Series Preview: San Diego Padres (17-32) at Chicago Cubs (15-32)
Will the Cubs complete the hat trick of being swept by some of the worst teams in the NL? This time they have the additional challenge of getting swept at home. Team Overviews NL Rank in parens Padres Cubs wOBA .278 (15th) .296 (14th) UBR -4.4 (15th) 4.1 (1st) UZR -1.7 (9th) 9.9 (5th) DRS -7 (9th) 6 (5th) …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (15-26) at Houston Astros (18-23)
We knew that the Cubs would stink this year, but seeing the Pirates and Astros above the Cubs in the standings still takes some getting used to. At least we have the Hope Monster to remind us that the Cubs are only seven games back!!! It's gonna happen! The rest of the NL Central kind of stinks right now. The …
Series Preview: Chicago White Sox (18-21) at Chicago Cubs (15-23)
Last I checked, the White Sox were doing pretty well in the AL central and there was talk of contention. They have a losing record now, but it's only a half game back from the heavily favorited Tigers and the surprising Indigenous Peoples. Much like the Cubs they have a solid rotation with a shaky bullpen and a bunch …
Series Preview – Chicago Cubs (13-18) vs Milwaukee Brewers (13-18)
I liked the Brewers chances of winning the NL Central this year, even without Fielder, given the loss of Pujols and Carpenters injuries and my general distrust of the Reds pitching staff. They've had some awful luck so far though, and it looks like it's not going to happen. They've lost three of their key contributers (SP Chris Narveson, SS …
10 Best Games By A Cubs Player So Far
We're only 31 games into the season, but I was curious for some unkown reason who had the best game of any player on the team. Win Probability Added (WPA) is the perfect stat for this. Below are the top 10 WPA's of the season for the Cubs. 10. Matt Garza, April 29th @ Phillies: The Cubs won 5-1 behind …
Bryan LaHair's Fantastic Start
Some Cubs fans entered the season with relatively high expectations for Bryan LaHair. Others weren't optimistic at all. I was somewhere in between. I was fairly certain LaHair's numbers were so damn good at AAA that it indicated he should probably be about a league average ballplayer at the MLB level. To this point we've all been wrong. MLB's best …
Where We Stand Now: Starting pitching
I already took a look at the team batting numbers, and now we'll look at the bright spot in the Cubs roster: starting pitching. Here's how the seven pitchers who have started games thus far have performed. Player GS IP K/9 BB/9 HR/9 GB% BABIP ERA FIP xFIP Ryan Dempster 4 28.1 9.21 2.86 0.32 41.2% .191 0.95 2.32 2.94 …
Series Preview: Atlanta Braves (18-11) at Chicago Cubs (11-17)
The Cubs just managed to take 2 of 3 from the NL's best team and now face another one of the best teams in the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are a half game behind the Nationals in the NL East, but have won 3 in a row. Pitching Matchups Monday, May 7, 7:05 PM CT, WCIU Tommy Hanson, RHP (3.74 …