OSS: Cubs lose a close one to the Brewers, but clinch the division with a Cardinals loss to the Giants. Also with all the other wins before this one.
Three up
- Jorge Soler had the biggest hit for the Cubs tonight, a two run homer that gave them an early lead.
- Jason Heyward had his first big night in a while, hitting two doubles. Both ended up leading to runs, including a big one in the eighth when the Cubs nearly tied the game.
- Mike Montgomery had a decent outing, striking out seven batters with just one walk in six innings. He gave up a solo shot in the fourth, and gave up a few unearned runs thanks to an uncharacteristic error by Russell. He helped make up for it with an RBI single of his own the following inning, which was his first MLB hit.
- To be honest I don’t have much to say about the clinching because it’s been inevitable for so long. Celebrate! Or don’t. I can’t tell you what to do.
Three down
- The biggest outs of the day were in the eighth and ninth inning, where Brewers closer Tyler Thornburg hung about 50 sliders that the Cubs watched clip the edge of the strike zone. Dex in particular was very vocal about his strikeout in the ninth and I was surprised he was wasn’t tossed.
- Not a great outing for Justin Grimm, who gave up two doubles and walk to give up the lead in the seventh. Can’t shut out em all I guess.
- Russell, Bryant, and Fowler combined for a -.383 WPA on the day, mostly due to the aforementioned strikeouts.
Next up: With the division in hand, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a wacky lineup from Maddon tomorrow. Though I’d rather he waited until home field was also clinched, but eh, they’ve earned it. Too bad it is too late for Joe to pull off the 867-5309 lineup.
Comments
This is gonna be a long-ass couple of weeks.
uncle daveQuote Reply
TWSS
SKQuote Reply
I think Len used “underrated” to mean “overlooked” or “unnoticed”. Kind of a poor choice of word on his part. I doubt anyone, when thinking about it, would decline to credit health as a key part of the rotation’s overall success.
SKQuote Reply
I’m starting to feel good about the Cubs’chances of making it to the NLDS. Call me cautiously optimistic.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
You’re no pessimist.
dmick89Quote Reply
If today’s game gets rained out, I have to think they just don’t play it. It’s unlikely the Nats catch the Cubs, and even if they do, the Cubs hold the tiebreaker.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Gif party? Or should we wait until we clinch HFA?
JonKneeVQuote Reply
Ain’t that the fucking truth: http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/find-the-thing-youre-most-passionate-about-then-do-31742
JonKneeVQuote Reply
JonKneeV,
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
RF Szczur
SS Baez
LF Soler
C Contreras
1B Coghlan
CF Almora
3B La Stella
2B Kawasaki
P Lackey
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Lackey gonna be so mad with some of his defenders if they do play.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
Still better than the Cardinals.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
Mike Matheney just threw a beanball your way.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’ve seen worse Cubs lineups (thankfully, not in the last two seasons).
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Contreras is hungover
SKQuote Reply
shit, and now that
SKQuote Reply
Almora!!!
dmick89Quote Reply
Almora!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Soler left the game with tightening in his side.
dmick89Quote Reply
Safe
Edit: out
dmick89Quote Reply
I thought I heard thigh not side, but I wasn’t listening that closely.
SKQuote Reply
Maybe that can be chalked up to a hangover. I tend to get a stitch when I try to run hungover.
PerkinsQuote Reply
SK,
(dying laughing) you weren’t alone. Some outlets reported thigh, but its side.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Pretty sure that’s what Len said. The announcement in the press box must have been muffled.
SKQuote Reply
Lackey can’t blame the second string lineup today.
SKQuote Reply
SK,
Len said “side or thigh”. He was pretty sure it was side even though some reported thigh.
dmick89Quote Reply
Because we haven’t discussed this enough yet, I may as well explain that to me it sounded like he said Soler left “with a tight right thigh”. But I concede it might have been “with a tight side or thigh”.
SKQuote Reply
any other stupid and pointless shit we can talk about?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
The Birther movement?
EdwinQuote Reply
Margot Robbie gets to co-produce a Harley Quinn Spinoff. Harley Quinn is a stupid stupid stupid stupid character. I have great hopes for her spinoff movie.
EdwinQuote Reply
dmick89,
What is the deal with homework? You’re not working on your home!
EdwinQuote Reply
I know Joe was going with this lineup today no matter what happened yesterday, but I’m hoping this isn’t a regular occurrence over the next couple of weeks.
dmick89Quote Reply
Come on, Addy.
dmick89Quote Reply
Come on, Russell.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
(dying laughing) almost tied.
dmick89Quote Reply
wowwwwww
SKQuote Reply
Russell should not have slid there.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
ADDY!!!
dmick89Quote Reply
Come on, Szczur.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Ugh.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
You don’t have to swing at everything, Javy.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Javy swung at ball four.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
SKQuote Reply
Not a single strike to Javy in that PA when a walk wins the game.
dmick89Quote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
At least not at balls at your face.
SKQuote Reply
dmick89,
I wanted to yell at him not to swing at the next pitch. I knew it wasn’t going to be a strike.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Winning the game on a Javy Baez walk would have been awesome. Alas, that’s why he’s Javy Baez.
SKQuote Reply
Wow, Chapman.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
SK,
They also would have won if Szczur could hit the ball more than 200 feet with the wind howling out.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Montero!!!
dmick89Quote Reply
Montero!
PerkinsQuote Reply
Miggy!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Montero over Coghlan for the postseason roster.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Schwarber and Bryant just hugged (sniff)
SKQuote Reply
That would have been a great way to clinch. Damn Cardinals ruin everything.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Looks like players are chugging cheap champagne and Bud Light. That’s a recipe for a nasty hangover. Tomorrow’s game should be interesting.
Wenningtons Gorilla CockQuote Reply
There should be a stat that tracks the composure of players being interviewed while being doused in fizzy alcoholic beverages. Arrieta and Zobrist score off the charts. Baez doesn’t do nearly as well, but what he lacks in even temperament he makes up with enthusiastic focus and a preternatural ability to make everything look fun.
ceruleanQuote Reply
What would be worse, if the Cubs face Boston in the series or if the Cubs face Cleveland.
Trick question.
ceruleanQuote Reply
I’m not sure whether to be depressed that the guy the Padres turned to in order to commit systematic fraud in their medical records was a former DoD employee, or to be encouraged that he did it so poorly.
GWQuote Reply
Javier Baez has only 14 walks all year. He could be a really good player if he just stopped swinging at pitches a foot off the plate.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Man. Cardinals whomped again. Rate they’re losing, might not be any October baseball for the BFIBs.
Ah well, they’ll always have this…
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
I’m kind of hoping the Cardinals edge out the Mets for the playoffs.
dmick89Quote Reply
Yeah, me too, kinda. But even in that scenario I wouldn’t expect to face them. Hard to see them beating Bumgarner in a winner-take-all in SF. But it could happen. But then, they could turn around and beat the Cubs.
All around Cubdom there’s a growing sense of fear and dread for the postseason, which is understandable. As we all know, the odds are not comfortably better for the Cubes than anyone else who makes it in. That said, I can’t think of a reason outside of the madness of playoff baseball to fear any team. Though any team may beat the Cubs, none should. And that’s the best one can hope for position-wise going into the veritable casino that is playoff baseball.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Aside from the Nationals, who I think are a pretty good match for the Cubs talent-wise and a very good team, I worry the most about teams that can hit the long ball as I think that’s the way the Cubs will get beat. So I’d rather not see the Cards or the Mets, honestly, though we’re a better than even shot to catch one of those two teams in the NLDS.
I don’t think it matters much, though. There’s no easy road to the title in any sport.
uncle daveQuote Reply
That’s my feeling as well. We can get into specifics about where the Cubs might have vulnerabilities, but really, they can get beat in a short series in any number of ways, some foreseeable, others not so much.
So, in my mind, Mets, Cards, Giants, Nats, Dodgers, all the same. Good teams the Cubs will have to beat. Thus, I don’t much care who we get. All of them can potentially beat the Cubs 3/5 or 4/7, though again I don’t think any of them should. There’s not a team currently assembled who should beat this Cubs team. And that’s what gives me a small measure of comfort, even if it doesn’t begin to guarantee anything in the postseason.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Ugh. Throw strikes. You used to know how to do that, Jake.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Turns out, walking the leadoff man who has a ton of steals was a bad idea.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I miss the Arrieta that could throw strikes.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’m starting to think it was more luck than skill.
dmick89Quote Reply
Bryant!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Coghlan!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Coghlan also wants to be on the postseason roster.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Lucky to have the skill, lucky to have been able to control it, but still a skill.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Jacob deGrom ———————–> Out for the season (non TJ type elbow surgery)
Do the Mets have any non-injured pitchers left from their Opening Day rotation?
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Ugly steal attempt by Szczur.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Bring on the Mets!
ceruleanQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Bartolo!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Condolences to the Iowa fans among you
berseliusQuote Reply
A rotation of Thor, Happy Old Guy, and Over-Achieving Odds and Ends seems beatable.
And by beatable, I mean worthy of a drubbing.
ceruleanQuote Reply
berselius,
That sucked.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Bucky barely beat Georgia State. They’re gonna get waxed by Sparty next week.
berseliusQuote Reply
I’m tired of these leadoff hitters reaching.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Sigh. Fifteenth wild pitch this year. That’s a lot.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Strikes, please.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Baez walks on four pitches. Wow.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I wonder if he was given a bit of a talking to for yesterday.
ceruleanQuote Reply
That sucked.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I’ve pretty much given up on seeing 2015 Jake this year. I do expect a Pretty Good Jake, but the one who can single-handedly win a playoff game the Cubs have to get? I’m gonna be hoping Lester or even Hendricks (if it’s at Wrigley) gets that start.
And maybe 2015 Jake will come back for Contract Year Jake.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
It still feels strange when I feel kinda disappointed in Arrieta’s season and he has a 2.83 ERA
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
I’m less disappointed in the ERA than the walks and wild pitches.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I know this game doesn’t matter and this lineup isn’t the Cubs A-team, but these missed opportunities still drive me crazy.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Don’t. Walk. Villar. Please.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Ugh.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Jake hasn’t been close to the zone on most of these pitches.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
dmick89Quote Reply
I actually told someone Jake was going to walk Villar, and that Villar would steal second and likely score. So predictable.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
That should have been strike three.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Pat and Ron just talked about the infamous Brant Brown game. I was there, but we had to leave early to get back home for something or other—we were cutting it really close.
They won that game 7–4, right? We definitely didn’t hear Ron Santo’s painful call on the way out of the parking lot.
*puts fingers in ears*
La la la la la la la (dying laughing)
ceruleanQuote Reply
Second time Szczur struck out with RISP and less than two outs.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
B-squad auditioning for the 25th spot and I’m not sure anyone is really standing out. I’d probably bet on TLS, Szczur and Almora making it though.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
They need to boo Braun harder.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Players like Jonathan Villar and Scooter Gennett appear to exist only to occasionally piss off much better teams.
And then, of course, there’s Ryan Braun, whose toiling in virtual baseball exile I plan to enjoy until his career comes to its rightful sticky end.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Rice in limbo,
I don’t see the point of having Szczur when you have Almora.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
If you assume they carry only 4 starters and 7 relievers there’s an extra spot. Guess it depends on much they love Coghlan.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
Brewers also been making good trades and improvements to their system so they’re not going to be pushovers forever.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
I’ll take Szczur over Almora easily.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
They have similar hitting projections, but Almora is the better fielder.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Eh. We’ll see. I’m far more dubious of the long-term prospects of any rebuilding organization that doesn’t have or isn’t willing to use lots of money. The Brewers may come back at some point, but if the Cubs continue on with their current plan of wielding not only superior organizational strength but the full might of their wealth, teams like the Brewers, Reds, Pirates may be able to steal a year here or there, but nothing over a long stretch, if for no other reason than an inability to keep what they develop.
Not to mention the struggle to acquire superior talent via other means when their farm systems fail to produce a vital ingredient.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Something tells me Patton won’t be on the playoff roster.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Almora is the better fielder and may someday be the better hitter, but I don’t think that day is today. That said, I don’t really care. It’s like arguing over that final bullpen spot.
dmick89Quote Reply
I wonder if there’s a spot for Hammel on the postseason roster. Even as a long reliever, his HR tendencies make him dangerous to use.
PerkinsQuote Reply
For what it’s worth, I think Szczur is a lock for the playoffs. Joe is a big fan of his.
dmick89Quote Reply
Perkins,
I’d like to see Hammel get some relief appearances before the end of the year.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’m tired of these games in which the scoring is dominated by home runs.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
dmick89,
I don’t think they’ll do that. They’ll just ride Hammel for the 5 or 6 innings he can provide if he doesn’t suck ass and probably leave him off the roster unless he has a favorable matchup against a potential opponent.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
I keep forgetting the alternative to Szczur is Coghlan. I want it to be a robo-legged Schwarber.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Has there ever been a season in which a higher percentage of runs were scored via the longball?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
So…
Cahill looked pretty good.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Can’t imagine LaStella not making the roster. If there was any chance he wouldn’t, he’d still be on sabbatical.
I prefer Almora for defensive replacement duty and probably pinch hitting/running, but I’d prefer Szczur in the event Soler got hurt or couldn’t start.
I honestly don’t know what they’ll do about Coghlan and Montero.
SKQuote Reply
SK,
I say that based on Szczur doing good on days he started that I happened to watch, so a stupidly tiny sample. In fact the one game I was at this year, he started, and my brother (who’s more of a Brewers fan since he’s lived in WI since college) was like ‘who’s Matt Szczur’? And then he homered in his first at bat.
/Frigid anecdote, sibling.
SKQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
I am all for cyborg Schwarber. A cy-Schwarb
Rice in limboQuote Reply
All the projection systems I’ve checked (ZiPS, Steamer and Baseball Prospectus) have Almora and Szczur in a dead heat as hitters. Almora probably has a clear edge in defense. I don’t see any reason to use Szczur over him.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
No need to hedge that. His D is spectacular.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Happy Hendricks Day jabronis
SKQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
SKQuote Reply
Ugh. More wasted opportunities.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
The Cubs are really good at that. They’re good at just about everything including wasting scoring opportunities.
dmick89Quote Reply
Baez should only bat with less than three baserunners.
SKQuote Reply
Multi-hit day for Hendricks!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
here we go again
SKQuote Reply
dmick89Quote Reply
SKQuote Reply
I doubt this is overturned, but Javy wasn’t hit by that pitch.
dmick89Quote Reply
Bryant looked like shit there.
dmick89Quote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Baez, J; Russell 3; Fowler 2; Rizzo.
Team RISP: 0-for-10.
Team LOB: 11.
SKQuote Reply
Shit happens
Rice in limboQuote Reply
Rice in limbo,
Language
SKQuote Reply
Seems the good teams can’t hang with the bad teams this series. Nats lost to Braves and remain 6 games behind Cubs.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
Let’s hope this isn’t a practice run for when they face the Mets.
ceruleanQuote Reply
SK,
I hoped someone would see the double entendre. Happy not to be disappointed.
ceruleanQuote Reply
A rare loss for the Cubbies – but no impact to the post-season.
BJ RassamQuote Reply
Can’t put together the energy to preview this reds series. OSS: they are bad.
berseliusQuote Reply
I dare you to keep this the rest of year thread.
SKQuote Reply
Sucks to be Hammel
http://wrigleyville.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/09/19/jason-hammels-tenuous-hold-on-a-postseason-future/
SKQuote Reply
SK,
I’m kind of hoping the Cubs figure out a way to acquire a top of the rotation starter. Jake will be a free agent after next season and Lester will probably begin to regress at some point soon. I think Hammel would make good trade bait if the Cubs can land that starter in another deal.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Can they trade him before the season if they pick up his option?
SKQuote Reply
I do not believe there are any restrictions in the contract after they pick it up.
ceruleanQuote Reply
There have been rumors floating around about Jose Fernandez again
BerseliusQuote Reply
Pretty regular baseball squadron lineup today except for Coghlan in LF.
Rice in limboQuote Reply
SK,
I don’t know why he doesn’t think Hammel will/should make the postseason roster. If he weren’t considered a better pitcher than, say, Cahill, he wouldn’t be in the rotation.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Well there is precedent for 5th starters not making playoff rosters because they are perceived to not be able to pitch out of the bullpen, including with this team last year. If Haren was considered worse than Cahill or Richard, wouldn’t they have been the 5th starter in the second half?
Joe went with 11 pitchers in the NLDS. Obvs, he won’t necessarily do the same this year.
SKQuote Reply
game thread up: http://obstructedview.net/reds-cubs-game-thread-9-19-16/
dmick89Quote Reply