Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies (27-19) at Chicago Cubs (27-17)

In Series Previews by berselius34 Comments

Two first place teams match up for a big series at Wrigley Field. All the story lines will be focused on the return of Jay Carrieta, whose rotation spot didn’t come up against the Cubs in his first year in Philadelphia.

Team Leaders

Phils

  • OBP: Rhys Hoskins (.390)
  • ISO: Hoskins (.273)
  • HR: Hoskins (11)
  • R+RBI: Hoskins (62)
  • wRC+: Hoskins (148)
  • BSR: Jean Segura (1.9)
  • Defense: J.T. Realmuto (9.4)
  • SP K/9: Aaron Nola (10.32)
  • SP BB/9: Zach Eflin (1.45)
  • SP FIP: Jerad Eickhoff (3.47)
  • RP K/9: Seranthony Dominguez (12.23)
  • RP BB/9: Pat Neshek (0.57)
  • RP FIP: Hector Neris (3.00
  • WAR: Realmuto/Harper (1.5)

Cubs

  • OBP: Contreras (.420)
  • ISO: Contreras (.305)
  • HR: Bryzzo/Baez/Contreras (11)
  • R+RBI: Bryant (67)
  • wRC+: Contreras (173)
  • BSR: Bryant (2.2)
  • Defense: Baez (5.7)
  • SP K/9: Darvish (11.79)
  • SP BB/9: Cyle (1.61)
  • SP FIP: Lester (2.99)
  • RP K/9: Edwards (10.80)
  • RP BB/9: Kintzler (1.77)
  • RP FIP: Ryan (2.32)
  • WAR: Baez (2.6)

Injuries, transactions, vengeance pacts, etc.

The Phillies had a busy offseason, signing Cutch and David Robertson and trading for JT Realmuto and Jean Segura. Oh, they also signed this Bryce Harper guy, but he’s no Rhys Hoskins.

Pitching Matchups

K/9, BB/9, ERA, Projected ERA listed for all pitchers. No time to write much tonight…

Monday: Jay Carrieta, RHP (7.55, 3.70, 4.02, 4.42) vs Yu Darvish, RHP (11.79, 7.07, 5.14, 4.19), 7:06 PM CT

Arrieta hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since he signed his deal with the Phillies, but Yu Darvish has pretty much checked all the boxes to become the pitcher that the Cubs brass seemed to fear Arrieta may be turning into when they let him walk. At least Darvish had no walks in his last start.

Tuesday: Zach Eflin, RHP (7.23, 1.45, 2.89, 4.48) vs Jose Quintana, LHP (8.77, 2.64, 3.68, 3.79), 6:05 PM CT

Wednesday: Cole Irvin, LHP (4.85, 1.38, 2.77, 5.23) vs Cole Hamels, LHP (8.89, 3.29, 3.13, 3.79), 7:05 PM CT

Two lefties named Cole enter, one man leaves. There can be only one!

Thursday: Aaron Nola, RHP (10.32, 3.61, 4.47, 3.46) vs Jon Lester, LHP (8.79, 1.88, 2.09, 3.87), 1:20 PM CT

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Comments

  1. Author
    berselius

    I wrote this on Sunday night, but can’t read a calendar apparently. No dinner (dying laughing).

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  2. Perkins

    Cards/Royals is postponed, and they play a DH tomorrow. That’s probably good news since it makes it more likely KC takes one of those games.

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  3. BVS

    AC…saw the clarification on how vague the strike zone/check swing rule is. So would you say if a batter flinched and the bat crossed into the space directly above the plate, it is a strike, or if the batter flinched at all it is a strike?

    I see JD and Len talking about it too. I think the flinch by Kingery just now was clearly a check swing and not a strike.

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  4. BVS

    So Edwards in gives up a couple hits and leaves with guys and 2nd and 3rd and 2 out in favor of Kintzler. Yay or nay on that move?

    Kintzler has been about the best reliever, but his forte is groundballs, not Ks. My armchair QB says better to leave CJ in.

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  5. EnricoPallazzo

    Perkins: That’s probably good news since it makes it more likely KC takes one of those games.

    Is this true? Is the better team less likely to win both games if they’re played on the same day vs on back-to-back days?

    I’ve always assumed it to be true but have absolutely zero evidence to back it up and kind of thought that I was the only one who thought this.

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  6. andcounting

    BVS,

    I would go for defining a swing as the bat entering the plate’s airspace. A flinch that involves the bat (possibly even the batter’s arms?) breaking any part of a vertical extension of home plate. Calling any flinch whatsoever a swing would be super difficult, especially with timing mechanisms that start really early and could be considered as much a part of the swing as a flinch of the arms would.

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  7. dmick89

    andcounting: breaking any part of a vertical extension of home plate.

    I’d be fine with that and I still think this is something that could be done with technology and no interruption to the game. Actually, I think it could be done with less interruption than the current system of checking with the base umpires.

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  8. andcounting

    dmick89,

    It’s a rare instance where I really feel bad for the umpires. They have no established rule to go on, and even if it were a perfectly defined rule it would be an impossibly difficult call to make with the human eye.

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