for watching all that rather than just going out there and hoping for the best.

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  41. andcounting

    Ryno,

    I’d say both. It’s weird Bryant isn’t close to a rehab assignment. Do the Cubs get an extra year of club control if Bryant doesn’t have surgery until a certain date?

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  44. Ryno

    andcounting,

    Like anyone can even know that…

    Bote’s been great, but I’m skeptical about him. Adding Donaldson would make me feel better about this team’s chances. And I know how important my level of optimism is to the front office.

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  45. andcounting

    Ryno,

    I agree, but it’s a tougher call when faced with deciding between the two. I don’t think they’re sending LaStella down or shrinking the bullpen, so Bote would almost certainly head to AAA if they made that trade. The quandary fills me with skepticism all around.

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  46. Ryno

    Your NPR name is the name of your favorite pattern and a deceased singer/songwriter.

    I’m Argyle Cohen and you’re listening to NPR.

    — Jennie VanderLugt (@jennievander) July 27, 2018

    I’m Herringbone Cornell…

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  69. Rizzo the Rat

    So, Quintana gets knocked around by the bottom of the Royals’ order and the Cubs get shut out by a complete nobody. Fun!

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  74. andcounting

    Ryno,

    I’m sayin’. 96.3, first in MLB. It’s 53 balls in play, but it is a really good start. I have no idea how big a sample has to be for exit velocity to be representative, but i’ve been keeping an eye on it this week, and it’s holding constant for the time being.

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  75. Ryno

    ::opposing hitter smacks ringing RBI double into the gap::

    bWAR: “That was bad.”

    xwOBA: “That was bad, but slightly unlucky it wasn’t hit at anyone.”

    WARP: “That was bad, though that pitch in that spot shouldn’t be hit that hard.”

    fWAR: “Nothing happened.”

    — Patrick Nolan (@SoxMach_pnoles) August 8, 2018

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  84. Rizzo the Rat

    Counsell u KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MANAGING. U HAVE KNEBEL ON TEAM AND U KNOW HE SUCKS @Brewers – COUNSELL JUST QUIT. 3 straight walks & u keep him in game? U JUST BLOW. If Milwaukee fans had the BALLS they would hold up FIRE COUNSELL SIGNS OVER DUGOUT. Knebel u RUIN EVERYTHING. USUCK

    — Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) August 9, 2018

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  90. Ryno

    …..Be happy, be cool! A football game, that fans are paying soooo much money to watch and enjoy, is no place to protest. Most of that money goes to the players anyway. Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!

    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2018

    Most?

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  99. Author
    berselius

    Ken Tremendous origin story in today’s The Good Place podcast. Well, the name at least, not the eventual insurance adjustor backstory.

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  100. dmick89

    Ryno: Find another way to protest.

    This is such a stupid comment for so many reasons, but if they did find another way to protest, Trump would complain just as loudly. If all the NFL players who protest gathered privately in one of their homes and shared pictures of said protest on social media, Trump would flip out.

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  102. Perkins

    Anytime I hear someone complain about people protesting during the anthem in a peaceful way (a way that doesn’t even disrupt the flow of events!), all I hear is that person saying “I don’t like black people and think they should know their place and shut up.”

    Come to think of it, that applies to a lot of peaceful protests.

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  104. Ryno

    Perkins,

    Especially when those same people talk or wear hats or stand without pride during the anthem.

    During the anthem at Dallas Stars games, the fans all yell STARS when the word is sung during the song. It’s clearly not about “respecting the anthem” for many people.

    What bothers me most is that they’re referred to as “anthem protests” pretty routinely now. Way to completely miss the point/change the narrative and perpetuate the problem.

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  106. Ryno

    Perkins,

    I’m to the point where I don’t even really blame Trump for being Trump anymore. It’s not like he tricked us into voting for him. We knew what he was.

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  107. Perkins

    Ryno,

    I wouldn’t think “black people shouldn’t get murdered by police with impunity” would be a controversial stance, but here we are. Over the last few years, I’ve really grown to loathe a lot of Americans.

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  108. Perkins

    Ryno:
    Perkins,

    I’m to the point where I don’t even really blame Trump for being Trump anymore. It’s not like he tricked us into voting for him. We knew what he was.

    Yeah, he’s basically the scorpion in that old parable. There were decades worth of data points indicating that he’s a piece of shit, even before the election.

    I do blame both the people for whom his being a piece of shit was a feature, rather than a bug (they’re as big or bigger pieces of shit), and the people who knew he’s a piece of shit but saw an opportunity. I blame them and wish them ill.

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  110. Ryno

    Perkins,

    That’s another fascinating thing about this. Do people argue against the method of protest because there’s not much of an argument against the subject of it? Or do people really short circuit on the “anthem protest” and stop listening?

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  112. Myles

    berselius:
    Ken Tremendous origin story in today’s The Good Place podcast. Well, the name at least, not the eventual insurance adjustor backstory.

    It wasn’t as cool a backstory as I was expecting, but it’s a great podcast about a great show.

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  117. Rizzo the Rat

    Hendricks has been much better than his results. He’s getting burned by weak grounders finding holes.

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  120. Ryno

    The Cubs have 4 of the top 7 hit probability balls in play in this game. None are hits.

    — Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 10, 2018

    This will come in handy when the desktops play the laptops later.
    — Jayson Werth

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  128. dmick89

    Perkins: all I hear is that person saying “I don’t like black people and think they should know their place and shut up.”

    Yeah, that’s all Trump is really doing. This new story today about how he may have allegedly used the N-word on The Apprentice is pointless. I’m sure he did. He’s a racist piece of shit, but it’s not going to matter to his supporters and that goes for the entire GOP and some Democrats who have been more than willing to help him pass legislation. It would be more damaging to Trump if a tape existed of him calling out racists and talking about how black people are equal to whites. That would be the beginning of the end for him.

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  135. dmick89

    Rizzo the Rat,

    I don’t like it either, but I hate the arguing after it’s called and obviously the correct call. My suggestion would be as long as he’s not in the grass then he’s not out of the base path, but that probably won’t happen.

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  150. North Side Pat

    Did something happen between Soto and Kintzler? Was at the game so didn’t see what happened. Heard it referenced in Joe’s postgame press conference. Anybody see it?

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  161. BVS

    dmick89,

    Heard the comment on the postgame, Joe sounded sarcastic to me. Like, “oh yeah, it was reaaally menacing.” But couldn’t heat the question so not sure the context and didn’t hear Pat and Ron say anything during game. But I was driving I40 through NC mountains during a ridiculous rainstorm while Kintzler was pitching so I may have missed a detail.

    Pretty sure Kintzler didn’t suggest Soto was cheating, unlike Joe Simpson.

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  164. andcounting

    BVS,

    Soto glaring out at Kintzler and semi-lunging toward him and then getting picked off first with a tag to the nuts was maybe the highlight of the year.

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  165. dmick89

    andcounting,

    Yeah, that was the highlight of the game. That whole sequence was weird. I’ve never seen a player do what Soto was doing and the manner in which he was doing it was bizarre. To see him get picket off, tagged in the nuts, was awesome.

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  193. dmick89

    The Cardinals could very well be within 5 games after tonight. That’s crazy considering they aren’t all that good, but I’m not really sure the NL has any good teams this year.

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  196. Rizzo the Rat

    Rizzo makes a nice play with Bryce Harper batting, but ESPN is doing that split-screen manager interview nonsense.

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  202. Perkins

    berselius,

    In retrospect, I wish the Cubs had been able to get Scherzer over Lester. But I guess there wasn’t any guarantee he’d defy the aging curve as well as he has.

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  204. Rizzo the Rat

    I can’t complain about the Lester signing because of 2016, but I was hoping to get more than 2 good years out of him.

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  208. BVS

    Schwarber is a much better defender than he was, but that’s the 2nd carom of the 3b side wall Ive seen him misplay in the last few weeks.

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  212. Rizzo the Rat

    Look, I’m not saying I’d be a better manager than Maddon, but I think he should definitely hire me to help him with the strategic stuff.

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  234. Rizzo the Rat

    From Wikipedia:

    A grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners (“bases loaded”), thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. A walk-off home run with the bases loaded is therefore known as a walk-off grand slam.

    Starting in the 1990s, a walk-off grand slam that erases a three-run deficit has come to be known as an ultimate grand slam.[2][3][4] There have been 29 such instances documented in major league history – all taking place during the regular season,[5] 15 of those coming with two outs.

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