OSS: Albert Almora brought his glove.
Three up:
- He was only 1-6 at the plate today, but Albert Almora Jr. made three amazing catches in CF that were likely the difference in this game. He came into the year looking at the short half of a platoon, but he's pretty much guaranteed a spot for himself in the starting lineup with his play in the past week or so.
- Javy just keeps on doing Javy things – the key plate at the plate in this game was his two run double in the seventh that put the Cubs up 9-4. It felt all along that six runs were not going to be enough to win this one, and this hit ended up as the difference maker.
- It's tough to judge a pitcher on Coors stats, but this was a relatively encouraging start for Quintana. He only walked one batter, which was the last one he faced, and was hitting his spots all through the first five innings. Coors being Coors, he made just two mistakes and both ended up in the bleachers, and the other two runs were off a ball that Heyward lost in the sun. Q's line was 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 SO. Given the starting staff's struggles of late that feels like a complete game three-hitter.
Three Four down:
- Of course the bigger story in this game was Kris Bryant taking one to the helmet in the first inning. Based on the radio broadcast he was pretty shaken up at the time but he passed all the concussion tests, thankfully. Concussion or not, taking a 96mph off your helmet has to cause your life to flash before your eyes.
- The umps felt especially ump show-y in this one. Chili Davis and some other hitting coach were tossed after the Bryant HBP after the home plate umpire engaged with the dugout, which is one of those unwritten rules. The second base ump also got into it with Javy later in the game after Javy was deliberately moving in front of a runner on 2b in order to obstruct his view of the signs, which is perfectly legal. There's nothing that says Javy can't range around before a pitch, WTF. Apparently he got the idea from Andrelton Simmons, who did it in the WBC last year.
- Jason Heyward had a rough day in RF, losing several balls in the sun and generally looking very un-Heyward like because of it. It's a good thing RF at Wrigley is notoriously easy to play.
- The bullpen is still having issues with throwing strikes, and they created bases loaded situations in the seventh and ninth thanks to three walks by Cishek and Morrow. Edwards didn't walk anyone, but he threw a ball away after getting hit by a liner that led to and extra Rockies run or two.
Next up: The Cubs have an off-day before heading to Cleveland for a two-game series. Not many people know this, but the Cubs made a historic comeback in that stadium just two years ago to win the World Series.
Comments
Big, if true.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
I like the idea from the previous thread of using different balls for different run environments.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
R1P8 S MINKAH FITZPATRICK ALABAMA
R2P7 WR D.J. MOORE MARYLAND – WR1?
R4P5 G WYATT TELLER VIRGINIA TECH – Joel Bitonioesque
R4P15 EDGE KYLIE FITTS UTAH – Elite athleticism
R5P8 EDGE DORANCE ARMSTRONG JR. KANSAS
R6P7 CB HOLTON HILL TEXAS – First-round talent with off-field issues
R7P6 DL PJ HALL SAM HOUSTON STATE – No way he lasts this long
TyroneQuote Reply
R1P14 CB DENZEL WARD OHIO STATE
R2P13 WR CALVIN RIDLEY ALABAMA
R3P12 EDGE OGBONNIA OKORONKWO OKLAHOMA
R4P1 DL NATHAN SHEPHERD FORT HAYS STATE
R4P33 RB JAYLEN SAMUELS NORTH CAROLINA STATE
R5P1 S JORDAN WHITEHEAD PITTSBURGH
R5P35 CB DAVONTAE HARRIS ILLINOIS STATE
R5P37 QB LUKE FALK WASHINGTON STATE
R6P12 LB DORIAN O’DANIEL CLEMSON
R6P33 DL JAMES LOONEY CALIFORNIA
R7P14 EDGE ADE ARUNA TULANE
R7P21 G TYRONE CROWDER CLEMSON
TyroneQuote Reply
R1P9 EDGE HAROLD LANDRY BOSTON COLLEGE
R2P27 OT MARTINAS RANKIN MISSISSIPPI STATE
R3P6 WR DANTE PETTIS WASHINGTON
R3P10 RB KERRYON JOHNSON AUBURN
R4P28 LB MICAH KISER VIRGINIA
R5P6 CB DARIUS PHILLIPS WESTERN MICHIGAN
R6P10 DL POONA FORD TEXAS
R7P5 S TRE FLOWERS OKLAHOMA STATE
R7P22 LB NICK DELUCA NORTH DAKOTA STATE
TyroneQuote Reply
Yes please on those first 2 picks.
MuckerQuote Reply
Mucker,
Right? The last two would be great, too.
TyroneQuote Reply
Tyrone,
I’m kind of bullish on DBs so early but most base Ds are nickel now so having that extra DB on the field being somebody like Fitzpatrick would be awesome. I think Moore is going to be really good. He’s so good with the ball after the catch.
MuckerQuote Reply
Mucker,
That’s why I’ve come back around on Minkah. He can be a slot on nickel downs and a S/LB on bigger-package downs. Derwin is the same thing and a better athlete, but he’s not as polished as Minkah.
TyroneQuote Reply
Tyrone,
When I played semi-pro, we ran a 46 Bear. Our base D was a 5 man front with the SLB coming down into a Wide 9. Our SS was called a “Rover” and he was basically an extra LB but would drop in coverage and sometimes blitzed him. That’s what I envision with Fitzpatrick. Lots of versatility and Fangio could get really creative.
MuckerQuote Reply
Mucker,
SEA has rolled out packages like that a lot: 5-man front, a LB playing robber and Cover 3/Man free on the back end.
Minkah can cover the slot/TE/RB, blitz or play deep in Cover 3.
TyroneQuote Reply
TyroneQuote Reply
Tyrone,
I love it.
MuckerQuote Reply
Samsung just killed a guy: https://twitter.com/SamsungMobileUS/status/855477729084440576
TyroneQuote Reply
I only played in 7th and 8th grade. I was a 3rd-string MLB and a long snapper to start the season. In the first game, I snapped the ball over the punter’s head and never snapped again. In like the 4th game of the year during 8th grade, I tackled the ball carrier for a 2 or 3 yard loss and got up and danced. I was pulled off the field and never saw the field again. I was a horrible player.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
(dying laughing)
MuckerQuote Reply
Myles,
I played rugby for two years in high school, and somehow managed to not to injure anything preventable. I did tear my mouth up more than once because I hated wearing a mouthguard.
berseliusQuote Reply
Oh, I wrestled for nearly 10 years and my knees now resemble a bowl of peas.
MylesQuote Reply
TyroneQuote Reply
http://obstructedview.net/series-preview-chicago-cubs-10-9-at-cleveland-indians-12-8/
berseliusQuote Reply