OSS: Now that’s more like it
Three up
- The Cubs offense hung some runs on a crappy pitcher, a hallmark of good teams and something that they were failing to do during their recent funk. This wasn’t just Bryzzo blasting their way to the lead, it was a team effort with no particular player sticking out WPA-wise. They got some hits with runners in scoring position and also made another team pay for its mistakes. Progress. Short declarative sentence.
This is the top ten by ERA in the NL going into this game (fangraphs updates overnight). With this six inning scoreless outing, Hendricks’s ERA drops to 2.41, third only to Kershaw and Bumgarner. Not too shabby.- It probably wasn’t intentional, but still an epic troll job for the Cubs to roll out all of the available pitchers that they got in the Dempster and Garza trades.
Three down
1-3. Ryan Dempster as Ryan Dempster may or may not be a great guest, but for fuck’s sake can we put this Dempster as Will Ferrell as Harry Caray shit to rest. This fucking clownshoe gets invited to yukk it up with the team and broadcast booth and piss all over a legend, while Sosa is lucky that his presence at Wrigley improved to mere bare acknowledgment that he exists in scoreboard highlight reels.
Comments
Cubs fandom seems divided on just how bad the Dempster Caray impression is. Ranges from loving to loathing.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
Flippant but hackneyed comment.
SKQuote Reply
Rice in limbo,
How could someone love it? Even if it didn’t dishonor Harry’s memory, it’s not funny and nor is it any good. There’s really nothing redeeming about it. Will Ferrell’s impression is bad. Dempster’s is terrible.
dmick89Quote Reply
Maddon is trying that “leading off with La Stella” thing again. I don’t get it.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
We need Dexter Fowler back as soon as possible. Every update so far has been, “He’s doing fine. No setbacks. We’re pushing his return back a week, though.”
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
i mean most people love really horrible, dumbed-down, derivative comedy, in my opinion. dempster’s bits seem to be exactly on par with any given recent hollywood comedy.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
vogelbach is really doing his part to make himself a great trade piece. i don’t want to see him go but right now he seems like the guy that maximizes the “most value to someone else/least value to the cubs” equation. i think he’s as good as gone.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
it’s the super obvious kind of “comedy” that tells you “this is funny, you can laugh”. (it’s not funny though, partly because it tells you it is)
SKQuote Reply
I’m kinda jazzed to see Darvish. Len mentioned the .gif.
umbraQuote Reply
Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Yeah, the “no setback” nonsense reminds me of the Hendry era and how they handled the setbacks by Prior and Wood. Obviously there was a setback.
Some bad defense there by the Cubs.
dmick89Quote Reply
Ring a ding ding ding
SKQuote Reply
What a shitshow play. Addy misses his throw, Rizzo misses his, and Montero’s looked late to me, too.
umbraQuote Reply
That run is all Yu is going to need.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Contact!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
KKKKKF5
umbraQuote Reply
Come on, Kris.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Bewdy
umbraQuote Reply
Good Hammel is good
SKQuote Reply
SK,
I like him much better with the wind blowing in.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Damn, that’s probably a home run without the wind.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I like how they’re bringing in a righty to face Rizzo.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
JD explaining wOBA. I wonder what my dad thinks when he does stuff like that.
SKQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
New he gets an at-bat. Weird.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hail Szczur!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Wait, Joe subs Baez for La Stella after the latter hits against a lefty? WTF?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Is Mitch anything to Zonk?
SKQuote Reply
The absolute madman
umbraQuote Reply
Also not a fan of Maddon’s letting Wood face three straight righties.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Inverted M
berseliusQuote Reply
#woow
#wearegood
SKQuote Reply
Cubs win! Nothing can stop them now.
umbraQuote Reply
As good as the 1927 Yankees again.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Clayton Richard was the key to the Cubs’ success the whole time.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Seriously, I’d like to see the people who keep showing us the Cubs’ winning percentage with and without Dexter Fowler do the same thing with Richard.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/754443951084441600
I’m still confused. There were two outs. Why does Joe care so much about contact rates here? If there were less than two outs and a runner on third, I could see his reasoning.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Maybe he meant La Stella had a better chance of getting a hit. Tommy seems to be a somewhat higher-average hitter, so he may have a plausible case there.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
To-day’s squadron
Baez
Bryant
Rizzo
Contreras
Russell
Heyward
Szczur
Almora
Lackey
berseliusQuote Reply
wow, pierce johnson fucking sucks this year.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
I heard Rod Beck went on a potato chip prescription diet too, and look where that got him.
umbraQuote Reply
Lackey looked pretty good in that inning. Nice start.
dmick89Quote Reply
Stop striking out, Cubs hitters.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
On the other hand, the Cubs hitters looked like shit.
dmick89Quote Reply
The father-son moment is Prince and Cecil Fielder? Yiiikes. They hate each other.
umbraQuote Reply
This sucks.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
What was Almora throwing at?
dmick89Quote Reply
Nice catch.
Cubs lose.
dmick89Quote Reply
Washed up
umbraQuote Reply
I could do that.
SKQuote Reply
This is getting annoying.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Cole sure loves Wrigley Field.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
It’s Hamels at Wrigley in July. Just suck up this loss and then go on a second half tear. Done deal sealed.
SKQuote Reply
Someone hit the ball in fair territory!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
A baserunner!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
A base hit!
dmick89Quote Reply
Szczur should have thrown to second.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Any idea why it’s Szczur instead of Zobrist today?
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I think Maddon wanted have as much defense as he could get in the outfield with Lackey pitching.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hey, umpire, you don’t have to call time out whenever the hitter requests it.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Imagine how long Fowler will be out if he has a setback. (dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Unless the pitcher has already started his motion, they’ll give it to them every time. They should in my opinion.
dmick89Quote Reply
So Zobrist is going to get another day off tomorrow? Didn’t they just have 4 days off
dmick89Quote Reply
That play was unreal. Wow.
dmick89Quote Reply
Could have used a pinch-hitter. But whatever.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Come on, Rizzo.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Ugh. That was terrible luck.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Sigh.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
That was a waste of two perfectly good bloop hits.
dmick89Quote Reply
Don’t tell me what to do. Seriously.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Well, at least we have Clayton Richard back.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
That was Heyward’s mistake. He shouldn’t have hit that rocket line drive.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Good news: Broxton gave the Marlins a lead, and Daniel Murphy took away the Pirates’ lead.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Pirates and Nats are in the 14th. Here’s hoping it goes to 20.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
15th. Douchebag just struck out badly.
SKQuote Reply
16th
SKQuote Reply
E-Jax doing something
SKQuote Reply
17th
SKQuote Reply
SK,
Something unexpected but cool.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Didn’t EJax throw a no hitter with the Dbacks while walking 8 or 9 guys or something like that?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Yeah, he threw like 149 pitches to get through it. He obviously lost this one in spectacular fashion, but Padres still swept the Giants and Cubs within a game of best record again haha
Rice CubeQuote Reply
No time for a preview tonight. I am glad the Cubs are missing deGrom.
berseliusQuote Reply
Second half dominance starts tonight jabronis
SKQuote Reply
I’ll try to dust off the computer and write one. This series seems important.
MylesQuote Reply
SK,
didn’t it start on friday?
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Got a Hot Stove post ready if you want me to publish it
JonKneeVQuote Reply
Go for it. No need to ask. We’re discredited anyway.
dmick89Quote Reply
Myles,
If you aren’t going to have time, let me know and I can get it done or I can help you.
dmick89Quote Reply
New shit: http://obstructedview.net/cubs-hot-stove-7-18-2016/
JonKneeVQuote Reply