OSS: Adbert Alzolay Arrives Alliteravely
Three up:
- Adbert Alzolay made his major league debut as a piggyback starter with Chatwood, and looked very impressive. Who knew that the Cubs could develop any pitchers? Alzolay struck out five batters in four innings and had wicked stuff. He was pulled in his fifth inning of the game after giving up a solo shot to Todd Frazier, and walked off tipping his cap to a standing ovation from the Wrigley crowd. Not a bad day to start one’s career.
- Javy had a big game, homering and hitting an RBI triple as a part of the big Cubs rally in the third inning against the Mets debuting(ish) pitcher. The triple was aided but yet another JavySlide™.
- The defense did its job behind Tyler Chatwood, turning three double plays on a night where Chatwood was mostly throwing strikes but allowing a lot of hard contact.
Three down:
- I guess Daniel Descalso must be happy that Ben Zobrist is going through all these personal issues, because otherwise his role on this team going forward would be even less clear. He did have a good defensive play and knocked in the Cubs first run, but he lead the team in negative WPA in this game anyway. The main reaction when he showed up in the lineup seemed to be “oh, you’re still here?”.
- A ball in the dirt from Chatwood ended up as a ball to the balls for Willson. He stuck it out but I’d be shocked if he didn’t get a day off tomorrow.
- I only saw it in the highlights, but at one point during Alzolay’s outing Todd Frazier was granted time very late. Alzolay lost the handle on a pitch later in the PA and threw one behind him, and the Mets broadcasters were speculating that this guy, who was making his MLB debut, was sending a message pitch for this. Maybe let’s pump the brakes a little, fellas.
Next up: Jason Vargas takes on Yu Darvish, who looked stellar against the Dodgers, at 1:20 PM.
Comments
Based on the url for this post, the Mets sure love losing to the Cubs by a score of 7-4
berseliusQuote Reply
What? He had an RBI hit and a positive WPA (0.53, per Fangraphs) for the game.
https://www.fangraphs.com/wins.aspx?date=2019-06-20&team=Cubs&dh=0&season=2019
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Hmm, I must have had something on my screen that lined things up to make it look negative. Still Descalso has been pretty terrible for a while.
berseliusQuote Reply
Tom G. from the Athletic suggested that Chatwood and Alzolay piggy-back until Hendricks comes back. I sort of love the idea, and support it whole-heartedly. I think Chatwood deserves another start, and I want to limit Alzolay’s innings for the year.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
What’s the word on Hendricks? Hopefully he’s not out much longer. My guess is that once Hendricks is back Alzolay will return to AAA where he can get consistent work.
dmick89Quote Reply
Not good. Talking “around ASG,” which tells me he’s missing at least 3 starts and probably more.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
It sounded like they caught the injury before it got really bad but they’d be extra cautious before letting him get back to pitching. If it’s the difference between missing a month and missing a year, that would be a good thing. And usually my most optimistic expectations are the ones that end up happening, so fear not.
andcountingQuote Reply
Yeah, I’d give be super, super cautious with him. We have a surfeit of arms that could replace him in the short-term, and Hendricks needs to be ready to go down the stretch.
MylesQuote Reply
Don’t tell me what to do.
Channeling my best dmick, I assume we will see his next good start in about 14 mo.
BVSQuote Reply
Willson starting today – I guess that nut shot wasn’t as bad as it looked yesterday.
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
War Bear LF
Bryant RF
The Rizz 1B
Baez SS
Contreras C
Bote 3B
Al Jr CF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR_wCYmjdkg P
Hide Yo Kids 2B
MylesQuote Reply
I’m OK with a Chatwood-Alzolay piggyback, but I prefer a piggyback with opposite- handed pitchers.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Out of context, that sounds like a really specific fetish.
andcountingQuote Reply
Reds were just embarrassing the Brewers yesterday.
WaLiQuote Reply
Darvish!
dmick89Quote Reply
Yuuuuuuu!!!!!
andcountingQuote Reply
Yuuuuuuuuu!
berseliusQuote Reply
Great half inning of radio work for Pat and Ron. Ron broke down the Bote at bat pitch-by-pitch before each pitch was thrown, detailing exactly what he’d be looking for each time (being on the right track every step of the way), while Pat described with hilarious detail the attempt to throw Baez out at second that almost resulted in the pitcher getting hit “in the coconut.” It didn’t hurt that Bote seemed to be following Coomer’s advice as if he was listening to the broadcast on a headset in his helmet.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
This was followed by an inning long gag about someone giving Coom like 5 lids for his cup of coffee.
berseliusQuote Reply
Yu Darvish is the new Steve Trachsel.
dmick89Quote Reply
God. Why do they have to reboot EVERYTHING?
andcountingQuote Reply
Exit velocity on that Darvish single was 103.
andcountingQuote Reply
Cubs!
dmick89Quote Reply
Russell!!
andcountingQuote Reply
Runs!
berseliusQuote Reply
andcounting,
(dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
Brooks Pounders is the weirdest name ever.
dmick89Quote Reply
Darvish is looking a lot better lately, but he could stand to cut down the HR allowed.
PerkinsQuote Reply
I can’t wait for Craig Kimbrel to come so we can DFA Brach.
MylesQuote Reply
I see Rizzo’s been working on his base running.
andcountingQuote Reply
John Wick’s brother is pitching.
dmick89Quote Reply
Deacon Logan? Do NOT trust him with Napoleon.
andcountingQuote Reply
Too bad Descalso had to be taken out without a PA after Almora got picked off. He was due for a 2-hit series.
andcountingQuote Reply
Wow. No one so much as made contact with a Diaz fastball, and after the slider to Bote, that’s all he threw.
andcountingQuote Reply
Myles,
1×10^356886434689532 this
BVSQuote Reply
Brewers lose.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
If the Cubs can find a way to DFA Brach twice on the same day somehow, that would be great.
berseliusQuote Reply
Kimbrel threw another inning tonight.
dmick89Quote Reply
Looks like Ad-Al is getting a start vs the Braves
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s Rizzo less base ball squadron
LF Schwarber
3B Bryant
SS Baez
C Contreras
RF Heyward
CF Almora
1B Caratini
P Q
2B Russell
berseliusQuote Reply
I don’t get giving Rizzo a day off against a righty.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Terrible ball call leads to two Mets runs.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
The Cubs are going to lose 3 of 4 to the fucking Mets.
dmick89Quote Reply
PerkinsQuote Reply
I actually think that trade made sense at the time!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
It would look better if we actually got the good Quintana rather than the version the Cubs have had.
dmick89Quote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
It absolutely made sense at the time. Quintana just went downhill a lot more quickly than expected.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Q’s velocity today is pretty unimpressive.
PerkinsQuote Reply
In retrospect, I appreciate Maddon’s foresight for not wasting Rizzo in an unwinnable game.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
What happens at the end of the season when all 5 NL Central teams are tied for first place? How do the tiebreakers work?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
IIRC, they sort in order of relief pitcher at-bats.
GWQuote Reply
GW,
Followed by latest free agent signing.
andcountingQuote Reply
GW,
Nice. We’re in good shape to lose the play-in game again.
dmick89Quote Reply
What if all five teams are tied for last place, though?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hamels!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Hey, Javy, he’s going to be throwing you sliders from now on, FYI.
andcountingQuote Reply
Cubs lose.
PerkinsQuote Reply
How did Rizzo not make it to second on that?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Báez!!!!!!!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Javy!!!
MylesQuote Reply
I have no idea why Javy got an 0-2 pitch anywhere near the zone, but I’ll take it.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
He hung the slider. I’m sure the intention was to have it break out of the zone, but it did not do that.
andcountingQuote Reply
This doesn’t feel like a series split.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Amusing, but wrong.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
False.
PerkinsQuote Reply
M ———-> Inverted
berseliusQuote Reply
I think it’s a cage match between celebrity fans for each team, only one person gets out alive. If the Cubs getting knocked out of the playoffs meant no more Jeff Garlin, I’d say the Cubs win either way.
berseliusQuote Reply
The tiebreaker is a culinary competition using cast iron cookware.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
Sponsored by TGI Fridays!
berseliusQuote Reply
In Florida for work this week, and disappointed that my cab from the airport was not a monster truck.
berseliusQuote Reply
Mets gonna Mets
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi8r7WG4IDjAhXMo1kKHcDSAbEQzPwBegQIARAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2Fmets-jason-vargas-to-reporter-ill-knock-you-the-fuck-1835789241&psig=AOvVaw0BPfEg_rR1lgYT2_IWmeGd&ust=1561418694712550
berseliusQuote Reply
dmick89Quote Reply
(dying laughing)
andcountingQuote Reply
dmick89,
Let’s not forget the legacy sponsor, Cookie’s bbq sauce.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
The arbiter making the impartial rulings in the contest will be a certified 5-WAR Pizza Hut MILF
andcountingQuote Reply
berselius,
Whereabouts in Florida did work bring you?
WaLiQuote Reply
WaLi,
Orlando
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Although I went to college there, not much to do there except see the mouse or Universal. Looks like there are some breweries but I haven’t tried any of the beers from there so can’t speak much to them.
At least you’ll be able to enjoy some 100°F+ weather though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
WaLiQuote Reply
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
WaLi,
At least air conditioning is a thing here, unlike in central Europe. Somehow I always seem to travel there in the two weeks when you need it.
berseliusQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
That’s crazy.
dmick89Quote Reply
This is a tweet I recently enjoyed.
MylesQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
One of the 100 or so crazy things about that is he has 19 homers. He fell behind 0-2 in 9 of those at bats? The Red Sox matched that feat in 111 homers?
andcountingQuote Reply
That Rays split-city proposal is wild.
GWQuote Reply
I can’t think of a good analog. My first impression is that it would fail miserably. On the other hand, it might be worth it if it takes Montreal off the board as an expansion candidate. For some reason (Jonah Keri?) everyone seems to think they would be the ideal spot for a new team, despite previous experience.
GWQuote Reply
I have a better split-city proposal. The Rays move to Raleigh, but play all their spring training games in St. Petersburg.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
I would think the best candidates are:
1. Brooklyn or greater NY metro
2. San Jose
3. Austin
Naturally, none of these are serious contenders due to mlb’s garbage territorial system.
GWQuote Reply
GW,
For it to fail miserably, doesn’t it have to end up being worse than just Tampa?
andcountingQuote Reply
Why would MLB owners approve of this? Would they again have to approve before it was finally put in place? I can’t imagine them being in favor of such a split. This seems more like a way for Tampa Bay to explore moving to Montreal permanently than anything else, but what do I know?
dmick89Quote Reply
GW,
I think Las Vegas is getting an MLB team at some point. Next expansion I’m going with Austin and Las Vegas.
dmick89Quote Reply
A baseball team in Brooklyn would be great. It takes me about an hour and a half on the Subway to get to Citi Field or Yankee Stadium.
Though I feel kind of like the Yale admissions officer saying they *could* use an international airport, since NYC already has two teams.
PerkinsQuote Reply
I think a third team in NYC is only a little more likely than Topeka, Kansas getting an MLB team. Here’s something Manfred said not too long ago:
I see Mexico as way down the line when they maybe expand to 34 or 36 teams so leaving that out, it seems the cities most likely would be the others that he mentioned. Of those, Las Vegas would seem like a lock to me and I’d be hesitant to go back to Montreal with a new team. If Tampa wants to move there, great, but I think I’d go with Portland or Charlotte.
dmick89Quote Reply
Charlotte is probably more likely than Raleigh, but I was afraid Charlotte was too close to Atlanta (of course, Raleigh is about as close to D.C.).
MylesQuote Reply
Purely from a weather and geography/divisional alignment perspective, I’d prefer Charlotte to Las Vegas.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
I don’t think it’s going to come down to Charlotte or Vegas. I think expansion starts with Vegas and then you pick another city. If you’re not going to put a team in Vegas, don’t bother expanding. I could be wrong, but I’m assuming Vegas is a lock if they expand. I think it could be any of the other cities Manfred mentioned after Vegas, but I just don’t see the point of expanding without that market.
dmick89Quote Reply
https://twitter.com/markasaxon/status/1143256729561513984?s=20
You hate to see it.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
That sucks. Have to figure throwing that hard puts a lot of strain on the arm.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Myles,
Now they can just go out and sign Kimb….uh….re-sign Trevor Rosenthal?
berseliusQuote Reply
To-day’s base ball squadron
LF War Bear
3B Bryant
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
C Contreras
CF Heyward
2B Bote
RF Cargo
P Lester
berseliusQuote Reply
Willson!
berseliusQuote Reply
Schwarber!
PerkinsQuote Reply
The ivy hates the Cubs today.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Schwarber (on offense this time)!!
PerkinsQuote Reply
Bryzzo!
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I think the Cubs’ batting average with RISP just went up 100 points this inning.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Javy!!!
PerkinsQuote Reply
I’m assuming, based on his past demonstration of saying stupid bigoted stuff, that Flowers instigated the dust up with Contreras. And Willson told him to shut his f’n trap.
BVSQuote Reply
Heyward!!!
PerkinsQuote Reply
Not sure why Joe went to Cishek there, but whatever.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Where the hell is the inverted M?
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
I took this to mean Kimbrel is imminent, but I’m always wrong.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Not a save situation so no Strop.
Barnette, Kintzler, and Ryan used.
Alzolay and Chatwood pigging backing or starting this week.
That leaves Montgomery with 2 righties and a switch hitter with better splits vs lefties, Brach (not if you want to win, at least with little drama), or Cishek.
BVSQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
It’s being posted on an inverted time scale.
BVSQuote Reply
At 3 a.m. Charlotte is close to Atlanta, but during the day I-85 is such a sh.show that it is probably faster to get to Indianapolis from Charlotte than Altanta.
Good thing the Amtrak leaves Atlanta N-bound at like 8.30 p.m. when it is useful.
BVSQuote Reply
http://www.obstructedview.net/cubs-8-braves-3/
berseliusQuote Reply