OSS: Welcome back, Cyle.
Three up:
- Kyle Hendricks had by far his best game of the season so far, striking out eleven batters in seven shutout innings. His changeup was working today and he was getting plenty of swings and misses. Over the last three games, Cubs starters have combined for 26 strikeouts and just two walks over 21 shutout innings.
- The wind was the real MVP today, inducing some Keystone Kops level defense from the Dbacks as they dealt with a high Kris Bryant blooper that drove in the first two Cubs runs. Rizzo hit a triple that wasn’t so directly wind-aided, but you have to think the OFs were slow off the mark due to the unpredictablity.
- The Cubs drew a crapton of walks in this one, if by a crapton you mean nine. They racked up the pitches in the early going and chased the Dbacks starter early, knocking him out in the fourth inning.
- Bonus – The Brewers lost, and as an extra bonus Hader threw a ton of pitches before giving up the lead.
Three down:
- A rough day for Javy at the plate, as he went 0-5 with three strikeouts, including a strikeout with the bases clogged to end the second inning.
- Brad Brach came in to pitch the ninth and promptly gave up three hits, finally breaking the Cubs pitching staff’s scoreless innings streak.
- Daniel Descalso had the most negative WPA play of the day, striking out with the bases clogged in the second inning just before of Bryant’s go-ahead ‘double’.
Next up: Yu Darvish takes on Zack Greinke in a 1:20 PM CT start.
Comments
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
RF Zobrist
3B Bryant
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
C Contreras
CF Heyward
2B Descalso
LF War Bear
P Darvish
berseliusQuote Reply
What was your favorite moment of the Brandon Morrow era?
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
I’m embracing today.
andcountingQuote Reply
Morrow shut down after setback.
dmick89Quote Reply
#Schwarberthrow
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
#Escobomb
andcountingQuote Reply
The Cubs are going to need a lot of outfield assists to get through this game.
andcountingQuote Reply
At least both of the singles were soft.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Two home runs allowed already. Yu Darvish must be pithing.
dmick89Quote Reply
Greinke is an ugly dude, but the Diamondback unis make it even worse. I’ve got to listen to the rest of this on the radio.
andcountingQuote Reply
How the fuck does Javy keep breaking his bat on the shittiest of contact
SKQuote Reply
SK,
By swinging at pitches well outside the zone?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
It surprises me that the bat breaks on those.
SKQuote Reply
SK,
The bat breaks because he isn’t hitting it well. i.e., the ball isn’t hitting the strongest part of the bat.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Christian Yelich is good at sports.
dmick89Quote Reply
Good job, good effort Marlins FO
berseliusQuote Reply
Yelich has 13 home runs already. Which Cubs players end up hitting more than 13 all season? I’m going with Baez, Rizzo, Schwarber and Contreras.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I’ll predict one of the Cubs third basemen will hit 13.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
As a dumbass who doesn’t understand physics it still seems weird to me that a weak swing at a slow pitch would have that result. Sorry but these useless comments are all I have to say about yesterday’s game.
SKQuote Reply
SK,
Slow and weak are relative to the fastest MLB pitches and the mightiest MLB swings. Relative to plain ol’ human physics, a baseball thrown at 80 mph (with rotational velocity and directional velocity added into the mix) hitting anything is going to transfer a lot of force in a very small amount of time. When the object it hits is a heavy wooden club being swung faster than a child could swing it, that’s an incredible amount of energy colliding in opposite directions, certainly enough to break a bat if applied in the right spot.
The further away the point of contact is from the center of the bat’s mass, the less of the bat’s force will have time to transfer to the baseball. Javy frequently makes contact at the end of the bat (when he tries to pull pitches a foot or so outside) meaning about 10% of the bat is slowed down by the ball while the other 90% is still moving at full speed. Because the swing is slower, the resulting lesser force also takes longer to accelerate the baseball than would a more forceful swing, drawing out the transfer of energy from the ball to the point of contact and down through the handle of the bat. More energy is effectively applied toward bending the bat than when direct contact is made at the center of force.
I think, maybe. .
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Probably, but has Bryant even hit 5 home runs since coming off the DL last year? It’s been about 2 months of play at this point and I doubt he’s even hit 5. I hope I’m worrying for nothing, but it sure seems that his shoulder injury took away all of his power.
dmick89Quote Reply
andcounting,
Yeah that’s pretty much right. Also why Mo Rivera was famous for breaking a ton of bats despite not throwing all that hard.
berseliusQuote Reply
dmick89,
I’m growing more skeptical by the game. But I’m still reasonably confident either Bryant or Bote will hit 13.
andcountingQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
CF Almora
LF Bryant
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
C Contreras
3B Bote
2B Zobrist
P Chatwood
RF Zagunis
berseliusQuote Reply
Rosario———>Iowa
Mills———> Cubs
berseliusQuote Reply
I’m calling it. Chatwood has the same or more strikeouts than walks today.
MylesQuote Reply
4 pitch walk to start. Great work.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
I’d like to see him walk 16 and strikeout 15.
dmick89Quote Reply
That should be his nickname.
dmick89Quote Reply
andcounting,
You have experience teaching dumbasses, don’t you?
That made total sense to me. But I would have never deduced it by myself.
SKQuote Reply
As long as Chatwood doesn’t miss the plate completely on every pitch, he seems to be able to beat hitters.
SKQuote Reply
Uhh, Chatwood is dominating.
MylesQuote Reply
SK,
Pat just now: “he is throwing strikes, which is encouraging”
SKQuote Reply
Who is this stranger on the mound for the Cubs?
berseliusQuote Reply
Javy!
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
I was beginning to despair
SKQuote Reply
Shart
WaLiQuote Reply
Boatface!
berseliusQuote Reply
Great game. Cubs are back baby
WaLiQuote Reply
Hader just gave up another go-ahead homer.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Brewers lose.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
SK,
I watched the episode of Sports Science that covered this. (dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
The Cubs are in a homestand and the Dodgers are coming in from MIL. No reason for an off day today.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
5 off days already and only 20 games played. The program that does the scheduling sucks.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Do they not use that couple anymore?
WaLiQuote Reply
Perkins,
Don’t worry, they have two more off days next week.
berseliusQuote Reply
Off days by months
March/April: 6
May: 3
June: 1 (seriously)
July: 4 (not including the ASB that all teams get)
August: 3
September: 2
My guess is that June and September are the worst months for this team and that March/April is the best we’ll see them all season.
dmick89Quote Reply
Doh apparently they haven’t for years now.
WaLiQuote Reply
I’m surprised this blog didn’t spontaneously combust after Chatwood got through 6 innings on 71 pitches.
JonKneeVQuote Reply
JonKneeV,
I can’t believe Joe pulled him before he could finish his Maddux.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Yeah but on the plus side, Joe pulled him before he could finish his Chatwood
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Diamondbacks just pulled ahead of the Pirates with a 7 run inning.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Rooting for a couple of 16 inning games in StL this week
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Ideally games wherein Hader gives up more HR and throws over 100 pitches combined.
PerkinsQuote Reply
To beat a dead horse, this off day makes the least sense of all of them.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
What about the ones that occur the day after the 3-day all star break?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Well, since most of the Cubs will certainly be playing in the All Star Game, that will be a much needed respite. (dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
http://www.obstructedview.net/series-preview-los-angeles-dodgers-of-los-angeles-15-9-at-chicago-cubs-10-10/
berseliusQuote Reply