OSS: Q and the defense shut things down. Three up: Jose Quintana crushed it today, pitching seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts and just two hits and one walk. The conditions were funky enough that I wouldn't read too much into the hits number, but it was great to see him commanding the strike zone. He also got an easy …
Cubs 3, Brewers 2 (4.27.18)
OSS: Yu Darvish and the Brewers defense edge out the Brewers. Three up: Darvish looked like the guy that the Cubs are paying for today, striking out eight with two walks and three hits in six innings. He gave up one run in the first thanks to an uncharacteristic defensive miscue for Heyward. All his pitches seemed to be working …
Cubs 1, Brewers 0 (4.26.18)
OSS: Cyle and Kyle eke out a Cubs win. Three up: Kyle Hendricks had a Cyle Hendricks performance, pitching seven innings with no runs and no walks allowed. He struck out five and allowed just four hits (IIRC, all with two outs). This is the third game in a row where a Cubs starting pitcher has faced at least one …
Cubs 10, Cleveland 3 (4.24.18)
OSS: The Cubs treated the Cleveland pitching staff like it was game 6 of the World Series. Three up: Kyle Schwarber had a big day, hitting a laser beam of a home run in the second that probably left a scorching hole in some fan in the bleachers and following it up with a moonshot in his next PA. War …
Cubs 9, Rockies 7
OSS: Albert Almora brought his glove. Three up: He was only 1-6 at the plate today, but Albert Almora Jr. made three amazing catches in CF that were likely the difference in this game. He came into the year looking at the short half of a platoon, but he's pretty much guaranteed a spot for himself in the starting lineup …
Cubs 2, Rockies 5 (4.21.18)
OSS: Darvish loses the handle in the fifth. Three up: The Cubs started this one with a bang, hitting to solid singles to lead off the game and then were inches away from a three run homer by Contreras. Denver local David Bote hit a double in his first MLB plate appearance, so good for him. The Rockies fans around …
Cubs 16, Rockies 5 (4.20.18)
OSS: The Javy Baez show goes on the road. Three up: Javy had a huge day, going 4-6 with a homer, double, and two singles. The double was an easy single that he hustled out to grab the extra base. Just after that, he hustled his way to third on a Theriot Special, but instead of TOOBLANing he slid around …
Cubes 14, Barves 10 (4.14.18)
OSS: Cubs come back from an 8-run deficit in an all-around shitshow of a game that I can't believe I watched all of. Three up: The Cubs offense scored nine runs with two outs in the eighth inning to complete their comeback against the Braves. Javier Baez struck the biggest blow with a bases clearing double to tie the game, …
Cubs 13, Pirates 5 (4.11.18)
OSS: Cubs brought the lumber. Three up: It was another huge game for Javier Baez, who had another multi-HR outing. He can still do the small ball stuff too – with the score tied in the sixth inning, he got on base on a dropped third strike, moved over to second on a Heyward GB, stole third, and scored on …
Cubs 3, Brewers 0 (4.8.18)
OSS: Cubs pitching dominates the Brewers to cap off a 5-4 road trip. Three up: Jose Quintana and the Cubs bullpen shut out the Brewers, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out nine. Aside from a sixth inning mini-jam that Q worked his way around, the Brewers never had more than one baserunner in an inning. The …