OSS: Cubs strike out 18 times on the way to a loss Three up: 1. Aside from a Braun HR in the first (and another near-HR his next time up), I thought Arrieta looked pretty good in this game. Just all the bad luck you can think of in the second, with a bunch of bloops and meh contact finding …
Cubs 1, Brewers 0 (5/1/15)
OSS: Russell homers before Bryantm because you can’t predict baseball Three up 1. Russell plated himself for the only run of the game, a no doubt HR to left center. I don’t think anyone, Addison Russell included, would have guessed that he’d homer before Bryant. 2. Jon Lester had a great game, throwing seven shutout innings with four strikeouts and …
Pirates 8, Cubs 1 (4/29/15)
OSS: Gerrit Cole is good at throwing baseballs. Three up 1. Miguel Montero went 3-4 and had the Cubs lone RBI of the day. The Cubs took advantage of a strange inning of glovework by Pedro Alvarez, which saw a throw go completely through his glove and another pickoff throw get botched with his replacement glove. Sandwiched in the middle …
Cubs 6, Pirates 2 (4/28/15)
OSS: Cubs continue to get all the 2-out RBI Three up: 1. Travis Wood had a solid day on the mound, striking out 9 Pirates in seven innings and walking none. His curveball wasn’t there for him, but the rest of his pitches more than made up for it. 2. The Cubs continued their streak of 2-out RBI, and spread …
Cubs 4, Pirates 0 (4/27/15)
OSS: Jason Hammel had good stuff and the Cubs cruised to an easy 4-0 victory Three up: 1. Once the Cubs took the lead it felt like this game was in hand, as the Pirates had no answer for Jason Hammel. He finished with a line of 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K and was hitting …
Cubs 5, Reds 2 (4/26/15)
OSS: Russell gets his first big hit, and the Cubs “sweep” the series. Three up 1. Addison Russell just missed a grand slam in the fourth inning, clearing the bases with a double to right center. That should keep the demotion grumbles quiet for a while. 2. Miguel Montero had the other Cubs RBI on the day with a solo …
Cubs 7, Reds 3 – 11 innings (4/24/15)
OSS: Bullpen bends but doesn’t break, bats wake up in the 11th Three Up 1. Mike Leake had the Cubs number for all seven innings he was in the game, save for two pitches that Anthony Rizzo and Chris Coghlan deposited in the seats. Batter-vs-pitcher matchup stats are dumb as predictive stats, but can be pretty entertaining. Coghlan is 9 …
Pirates 5, Cubs 4 (4/23/15)
OSS: Get well soon, Grimm and Ramirez Three up: Tough to find much that particularly stands out. 1. Kris Bryant had a perfect day in CF, going 0-0 on fly balls hit to him. He also drew a bases loaded walk in the fifth, in an inning where it felt like the Cubs should have gotten a lot more. 2. …
Cubs 9, Pirates 8 (4/21/15)
OSS: Cubs win a wild one with dueling bullpen meltdowns. Three up 1. This Kris Bryant kid could have a future in the big leagues my frent. He scorched a bunch of hits, but the key play of the game could be him going first to third on Castro’s game-tying single. He’s been extremely aggressive on the basepaths but has …
Cubs 5, Pirates 2 (4/20/15)
OSS: Sloppy defense by the Pirates and a little league HR for Kris Bryant Three up 1. Addison Russell has reportedly been called up to the Cubs. 1a. Jake Arrieta recovered from a few hard hit balls in the first to mow down the Pirates for six innings. He finished with seven strikeouts and no walks. 2. Russell ————> Cubs …