OSS: Blow *ALL* the leads! Three up: Kris Bryant had the last big hit of the day, a two run shot in the eighth that put the Cubs ahead for the last time. That homer alone was worth nearly half a win in WPA. KB also singled as a part of the Cubs rally in the sixth inning. Nick Castellanos …
Series Preview: San Francisco Giants (19-26) at Chicago Cubs (22-20)
As much grumbling as there has been at the Cubs slow start, this series offers a stark reminder that it could be much worse. The Giants season can be summed up with the fact that Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, who has been out since late April due to a dirtbike accident, has the team's third highest offensive WAR on the …
Happy 23rd Birthday, Addison Russell
Last year, I wrote about Addison Russell in pretty glowing terms. The last paragraph from that post: This team is so incredibly deep, that you can imagine a scenario in which Russell puts up 4 WAR this year and gets absolutely no attention from a national outlet. Don't make that mistake. bWAR: 4.3 fWAR: 3.9 WARP: 3.9 Seriously, the exact …
Series Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angels (91-71) vs Chicago Cubs (103-58)
The Dodgers squeaked past the Nats, using just about all their pitchers in the process. That’s pretty much been a theme for this team this year, as they used fifteen different starters and set a record for the most pitching changes in a season. Expect a lot of long games, especially if Pedro Baez makes multiple appearances. Corey Seager is …
Cubs 5, Giants 2 (NLDS Game 2)
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 …
NLDS Game 2: Giants @ Cubs Game Thread
Time: 7:00 PM CT TV: MLB Network Series Preview Gameday LINEUPS (88-75, 0-1) Denard Span, CF Brandon Belt, 1B Buster Posey, C Hunter Pence, RF Brandon Crawford, SS Angel Pagan, LF Conor Gillaspie, 3B Joe Panik, 2B Jeff Samardzija, P Samardzija Stats 203.1 IP 7.39 K/9 2.39 BB/9 3.81 ERA 3.85 FIP (103-58, 1-0) Dexter Fowler, CF Kris Bryant, 3B Anthony Rizzo, …
Cubs 1, Giants 0 (NLDS Game 1)
OSS: The Cubs prevail in a nerve-wracking pitchers duel. Three up: The obvious highlight of the game was the lone run scored in the game, a bomb by Javy Baez that looked like it was ticketed for Waveland but was almost blown back onto the field before hitting the basket. I’d like to say that this was the result of …
Series Preview: San Francisco Giants (88-75) at Chicago Cubs (103-58)
Well, here we are at last. I’m still not sure which team I would rather the Cubs have faced – the Giants are the better team on paper but have been kind of a train wreck since the all-star break. Overall their offense was fourth in the NL by wRC+, and they hit 69 fewer homers than the Cubs this …
Cubs 5, Giants 4 (9.1.16)
MSS: …before Tuesday’s game against the Athletics, pitcher Jeff Samardzija said he wasn’t thrilled with the moves. “I don’t think this team improves by trading Scott Feldman,” Samardzija said. “He was one of our better pitchers. He’s thrown a lot of innings, a solid dude, a solid guy in the clubhouse. It’s a shame to see him go, and the …
Giants @ Cubs Game Thread
Time: 7:05 PM CT TV: CSN, MLB Network Gameday LINEUPS (72-60) Denard Span, CF Angel Pagan, LF Buster Posey, C Hunter Pence, RF Brandon Crawford, SS Joe Panik, 2B Eduardo Nunez, 3B Brandon Belt, 1B Jeff Samardzija, P Samardzija Stats 166.2 IP 6.75 K/9 2.38 BB/9 4.00 ERA 4.17 FIP 3.82 FIP (ZiPS) (85-47) Dexter Fowler, CF Kris Bryant, 3B Anthony Rizzo, 1B …