OSS: 5-1 against the Padres ain’t too shabby…I guess the Cubs are good again.
Three up:
- With several regulars out for scheduled days off or fighting nagging injuries, the backups had yet another big day. Sergio Alcantara hit his first Cubs homer, and Patrick Wisdom had the Cubs highest WPA play of the day when he singled off Darvish in the seventh to put runners on first and third with no outs in a tie ballgame. Somehow this team keeps finding ways to win. The Hope Monster must be feeling quite welcome after his long vacation.
- Unlike his shaky outing last week, in which we later found out that he was suffering from food poisoning, Jake looked pretty sharp today. His final line was 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K. More innings would be great but at least he was locating. Food poisoning aside I still expect about one stinker in three from Arrieta but he stepped it up against the guy he more or less replaced.
- The bullpen had yet another solid outing against a great lineup, striking out five with no hits or walks in four innings of relief. After years of indifferent play at best it’s odd to see a Cubs bullpen being the strength of the team.
Three down:
- Darvish is a tough cookie, but it felt like the Cubs should have dinged him up for a lot more in the seventh. They got the go ahead run, but double play runs are rarely what you want to see. Amusingly enough the play in which the Cubs took the lead was the third worst play of the game by win expectancy.
- Small sample size, blah blah blah but PJ Higgins has looked pretty bad both at and behind the plate so far. It’s not a surprise that Willson has caught the most innings in the majors this year. I don’t think Romine looked so sharp either before he got hurt. But if we’re complaining about backup catcher production I guess the team is in pretty good shape (dying laughing).
- Bullet number three here is Jake pitching at all in his last start when he had food poisoning. Pitching through it is one thing, but something makes me think that teams are trying to be extra cautious with health-related things right now for some reason….
Next up:
The Cubs have their first off-day in nearly three weeks, then face the Cardinals at 1:20 PM on Friday.
Comments
Header pic for old times’ sake.
berseliusQuote Reply
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Big if true.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Well, that’s something.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Well, Rizzo *is* from Florida, but that’s still disappointing.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
It’s . . . not a tough decision if you choose correctly.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Like, choosing to rob a bank is a tough decision. Choosing not to rob a bank is super easy.
andcountingQuote Reply
(dying laughing), Cardinals fans enjoying that HOF defensive performance from Yadi out there today
berseliusQuote Reply
TONY!!
berseliusQuote Reply
What a plate appearance
berseliusQuote Reply
RIZZO!
andcountingQuote Reply
Joc!
andcountingQuote Reply
This has been a game that I’ve recently enjoyed
berseliusQuote Reply
Willie!
berseliusQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Not surprised. He’s huge friends with Lester who is probably a conspiracy theorist. Rizzo is probably one of the only people in this country in favor of gun control but supported the fucks who tried to overthrow the government on 1/6.
dmick89Quote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Also, Jacob DeGrom now has elbow tendinitis, and might miss his start against the Cubs next week.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Has there ever been a bigger waste of baseball talent than Jacob DeGrom these last five to seven seasons with the Mets?
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
dmick89,
not to be that guy, but I found it hard to enjoy that awesome at bat/homerun because of this, and then watching him high five 30 guys (covid and vaccines and safety protocols don’t matter when you’re winning)….. and the full park while cool to see again just looked superspreadery af. hope the delta variant wasn’t there and rizzo and sogard et al arent’ spreading it
grateful for the second shot I got today in a country that isn’t overflowing with vax supply like the one rizzo benefits from
SKQuote Reply
Did I see 90 on a Hendricks pitch? Is it a hot gun?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Happ!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
SK,
No worries, though, because he and his loved ones are surrounded by people protecting them all by actually giving a shit and having a clue and sacrificing for the dumber and/or greater good.
andcountingQuote Reply
Why was Hendricks allowed to swing 3-1?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
I have to think a sign got missed somewhere.
andcountingQuote Reply
Joc!
berseliusQuote Reply
Stupid Pirates
PerkinsQuote Reply
I had not known Craig Kimbrel is only 6 feet tall, and these navy unis make him look a lot shorter for some reason.
PerkinsQuote Reply
M ——–> Inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
bump
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s sweep aspirant squadron
LF Pederson
RF Bryant
1B Rizzo
C Contreras
CF Happ
3B Wisdom
2B Sogard
SS Alcantara
P Davies
berseliusQuote Reply
Starting to lose my faith in the Pirates.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rizzo!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
M ———> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
C Contreras
LF Bryant
1B Rizzo
3B Wisdom
CF Marisnick
RF Heyward
SS Alcantara
2B Sogard
P Arrieta
berseliusQuote Reply
ANT*HONY!!
*IVAX
andcountingQuote Reply
WISDOM will not allow the antivaxxer to stay tied with him in homers!
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Or . . . RIZZDOM!
andcountingQuote Reply
Isn’t Rizzo a cancer survivor? He was a stupid motherfucker before I remembered that, but now he’s even dumber than that. Surely one of his doctors bitch slapped him upside his head and told him that he was being a moron, right?
dmick89Quote Reply
Dammit.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
It’s strange how Rizzo crowds the plate even more than Bryant, but the latter seems to get way more HBP-related injuries.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Javy!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
55 mph doubles to where the third baseman usually plays are so infuriating.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Aside from getting Brothers out of this game, here’s my idea for speeding up the pace of play:
Start a rumor that the umpires have been instructed to contract the strike zone as time transpires between pitches. After the pitcher has had the ball for, 5, 10 seconds, the borderline pitches would be balls.
I mean, they could actually instruct the umps to do that, but just starting the rumor would be effective.
andcountingQuote Reply
Maybe swing, fellas.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rizzo is beefier and I think he wears more padding.
PerkinsQuote Reply
That was an aggressive send.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
The F were you doing with that send
berseliusQuote Reply
Damn.
andcountingQuote Reply
berselius,
I wouldn’t even have sent that runner home in beer league softball
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Even with Heyward coming up?
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
With one out, a ground ball to second could score that run (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
Seeing the Cubs sweep the Cardinals was really fun. Staring down the barrel of a likely four game sweep at the hands of the Mets, not so much.
That said, we could see deGrom throw an 18 strikeout game tonight.
PerkinsQuote Reply
berselius,
(dying laughing), yes, I’m kidding. It is interesting that on the Mets broadcast they said he ran through a stop sign. I’ve seen no video of Harris, but that seems likely.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I just saw Ross’s postgame saying he agreed with the send, so I’d say that settles the matter of what happened even if it was dumb.
andcountingQuote Reply
(dying laughing) at the spring training lineup today. Might as well rest folks when you can against deGrom.
berseliusQuote Reply
Ouch.
andcountingQuote Reply
Cubs lose.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Is deGrom hurt? He was dealing.
PerkinsQuote Reply
No, Marquee, I don’t want to watch Ryan Dempster monologues.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
He left with shoulder soreness.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Show. The. Game.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Swoonage Junedream by David Bowie and the Cubes from Mars
SKQuote Reply
Javy!!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hey, the Cubs avoided a sweep!
PerkinsQuote Reply
Cardinals lose. Brewers somehow losing. If MIA holds on, then this week will have gone a lot better than it could have.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Stupid Melancon
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
(dying laughing), the Reds blew their lead.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Reds lose.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Brewers lose.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Not sure why I thought the Brewers were playing MIA yesterday. I will go without dinner.
PerkinsQuote Reply
I love how Caratini drove in the winning run against the Reds.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
A leadoff Cubs homer is sponsored by like 13 different companies on the radio broadcast.
andcountingQuote Reply
Davies should give up homers first and THEN walk everyone.
andcountingQuote Reply
Stupid Daniel Bard.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
On a related note, I am amazed that Bard is a) still pitching and b) only 35 years old.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Brewers lose.
Cardinals lose.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I miss Yu Darvish. He was a lot more fun to watch than 2021 Arrieta.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Jake looks ill, statistically anyway.
andcountingQuote Reply
I’m watching Ryan Jensen pitch. He’s looking good against these A-ball hitters and is touching 98. I don’t see any reason he can’t join the Cubs rotation right now.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I spoke too soon. Ugh.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
there are still Democratic senators who belong to all white country clubs
the cubs suck, per my dad
happy father’s day to them’s that celebrate
SKQuote Reply
My advice to Rizzo would be to stop getting picked off.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Let’s see if the Cubs can manage to get no hit and still win this game (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
Wow, two TOOTBLANS from Rizzo.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
He’s clearly not immune to making mistakes in the basepaths.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
(dying laughing), frustrating, because both ended innings for the Cubs—a real shot in the arm for the Marlins.
andcountingQuote Reply
Oof.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Brewers——————————> Cubs fans
SKQuote Reply
Bryant!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
KB!!!
andcountingQuote Reply
Joc.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Runs.
andcountingQuote Reply
When Willson and Javy are on the basepaths at the same time, it’s a special kind of chaos.
andcountingQuote Reply
Tepera with an uncommon bed shitting.
PerkinsQuote Reply
At least he picked a good night for it
berseliusQuote Reply
Willsdom!
berseliusQuote Reply
M —–> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
I’m worried how this will affect this ranking in the MVP voting this year.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
He’s got a long way to go before he reaches the level of Cubs Legend Shawn Camp.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
“He saved us”*
*Cubs missed playoffs
SKQuote Reply
Great job, D-Backs.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
So…Schwarber has two more homers today. I’m happy for that dude.
andcountingQuote Reply
Javy!
berseliusQuote Reply
Willson!!
andcountingQuote Reply
Davies doing a thing.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Didn’t see the game, but the walk total reminds me of that no hitter by the Diamondbacks. I think it was Edwin Jackson. Didn’t he walk 8 and throw 140 pitches or something?
dmick89Quote Reply
Holy shit, they threw a no hitter?
andcountingQuote Reply
dmick89,
Yes, 8 BB and 149 pitches.
Last night was particularly crazy because a double play and a pick-off negated two of the walks, so the Dodgers wound up with only 25 at bats. Their OBP for the no hitter was .242. (dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
Again.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
John Smoltz is such a windbag. Wasn’t there a time when he was considered one of the smarter commentators?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
That Heyward HR overturn was horseshit.
PerkinsQuote Reply
The ball disappears as it passes the foul poll! It must be one of those ghost balls!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I obviously meant “foul pole.” The last election broke my brain.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Happ!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I know Sogard probably has to play sometimes, but when he hits sixth and they just freely admit there are three worse hitters in the lineup it’s too depressing.
andcountingQuote Reply
Whatthehellwasthat.gif
PerkinsQuote Reply
The team finally playing as designed.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
I’ve been buried in work for the past week and missed most of the games…looks like that was a silver lining.
berseliusQuote Reply
Scheduled day off??? Are they even trying to win the division?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
OK, this makes more sense.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Bring it home . . . Eric.
andcountingQuote Reply
That was a debut I recently enjoyed.
andcountingQuote Reply
I do not enjoy watching Jake pitch anymore.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
The Brewers were essentially out of this game from the get go, but in a fit of hypocrisy, Arrieta is giving the Brewers a shot.
andcountingQuote Reply
Shit.
andcountingQuote Reply
I’ve got good news and bad news….
andcountingQuote Reply
Arrieta would probably pitch better if he got the Covid vaccine.
Or maybe he wouldn’t, but at least he’d be less of a goober.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Much as I’d like to see the Cubs win, any team that squanders a 7 run lead deserves to lose.
They also should consider DFA-ing Arrieta at this point. He’s been awful this year and he can’t even give them innings.
PerkinsQuote Reply
So…the Cubs jumped out to a 7-run lead in the first and are now losing by that margin in the 4th.
andcountingQuote Reply
It’s been a minute since I wrote this post and was feeling good about the Cubs, (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
*Checks record and sees Cubs lost 6 in a row*
Ah, there’s the Cubs team I expected this year.
WaLiQuote Reply
This feels like an eternity ago
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
yeah but it is still fun to see
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
this squad blows
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Wow, I was kind of hopeful the Cubs wouldn’t see .500 again. They got hit hard with the regression stick.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Robinson Chirinos——->Cubs
Surely this will right the ship.
PerkinsQuote Reply
KB with the rare foot-first slide into first base (it didn’t work).
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Going to be ten in a row.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
SKQuote Reply
Charlie O. Finlay on inventing the DH, the benefits of orange baseballs, suing Bowie Kuhn and MLB (45 years ago today)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yXucH1beH0
SKQuote Reply
the last time he was on the cubs, they sucked and avoided last place only because the pirates were having a historically bad year. it’s nice of the cubs to keep things consistent so chirinos has an easy time assimilating.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
when he played on the 2010 squad, mike quade was the manager.
carlos silva, koyie hill, xavier nady, blake dewitt, bobby scales, and brian schlitter were also on that team. and who could forget the cajun connection. (did you know they went to LSU together????? so cool!!)
then chirinos got traded (with hak-ju lee, chris archer, sam fuld and brandon guyer) to the rays for matt garza, fernando perez and zac rosscup.
there are some really, really bad names listed there. this shitty trip down memory lane to re-visit an absolute garbage team was brought to you by des moines – the S’s are silent, but the town is buzzing.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
When the Cubs first signed Chirinos, it was technically still the twentieth century.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Whoever took over for Ross last night pinch hit Sogard for Wisdom. That decision continues to confound me to the point I can’t even bring myself to think about how bad the team is playing.
andcountingQuote Reply
Arietta is here to remind you.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
*Arrieta. My phone had the wrong spelling for some reason.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Can we get Clevenger back?
andcountingQuote Reply
11 straight.
PerkinsQuote Reply
If that’s not Jake Arrieta’s final start in a Cubs uniform, I’ll be kinda irritated. But it probably doesn’t matter since there are likely no playoff implications at this point.
PerkinsQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
This hasn’t aged well.
BVSQuote Reply
Miss me?
Things I’ve seen/heard enough of this year.
1. Jake Arrieta
2. Eric Sogard (yay IL)
3. Willson as the everyday starter (but I’d recant on #2 if Sogard were to start at C 2x/week until he hit the 60 day IL)
4. Ian Happ batting
5. Rick Sutcliffe. Wow he adds less than nothing to the broadcast. He is the Jake Arrieta of announcers. Every day he starts the rest of the team has to work harder. Surprisingly, I think Dempster has been ok.
6. Rizzo. 30 some odd 1b often don’t age well, a la Pujols. If he can’t figure out the shift and stop GIDP, then he’s not worth the contract he is asking for.
Otoh, despite KBs June slump. I think he should be the top Cubs FA to target to re-sign, though I doubt it’ll happen.
I’ll take the Javy Baez who can draw a walk any time. But I fear that’s just a 2-day thing in July.
Love Boog.
Seems like Steele has promise.
Hit a Pelicans game a week or so ago. There’s some hope there.
BVSQuote Reply
Um.
andcountingQuote Reply
Because he’d be much better with 2 days off/week
BVSQuote Reply
Who do they have that is playing reasonably well? I just took a (very quick) look at their roster and ed howard is really the only name that I recognized.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
BVS,
Oooooh, gotcha.
andcountingQuote Reply
It survived a lot longer than most of my other takes. (dying laughing)
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
So I follow the minors somewhat more than a passing glance, but less than checking the scores each day and I don’t try to keep up with every draft pick like GW did here a few years ago. Myrtle Beach is my local team and we buy passbooks every year, which gets me to 5-10 games. I haven’t seen Howard play yet. He was only off the IL a couple days when I was last there at a game and had the night off.
Some of the prospect raters have been pretty high on Yohendrick Piñango. He didn’t do much the last game I saw, but then he went on a tear for the rest of the week.
I was really impressed by the D from Fabian Pertuz at SS. He also had a couple good hits.
Jordan Nwogu also looked good. Big guy. Good power but also stole both 2nd and 3rd as the Birds were trying to come back from a deficit. He was either 3rd or 4th round pick last year. From Canada but played at UMich, which shows questionable judgment to this Spartan/Buckeye alum, but then again he also signed with the Cubs so there’s a pattern there.
Ethan Hearn had a decent night behind and at the plate.
A couple years ago there was excitement about Richard Gallardo, who was ranked 10-20 I think in the Cubs system. I didn’t see anything to merit that (and he’s not ranked top 30 anymore). The Charleston River Dogs had him totally figured out. He did last longer and gave up fewer runs than May/June 21 Arrieta though.
With the minor league reorg, the Pelicans are low A instead of high A. I haven’t seen low A baseball since Corey Patterson was a Lansing Lugnut. It’s definitely a step below high A.
BVSQuote Reply
Has Tom Trebelhorn addressed the crowd out on Waveland yet?
uncle daveQuote Reply
Ha! Was just trying to remember who the manager was that was forced to do that. I was thinking riggleman but knew it didn’t sound quite right.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
BVS,
Gotcha, thank you. Pinango rings a bell but the others are all new to me. Will have to start paying more attention to the minors again because I think the mlb squad is about to get totally gutted…
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
I think Hearn was bought out of a college commit in ’19.
I still have no idea who Pertuz is, other than some kid who flashed some fantastic leather and wasn’t hopeless at the plate.
This year if I go to a game on July 29, I won’t assume that a player with buzz who is out of the lineup has been traded. Back in ’16, I was at the Pelican game on the night the Cubs traded Gleyber Torrez for Chapman. Gleyber didn’t play that night. I knew he was traded.
Next time I go, I’ll put together a little write up, if y’all want.
BVSQuote Reply
Wonders never cease.
Cubs win
BVSQuote Reply
Apparently what the Cubs needed to break out of their funk was
*checks notes*
Zack Wheeler.
PerkinsQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron looks like the ashes of a fire sale.
andcountingQuote Reply
On a lighter note, Max Scherzer gave up a grand slam to a relief pitcher.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Played like it too.
The Hope Monster gets no sustenance from me. This team is cooked.
BVSQuote Reply
The Cubs are bad again, but a Cubs day game blowout of the Cardinals at Wrigley will always put a spring in your step going into the weekend.
berseliusQuote Reply
At this minute, only the Rays have a better record in their last three games than the Cubs.
BVSQuote Reply
Winkler has replaced Maples as the human white flag out of the bullpen.
andcountingQuote Reply
Hey, Dillon Maples just finished off a seven-inning no-hitter in Iowa.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Even rarer: Willians Astidillo drew a walk and struck out.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
9 more new Cubs today. I’m not enough of an evaluator to make guesses on these guys, but some sound intriguing. My bet is 1-2 don’t sign and go to college.
Though I wonder how much cutting the draft in half and minors by 1/4 will encourage kids to sign, rather than go the independent ball route instead of things don’t go well in college.
BVSQuote Reply
Joc—-> ATL.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Apparently for Atlanta’s 11th-18th ranked prospect, depending on who’s ranking. I guess that’s not bad for a guy hitting slightly below league average and owed $4M or so.
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
Yeah, on the trajectory the franchise has decided on, it’s a win. And bottom line, they wanted to be sellers this year. I don’t think there’s a soul in the front office who wasn’t thrilled with the losing streak.
andcountingQuote Reply
Is Jed Hoyer actually Ryno?
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Cubs win! Sellers my ass!
andcountingQuote Reply
Willson!!!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Clutch hits!
berseliusQuote Reply
Son of Robin! Son of Will!
andcountingQuote Reply
M ——————> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
I’m going to go out on a limb and award Willson Contreras the Player of the Game honors. I think he deserves it.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Runs, yay.
andcountingQuote Reply
Just checked real time box score and from looking at who’s pitching and who’s at bat I have no clue whether Cubs are in the field or what.
It happens more often than not.
SKQuote Reply
Well, Bryant has hamstring fatigue, which is code for “in exchange for your best prospects please rent our injured all-star. “
And the Cards have loaded the bases with Cubs to dangle the hopes of pissing away their five-run lead in the 9th.
andcountingQuote Reply
4-run lead. I’m such a sucker for this garbage.
andcountingQuote Reply
3-run lead. Still loaded. 1 out.
andcountingQuote Reply
1-run. 1 down.
andcountingQuote Reply
Cubs lead.
andcountingQuote Reply
I left the Cubs for dead before the 9th inning started, but decided to check the score before going to bed. Wow.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Wow.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Whaaaa?
berseliusQuote Reply
Mom—————-> inverted.
andcountingQuote Reply
Still (dying laughing) at Patrick Wisdom going 0-2 with 2 K’s and 1 run scored in the 9th.
andcountingQuote Reply
Sogard(dying laughing)!
andcountingQuote Reply
Javy’s literal walk-off single is my new favorite movie. It has so many nuances and levels upon levels of psychological depth and cinematic brilliance.
andcountingQuote Reply
andrew chafin —–> somewhere, for someone(s)
someone(s) from somewhere —–> cubs
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Damn, I might actually have to write a new post now. I thought KB would go first.
berseliusQuote Reply
http://www.obstructedview.net/fire-sale-season/
berseliusQuote Reply