Apparently Miguel Montero has already predicted the Cubs will win the World Series. Cubs.com published their 5 reasons the Cubs will win the World Series post today and one of the reasons is this: Catcher Miguel Montero already has predicted Starlin Castro will be the MVP of the postseason, and it would be quite a turnaround. Castro was batting .236 when Maddon took him …
Really, the 2015 Cubs just won 97 games!
The Cubs won't host the NL Wild Card game against the Pirates unless the Reds complete some sort of magical comeback (they trail 4-0 late), but this team just won their 97th game of the season. They finished 97-65 and it's the 9th most wins in franchise history. It's tied with the 2008 club in wins, which was the best …
BP Wrigleyville with a great Wildcard preview
So that’s what Cole’s been up to. Before we go much deeper in hitter-by-hitter analysis, though, I think we can narrow things down just a bit. Jackson has never faced Cole, has a .655 OPS against right-handed pitchers in 2015, and until his last two games has really struggled in a Cubs uniform. He’s a quality defensive outfielder, though, so it …
NL Cy Young: Jake Arrieta vs. Zack Greinke
The NL Cy Young race is down to two at this point. Jake Arrieta's dominating performance over the last few months has allowed him to catch up to Zack Greinke and in many ways, pass him. Either person is deserving of the award and since I don't really care who wins it, this is just a list of their stats …
Cubs clinch the wild card
It's late so all I've got is that the Giants lost 5-4 to the A's. As a result, the Cubs clinch the wild card. Go crazy.
Cubs clinch a spot in the postseason with next win or Giants loss
Thanks the Padres come from behind win last night in a game started by Madison Bumgarner, the Cubs are nearing what was inevitable a month ago: a spot in the postseason. It's been so long that we've known this was coming that the Cubs even moved their rotation around so to ensure that Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta would each …
Joe Maddon OK with bullpen game in the postseason
Yesterday Joe Maddon talked a bit about what the Cubs might do if they beat the Pirates on October 7th. Jon Lester would start Game 1 against the Cardinals and then what? Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks haven't exactly pitched great down the stretch. The Cubs have had a couple bullpen games recently due to double-headers that have turned out …
fivethirtyeight on Jake Arrieta’s release point
Rob Arthur has a really good article up on fivethirtyeight.com on Jake Arrieta's emergence as an ace and it discusses the change in his release point at length. Most of the time, the horizontal and vertical coordinates of a pitcher’s release point are fairly constant, determined largely by mechanics learned long before he made the majors. In Arrieta’s case, however, his …
Jake Arrieta’s Innings Increase
Jake Arrieta has had a fantastic season this year. Actually, he's been fantastic since he joined the Cubs, but I find myself being a little bit scared about his workload right now. He's thrown 191 innings so far and has about 5 starts left this regular season. He's averaged roughly 6.8 innings per start. That puts him on pace to throw …
Cubs 9, Cardinals 0 (9/7/15)
OSS: Haren dominates the best team in the National League. Three Up 1. Dan Haren probably doesn't have another performance like the one he spun against the Cardinals in his entire career, but it was nice to see one last masterclass in soft contact. Haren allowed 7 hits and 2 walks, with maybe 4 really well-hit balls by St. Lou. …