OSS: Russell gets his first big hit, and the Cubs “sweep” the series.
Three up
1. Addison Russell just missed a grand slam in the fourth inning, clearing the bases with a double to right center. That should keep the demotion grumbles quiet for a while.
2. Miguel Montero had the other Cubs RBI on the day with a solo HR in the second and an RBI single in the fourth.
3. Jake Arrieta put clown shoes on the Reds batters the first three innings, though he had a little more trouble the second time through the lineup. He finished with 6 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K.
Three down
1. Soler’s had a rough few games at the plate, and finished the day as the only Cubs position player with a significantly negative WPA. And even then, most of that was due to a fist inning strikeout while the game was still tied.
2. Hard to find much else to complain about here. The Cubs biggest negative WPA plays with runners on base were Arrieta strikeouts. Can’t wait until the DH gets to the NL.
3. Pretty lame of the Reds to wait 4+ hours to cancel the game yesterday, though I get it. From what Len said the radar kept making it look like things would be good, but it just kept raining even after it looked like it shouldn’t have. Given the lack of recent and upcoming off days, it was good for the Cubs bullpen. They have an off day on Thursday, then 17 games in a row without a break.
Next game: Vance Worley vs Jason Hammel, 7:05 PM CT. Will be interested to see how much construction they’ve gotten done at Wrigley while the team’s been on the road.
#wearegood