Cubs 5, Diamondbacks 3

In Commentary And Analysis by dmick8921 Comments

OSS: Jason Hammel dominates on the mound and has the biggest hit of the game. The Cubs improve to 8-1 on this 10-game homestand and they have Jake Arrieta going tomorrow. 

Three up:

  1. Jason Hammel returned from his abbreviated start last time with 7 excellent innings. He only allowed 1 hit, though that hit was a 1st inning home run to Jake Lamb with a man on base. Hammel also singled up the middle in the 4th inning with 2 outs in a tie game. Two scored and the Cubs never lost the lead. Hammel has 7 RBI this season and according to Myles his OPS is the same as Jason Heyward's.
  2. Jorge Soler hit a game tying ground rule double in the 4th inning. It was the second highest WPA play of the game (Hammel's go-ahead single was the top play). 
  3. Travis Wood came in for Trevor Cahill in the 8th inning after Pedro Strop had a difficult time retiring the Diamondbacks. Wood got Rickie Weeks, Jr. to lineout to Ben Zobrist. That could easily have given the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead. 

Three down

  1. Pedro Strop gave up a leadoff home run in the 8th and then after Nick Ahmed grounded out and Michael Bourn struckout, Jean Segura lined a single to CF. Brandon Drury singled to LF and Joe Maddon had had enough of Strop for the day. 
  2. Trevor Cahill was called on to get Paul Goldschmidt after Strop left the game. This one goes to Cahill who walked Goldschmidt on 4 pitches and to Joe Maddon and all managers in baseball who refuse to use their closers when it's most important. There's no reason Hector Rondon should not have been brought in to face Goldy. It's why closers get paid a lot of money, but they're never used in this manner anymore. I guess 8-man bullpens are more important. 
  3. Addison Russell was 1-4 today, but he struckout a couple of times and looked terrible doing so. I had hoped his pinch hit PA yesterday was the start of something, but he's not going too well right now. He's really struggling. 

Next up: Patrick Corbin vs. Jake Arrieta on Sunday at 1:20 CT. Arrieta goes for his 10th win of the season as the Cubs go for their 40th win of the season. 

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Comments

  1. Rice Cube

    Seems that was a TSS and not an OSS if the acronym means what I think it means.

    Very nice of the Cubs to win this before I had to go in for the commencement today.

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  2. cerulean

    Rice Cube:
    Seems that was a TSS and not an OSS if the acronym means what I think it means.

    Shhhh. The meaning of OSS is one of life’s great mysteries.

    *racks brain for meaning*

    “Damn you, OSS. One day I’ll figure you out, one day.”

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  3. cerulean

    The priceless title of the replay of Rondon’s final out:

    Rondon induces a lineout to earns the save

    Can we all agree that lineouts are not “induced”.

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  4. Rizzo the Rat

    There’s still a ~1% chance the Cubs don’t win the division. If 2011 taught me anything, it’s to take nothing for granted.

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