OSS: Cyle pitches a gem and Bryzzo get just enough off of Strasburg to put the Cubs up 1-0 on the Nats.
Three up:
- Kyle Hendricks showed why Joe had enough faith in him to make him the game one starter, pitching seven shutout innings with six strikeouts, two walks, and three hits allowed. The only vaguely threatening moment that the Nats offense had was in the second inning, when they had runners on first and second with two outs following a Wieters HBP and a Michael Taylor single. Luckily the pitcher was up next and Kyle got out of it without breaking a sweat. That was the last hit by any Nats player for the remainder of the game, thanks to Kyle, Carl Edwards Jr., and Wade Davis. As commenter North Side Pat put it, I’m starting to think the Cubs won the Ryan Dempster trade.
- Bryant and Rizzo had rough starts to the game, striking out against Strasburg in each of their first two plate appearances. However, coming up with a no-hitter still intact in the sixth with a runner on second, Bryant came through with a single to give the Cubs the first run for either team. In typical KB fashion, he also took second on the throw home. Yay baserunning!
- Rizzo drove Bryant home with a single of his own, and those runs would be all the Cubs needed in a rare close, low scoring game in this year's playoffs. He also worked a really long at bat in the eighth against Madson, culminating in an RBI double.
Three down:
- Baez scored what ended up as the winning run, but man did he look bad against Strasburg. We're used to grading on a curve with Javy, but some of those swings were bad even by his standards. He certainly made up for it with his hustle and defense today though.
- The Cubs WPA trailer on the day was Ben Zobrist, who had several bad looking PAs of his own. Maybe the advance scouting was all over going after the first pitch with Strasburg or something, but Zobrist probably contributed the most to Strasburg's low pitch count.
- SK's dog has bad breath, apparently.
Next up: Jon Lester faces Gio Gonzalez at 4:30 PM CT. Go Cubs.
Comments
I didn’t have a problem with Zobrist’s swinging at the first pitch against Strasburg. He got a couple of hittable first-pitch fastballs, so he pounced on them, even though the result wasn’t good. (I also, as a general rule, don’t care about opposing hurlers’ pitch counts.)
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
That was a dominating pitching performance I recently enjoyed.
uncle daveQuote Reply
SKQuote Reply
I liked the part where the Cubs didn’t have to throw many stressful pitches.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Last year, I was on the fence about which jersey to get: Schwarber or Hendricks. Ended up going with Schwarber. I don’t regret it, but damn is Hendricks fun to watch.
Props to Ryan Dempster for refusing that trade to ATL in his blindsided rage.
PerkinsQuote Reply
And they have no excuse—LA traffic is the best in the country. So LA.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Kershaw’s line is terrible and terribly lucky, particularly for Kershaw. 5 H and 3 BB and 4 HR—and only 4 RA.
Severino got severed. Greinke got grated. Sale got sold. Kluber got clobbered.
With the exception of the Astros, only “non-ace” aces have started well in the playoffs. Bauer, Hendricks, Strasburg, Bueller, Bueller, Bueller…
ceruleanQuote Reply
Remember when we were concerned about (dying laughing) Brewers and (dying laughing) (dying laughing) Cardinals?
SKQuote Reply
Speak for yourself. I was only ever concerned about the Cubs shitting the bed for 162 games. Personally, I think the only fanbases that should feel better than the Cubs’ are the Astros and the Racist Depictions of Native Americans.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Last night’s impressive win notwithstanding, I’m still apprehensive. Seen too much Bad Lester this year to feel too confident just yet.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
If the Indians can blow a 3-1 lead, we can blow a 1-0 lead.
The Cubs won the world series.
MylesQuote Reply
Big, if true.
Wenningtons Gorilla CockQuote Reply
Didn’t mean to imply we had it in fucking bag, lads.
Just that Natinals don’t seem so threatening as they did 24 hours ago.
SKQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
The playoffs are a crapshoot—all it takes in one fucking Daniel Murphy and four fucking lights-out pitchers. That said—I don’t think there is any specific team in these playoffs that frightens me.
I am a serene mountain vista.
I am a placcid fucking lake.
ceruleanQuote Reply
I figured Happ and Almora would get the start, but didn’t think Almora would be leading off.
SKQuote Reply
game thread up: http://obstructedview.net/nlds-game-2-cubs-nationals/
dmick89Quote Reply
DOH
ceruleanQuote Reply