OSS: Rizzo hit a home run into Lake Michigan, basically.
Three up
1. Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson shut down the Cubs for the first seven innings on only two hits, but the Cubs jumped all over his relief, capped off by a Rizzo three-run blast off Will Smith. That has to have been one of the fastest line drive homers I’ve ever seen. I’m amazed we couldn’t see a bow shock form in front of it as it blazed into the stands.
2. Jake Arrieta struggled a bit early, issuing two unintentional walks in the first three innings and racking up a 60+ pitch count. But in the four innings after the Brewers took their 2-0 lead, Arrieta only allowed one baserunner and struck out six batters.
3. Given this week’s bullpen roller coaster, it was great to see the Cubs pick up some insurance runs in the top of the ninth on RBI from Bryant and Schwarber.
Three down
1. Rafael Soriano pitched a scoreless inning in this game, but he continues to look like it’s tough to pitch with a giant fork stuck in your back. It’s even worse that he makes Jon Lester look like a speedy pitcher.
2. This has been a pretty exciting trade deadline, and it’s getting tough to reconcile my opinion that the Cubs should stay pretty quiet when the Giants, Mets, and Dodgers have all made significant moves. I’d still love to see them go after Tyson Ross, but I don’t necessarily think the fifth starter situation is as dire as it’s seemed the last few weeks. Aside from possibly moving Castro (when his value is seemingly at its lowest), there’s not much the Cubs can do to improve their offense other than waiting for their younguns to develop.
3. The Cardinals inked a billion dollar TV deal and won on a walk-off walk today.