OSS: Carl Newhouse isn’t a very good pitcher, and the Cubs as a collective aren’t a very good hitter.
Three Up
1. Anthony Rizzo went 2-3 with 2 walks. It’s hard to ask for a lot more than that.
2. Emilio Bonifacio went 2-4 with a walk and a double. He also stole a base and was caught stealing. Bonifacio went ice cold after being red hot, so it was nice to see another good game come out of him.
3. Ryan Kalish had a pinch hit double, which he really needed. Kalish has been god-awful this year so a confidence booster is always welcome.
Three Down
1. Carlos Villanueva just shouldn’t be a starter. His ERA is a crisp 10.93 and he’s earned it. He did strike out a ton of batters early, but then they keyed off on him.
2. Jose Veras has a higher ERA than even Villanueva (15.43). He gave up not one, but 2 home runs in the 7th inning. Woof.
3. Mike Olt is a broken man. He went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and a walk. The fluky HR have given Olt a .189/.250/.459 line, but he’s looked impossibly worse than that somehow. If the Cubs were serious about contending this year, he’d be sent to AAA. Luckily for Mike, they aren’t.
Next Game
Today, 8:05 CT, Bronson Arroyo vs. Travis Wood
Combined records of these two teams: 10-28