The Brewers come to town to close out this homestand, and the teams get started with a double-header to make up for a rainout back in April. When last we checked in, the Brewers were bad. Checking again….they’re still pretty bad. They traded catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer Jeremy Jeffress at the deadline but they didn’t have that much to move. I guess they traded Will Smith too, and there were rumblings from time to time that they might trade Braun, who is pretty much a poison pill for any other fanbase to swallow. Since the deadline they have gone 5-8, so just about on track for the rest of the year.
Team Leaders
Cubs
- OBP: Anthony Rizzo (.398)
- ISO: Rizzo (.281)
- HR: Kris Bryant (28)
- R+RBI: Bryant (162)
- wRC+: Rizzo (154)
- BSR: Bryant (3.8)
- SP K/9: Jake Arrieta (9.06)
- SP BB/9: Kyle Hendricks (2.22)
- SP FIP: Arrieta (3.05)
- RP K/9: Aroldis Chapman (13.50)
- RP BB/9: Chapman (0.00)
- RP FIP: Chapman (0.14)
- WAR: Bryant (5.8)
Suds
- OBP: Ryan Braun (.391)
- ISO: Chris Carter (.265)
- HR: Carter (27)
- R+RBI: Braun (126)
- wRC+: Braun (149)
- BSR: Hernan Perez (4.2)
- SP K/9: Junior Guerra (7.55)
- SP BB/9: Zach Davies (2.20)
- SP FIP: Guerra (3.64)
- RP K/9: Corey Knebel (13.19)
- RP BB/9: Jacob Barnes (2.12)
- RP FIP: Barned (2.49)
- WAR: Braun (3.3)
Braun is having a quietly great year on a shitty team. Unlike Trout, somehow I don’t feel like this is a waste.
Pitching Matchups
K/9, BB/9, ERA, FIP, projected ERA listed for each starter.
Tuesday: Matt Garza, RHP (5.13, 3.32, 4.83, 4.73, 4.63) vs Trevor Cahill, RHP (10.10, 5.27, 3.07, 4.53, 4.50), 12:20 PM CT
Matt Garza transformed himself after coming over to the Cubs in a trade that no one at all was upset about in 2011. He posted significant gains in strikeout rate and in ground balls and posted a nearly 5 WAR season in 2011. Those improvements stuck in his remaining year and a half with the team, but his homer prone-ness came back and he went from being a niceish surprise to just ok. Since leaving the Cubs those strikeout numbers have dipped considerably, though his ground ball rate has managed to maintain itself. I’m guessing his ability to field bunts is about the same too, so I’m issuing a moratorium on #NeverBunt in this one.
Chaill hasn’t pitched for the Cubs since going down with a knee injury in early July. He made six starts in Iowa and struck out a ton of batters (26% K rate) but also issued plenty of free passes (12.6% BB rate). He only averaged about three innings per start so let’s hope that was a stretching out thing.
Tuesday: Chase Anderson, CPA (7.19, 3.31, 4.93, 5.21, 4.79) vs Jason Hammel, RHP (7.49, 2.76, 2.90, 4.17, 4.06), 7:05 PM CT
Anderson is a completely forgettable guy who might have a solid career as an innings eater, which is exactly what this team needs right now. He’s mostly a fastball-changeup guy, and he somehow managed to get one out away from throwing a complete game against the Cubs back in May. I swear the Nats are going to sign Johan Santana just in case they face the Cubs in the playoffs. At least back in April he was hoping to try a comeback in midseason….?
Wednesday: Jimmy Nelson, RHP (7.09, 4.27, 4.07, 4.91, 4.33) vs Jon Lester, LHP (8.85, 2.48, 2.93, 3.83, 3.33), 7:05 PM CT
I think I pointed out last time that Nelson’s walk rate has ballooned this year, and it hasn’t improved much since the Cubs last faced him. The Cubs have already faced him three times this year, so let’s hope they’re nice and familiar with what to lay off of.
Thursday: Zach Davies, RHP (7.02, 2.20, 3.80, 3.89, 4.04) vs Jake Arrieta, RHP (9.06, 3.16, 2.55, 3.05, 2.70), 1:20 PM CT
The Brewers picked up Davies from the O’s for Gerardo Parra a year or so ago, and so far it looks like a steal. He’s not going to blow the roof off or anything, but he has solid numbers and is only 23. He held the Cubs to one run in six innings and change back in late July
Comments
I got my Cubs shirt on so let’s go, uh, Trevor?
SKQuote Reply
Let’s go Chaill!
(dying laughing) also, his name is a sentence that Cubs hitters should do
(in addition to sounding like a 50s comic book character, which brings us to…)
#douche
SKQuote Reply
Sorry for my return with a Willie Banks reference. Clearly that’s why the Cubs lost the last two games. I’m drinking a truly bad cup of coffee now in penance.
BVSQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo keeps those gifs in his closet next to the hairshirt.
BVSQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
Fowler
Bryant
Rizzo
Zobrist
Russell
Coghlan
Heyward
Montero
Cahill
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
SKQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
I like how whoever the 1B was (Hoffpauir?) turned his head in disbelief to track that throw.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
Rice in limbo,
LaHair. It’s my favorite thing about that, too.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
My second-favorite thing is how the camera pans to first, but then pans back to where the throw actually went.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Game thread http://obstructedview.net/brewers-cubs-game-thread-game-1/
dmick89Quote Reply