Game 61- Meh

It never felt like the Cubs were in this one. Sure they got some timely hitting from KB leading to a RBIy from Javy but 1 run will not do it when the Rockies score 3.

That being said, it WASN'T a terrible pitching performance by Q, quite the contrary he looked sharp and didn't issue a walk in his almost 8 innings of work (yes a pitcher that lost 3-1 almost pitched a full 8 innings, such was the weirdness of this game).

I really don't have much to add on this one. The game really doesn't fit too neatly into the overall narrative for the baseball season or even within the recent arc of Cubs games. There are no broader trends here just a game that was a loss as the Cubs struggle to get any separation from the rest of the Central. The division will probably come down to the last week.

Cubs Games Watched: 9.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 36
BCB: 15.5

Game 60- Foggy Hijinks

The game was foggy my friends and a weird one.

Both starting pitchers did great for the first 4 innings (yes even Darvish, I am giving you credit!). Then the wheels started falling off.

The Cubs scored 3 runs in the 5th and the teams combined to score 8 runs in the 6th inning. What was a 0-0 game ended up being a 9-8 Cubs win.

The hero of the game clearly was David Bote. 4 for 4 with 7 RBIs will put anyone into hero status. It was basically Bote vs. the Rockies and thankfully Bote came out on top.

News broke during the game that the Cubs signed Kimbrel as the lockdown reliever over the next 3 years. Given that the bullpen gave up 5 earned runs last night, this signing needed to happen.

Cubs Games Watched: 9.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 35
Cubs Games BCB'd: 15.5

Game 59- Hendricks Delivers

Kyle has started 12 games going 6-4 in those starts. He has already accumulated 1.8 WAR which is tied for first amongst pitchers.

The staff has had a really up and down year but for the most part Hendricks has been a rock throughout. Last night he limited the damage in the innings he pitched to 3 runs, allowing the Cubs breathing space to tie the game on their own terms (meaning home runs) and then going ahead and winning 6-3.

Javy looked excellent now healthy (making great defensive plays and smacking a home run) and while the Cubs are very much a home run team at the moment, they aren't just relying on it exclusively, playing some small ball in the later innings.

The Cubs are looking healthy at home, let it continue (even with a Darvish start looming)!

Cubs Games Watched: 9.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 36
BCB'd: 13.5

Game 58- Pitching Is The Key

Yes the Cubs got hits (11 of them to be precise). Baez and Heyward combined for 5 RBIs on the night. New edition Carlos Gonzalez went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Seemingly everyone contributed (KB laying down a bunt!).

However the real story of this game, to me was Jon Lester's pitching performance. Starting with 9 up and 9 down, Lester cruised through 6 innings and while he got into trouble in the 7th he only gave up 1 run.

Pitching is truly the wind that fills the sails of the Cubs. If the starting pitching doesn't get them too deep in a hole, they are competitive. If the relief pitching doesn't give up moonshots they are competitive. The Cubs have an offense that compete with anyone but too often this season they have been let down by their brothers in arms. Not so last night with the bullpen actually holding the lead and not giving up any additional runs.

A great start to the homestand.

Cubs Games Watched: 9.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 35
Gave Up, Read BCB: 13.5

Game 57- The Skid Continues

When you have a pitching duel it is great while watching it but then eventually one team has to win. Hamels and Wainwright pitched fantastically with Hamels giving up a run thanks to Contreras' terrible throw during a steal attempt.

Baseball can be a game of inches and an error leading to a run and the Cardinals playing small ball for their second and decisive run in the eighth were the difference.

The Cubs lost some tight games with the Reds and Cards playing them tough and the overall result is a 2-8 record in the last 10. A few bounces go the Cubs way and its probably 5-5 but it isn't and this stretch of games has been terrible.

Up next, the Angels makeup game. Since the Cubs have been middling at best against the Central (10-11) hopefully they can get healthy against an AL team.

Cubs Games Watched: 9.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 34
Another Youtube Sess: 13.5

Game 56- Playing In The Rain

The Cubs are just in it. They are in just in a rut of losing. Sure the 3 and a half hour rain delay didn't help matters. Chatwood was terrible breaking open a 2-2 tie all on his lonesome. I am glad I didn't watch this one.

Cubs Games Watched: 9.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 34
Gave Up, Youtube'd it: 12.5

Game 55- Robot Umps?

So I missed last night's game but apparently it was a nail biter with the game essentially being decided by a ball 4 that should have been a strike 3.

https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2019/6/1/18648351/cubs-cardinals-recap-yu-darvish-dillon-maples-mlb-scores

I've gone back and forth in my mind about whether to have robot umps. "To err is to be human" and baseball is a human game. Part of my memories of baseball involve manager blowups by Billy Martin and one of my favorite baseball books of all time is "The Umpire Strikes Back" by Ron Luciano. To me umpires being human is part of the game.

However, I can't help but think that baseball has turned a corner when it instituted instant replay (although there is nothing "instant" about it). By putting that system in, baseball is essentially saying that the calls that umpires miss/blow can be reviewed instead of discussed tirelessly in bars and home like they used to be in the past.

If the public accepts instant replay as a valid part of baseball then there has to be robot umps because if the emphasis is solely on getting the call right (rather than whatever benefits a human ump might bring to the game) then robot umps are an imperative.

Since the public seems to be calling for robot umps more and more I think it is only a matter of time. Sure the calls will be correct behind the plate but the game will have lost something in the process.

Anyway, the Cubs lost and their RiSP is terrible. Continuing to be its Achilles heel of this year's team.

Cubs Games Watched: 9.5
Cubs Games Listened To: 34
Gave Up: 11.5