OSS: It’s just the Tigers, but still great to see Cyle looking like Cyle
Three up:
- Kyle Hendricks put up a vintage Cyle performance, striking out eight batters with no walks and no runs through eight innings. He had a shot for a complete game, but was pulled after a few ground balls found holes in the ninth, and was dinged for a run on a should-be double play at the end of the game that was overturned by replay.
- Ian Happ, newly returned to the roster, also had a great day, going 3-4 with a double and a homer. Between him and Pederson it looks like the key to getting one’s bat going is time on the DL. Given how the last few weeks have gone injury wise, the Cubs offense is about to asplode.
- No one else particularly stood out today, so I’ll slot Joc Pederson into the last spot here. He wasn’t so hot today but he’s been on fire since returning from the IL/using Rizzo’s bats.
Three down:
- I can’t get worked up enough about anything in this game, so I’ll go back to complain about the Cubs going 1-241 with runners in scoring position in the two game Cleveland series. This Cubs team is not a juggernaught by any stretch, but it’s not hard to imagine that they could have a pretty nice record right now with a few bounces going their way. That’s probably just the meatball fan in me talking here.
- How much longer is Trevor Williams’s rope? Strategically it was a pretty good signing but it’s just not working out. I’m not the biggest fan of Keegan Thompson, despite the early ERA numbers has come out of nowhere, but compared to Williams he might be in line for a shot at the rotation.
- The Cubs bullpen has shown many flashes of improvement this year, but Saturday’s game was pretty ugly. 6 runs against the Tigers offense is not great…and the offense kept giving them chances to win.
Comments
If the Cubs could play the Tigers exclusively, they could potentially be a .500 team.
andcountingQuote Reply
Heyward!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Schwarber!
It’s kinda crazy seeing Lester, Schwarber, and Castro.
andcountingQuote Reply
Javy!
PerkinsQuote Reply
Javy!
Lester has to hate that, (dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
I don’t approve of these gambling sites, but…is there a way you can bet on Happ striking out with a man on 3rd?
andcountingQuote Reply
Nance!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Walkoff win in our first night of beer league softball for the season!
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
You should take a page out of BN’s playbook and expand this online blog website into covering your softball league as well. Gotta build that brand.
MillertimeQuote Reply
Millertime,
Since the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic, we made “UNDEFEATED SEASON” jerseys for 2021 (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
One of the founding members of the team keeps a stats spreadsheet that goes all the way back to 1997.
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
C Contreras
RF Bryant
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
LF Duffy
CF Happ
3B Bote
2B Hoerner
P Davis
berseliusQuote Reply
Not sure why gameday thinks the score is 4-1 instead of 5-3
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
That may explain why I got multiple notifications that mundane things had happened causing the Cubs to extend their lead to the same score it had been for awhile.
andcountingQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron vs Capn Heterochome
LF Pederson
1B Bryant
CF Happ
C Contreras
3B Bote
RF Heyward
SS Sogard
2B Hoerner
P Arrieta
Also
Wolters —–> DFA
PJ Higgins —–> Cubs
berseliusQuote Reply
At some point I think Bryant’s versatility went from being overhyped to under appreciated, but he’s a five-position player hitting the shit out of the baseball this year. I don’t want to see him go, but I don’t see him staying. He really should be traded as soon as possible, but still, damn he’s a good baseball player when he’s healthy.
andcountingQuote Reply
Nico!
andcountingQuote Reply
Has any runner in history used the “runner’s lane” en route to first?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
LF Pederson
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
CF Happ
3B Bote
2B Hoerner
RF Martini
C Higgins
P Williams
Also, Heyward ——-> DL
berseliusQuote Reply
andcounting,
Back in like 2015 I think it was when they plugged Bryant into CF that I noticed the team had plus-plus athletes running around everywhere and I realized that the team was probably gonna be pretty good. I doubt he could do it now, but when he first broke in it seems like he could’ve played pretty regularly out there. Just a freak.
uncle daveQuote Reply
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31478397/jed-hoyer-disappointed-chicago-cubs-not-reaching-85-covid-19-vaccination-threshold
berseliusQuote Reply
Happ!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Happ again!
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
It’s pretty funny, as I was reading Hoyer’s comments, I thought, I know for damn sure Arrieta isn’t vaccinated, then the very next paragraph was Arrieta saying there were no real advantages to getting to 85%. (dying by being stupid)
andcountingQuote Reply
Deja Happ!
andcountingQuote Reply
Feels like we’re in a whole new world here, seeing Williams pitch past the third inning.
berseliusQuote Reply
(dying laughing), I just realized that my feed is like an inning behind for some reason
berseliusQuote Reply
The Cubs are in 2nd place with a theoretical if not realistic opportunity to pull into a tie for 1st with St. Louis by the conclusion of the weekend.
This game is stupid.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Jeebus, just promise those idiots a pizza party or something.
uncle daveQuote Reply
Joc!
andcountingQuote Reply
What a weird inning.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Javy walk alert.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hoerner!
andcountingQuote Reply
Molina!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Bryant!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
KB!
andcountingQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Weird game.
andcountingQuote Reply
KBB!
andcountingQuote Reply
Pour it on fellas
berseliusQuote Reply
Two baserunning mistakes in one inning. Embarrassing.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
8 runs, 2 TOOTBLANS, and an Arenado error to make it all happen. All in one inning.
andcountingQuote Reply
That was a blowout win I recently enjoyed.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Alzolay seems to dance between crazy good and pretty hittable. He doesn’t look hittable tonight.
andcountingQuote Reply
Huge strike zone today.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Does anybody like split-screen in-game interviews?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Editors, directors, producers, maybe, but no one who has to watch them. Of all the detail, precision, and beauty HD videography and widescreen formatting affords us, networks use it to stuff needless extra bullshit into the frame. It’s like putting bumper stickers on a Ferrari.
andcountingQuote Reply
Zach Zaidman is not a play-by-play announcer. It sounds like they’re playing charades and Zaidman’s doing the guessing and gets super excited when he figures it out.
“There’s a . . . fly ball . . . and it’s gonna be . . . in there . . . for a base hit? . . . All the way to THE WALL, IT’S A TRIPLE! A TRIPLE!”
andcountingQuote Reply
I appreciate the Marquee announcers so much now.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
andcounting,
To be fair to Zach, he’s broadcasting from the TV monitors at Wrigley
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Yeah, it’s not a new development.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
True. It doesn’t make me miss Judd Sirott though (dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
(dying laughing)
FWIW, I realize it’s one of the more difficult things to do as a broadcaster, and it’s not his main role. But I find myself hoping for a 1-2-3 inning for both sides when Pat is out of the booth.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I still wish they could bring Cory Provus back, he was aces. Odds seem low though since he’s been offered the #1 job from two different teams (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
Kris Bryant is very good, in my opinion.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
OK, we need to take the “where it would have been a home run” tool away from announcers until they learn to use it responsibly.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Nico!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Stupid umpires.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Do the Cubs play 9-inning games anymore?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Just got back and tuned in, some of the camera shots are real weird. You see the pitcher start to throw, then they switch to the CF camera and it’s like there’s a 1-2 sec delay. I had too many zesty beverages to process this (dying laughing).
berseliusQuote Reply
JAVY
berseliusQuote Reply
Javy!!!!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Not gonna lie, I’m glad that Kimbrel isn’t running the bases here.
berseliusQuote Reply
M———> inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
Kinda funny the Cubs’ first runner to reach second was placed there by rule in extras. Also JAVY!
andcountingQuote Reply
http://www.obstructedview.net/cubs-2-cardinals-1/
berseliusQuote Reply