Cubby-Blue

Cubs 9 Rangers 2. It's a Cubs' Group Hug. (gif)

Man, did this Cubs team ever need that.
A 9-2 laugher over the Texas Rangers.
Felt like a big group hug, didn't it?
Scott Feldman - what is up with that guy anyway?
He's turning out to be... more than I expected!
Had a little panic at the end, but I guess it was just a cramp.

And tonight it's MY FAVORITE RIVALRY IN ALL SPORTS!

The Cardinals are coming to Chicago.
They've won 6 in a row after taking 2 of 3 from Cincinnati and a 4 game sweep of the Brewers, so..you know...probably not gonna be pretty.
But the hell with all that.
It's the Cubs vs. the Cards.
CAN'T WAIT.

GO CUBS.

Aroldis Chapman: God or Man?

I dont' know why, but the name "Aroldis" sounds like it's from Greek Mythology or something.
Like a God of something.
Speed?
Lightning?
Really fast fastball?
Aroldis Chapman is one of those guys with a fastball that just puts the Fear of God in everyone, every time he takes the mound.
Now he's lost some - you don't really see the 104s any more, but he's still God in your head, right?

Not to Dioner Navarro.
Not in the bottom of the 9th with the Cubs down 2-6 to the Reds at Wrigley.
He pinch hits a single.
Dave Sappelt gets one too.
And then...Holy shit!
Starlin Castro hits another one!
NOBODY LOADS THE BASES AGAINST GOD!
Okay so Anthony Rizzo strikes out and Alfonso Soriano flies out.
Nobody scores.
Back to normal.
But then Scott Hairston thinks maybe God can't throw it over the plate.
God can't.
Hairston walks, Navarro scores, angels sing.
Then Wellington Castillo actually prays.
"Oh God, I have to make up for my lack of hustle yesterday. How about a little hit right here?"
God listens.
Sappelt and Castro score, and now it's just 5-6 Reds.
Cody Ransom hits for Valbuena and suddenly he's walking on water because he got ball 4 from God.
Bases loaded.
Again.
I am in heaven.
Dusty Baker walks out to the mound, tells God to hit the showers.
In comes J.J. Hoover and up comes Darwin Barney.
"Aw Hell" I say.
He strikes out. 
Cubs lose again. 

Anyway, once in awhile, it could be that Aroldis Chapman is just...a man.

Is Shawn Camp used up? And the Bulls are red hot. (cartoons)

Well, the way Shawn Camp was used last year... I mean he was about the only reliable bullpen guy on the Cubs.
He threw 1185 pitches (career high, but not by much) in his 77.2 innings.
Carlos Marmol only threw 55.1 innings, but because he's Carlos he also threw 1106 pitches - another story.
Anyway, makes me kinda sad seeing Camp struggle like this, and yesterday's awful passed ball and walk to the only batter he faced didn't help any.
The passed ball tied the game for the Pads, in fact.
Then James Russell can't hold and the game gets away, Cubs lose 2-4.
Too bad for Travis Wood.



Next, I'm driving back from a meeting at the end of the day, and I turn on ESPN.
It's like somebody died.
I hear that on top of the injuries, the Bulls have got some kind of virus, and everybody's sick.
Serious tones of doom.
I switch over to The Score just in time to hear somebody announce that another Bull is sick, which totally cracks up Bernstein and Boers.
Cracked me up too, actually - couldn't help it.
Just...absurd. 
The game wasn't so funny.
Incredible, hurl-filled and valiant effort, but Bulls lose 92 - 95 and now gotta go win game 7.

Anyway, all I got today.

 

The Cubs' Nate Schierholtz. Under the radar.

Did you know there's this guy in right field named Nate Schierholtz?
For the Cubs?
Kinda pigeon-toed, moves like one of the jocks you remember from high school?
Yeah, that guy.
He used to play some for the San Francisco Giants.
In fact, he's got a World Series ring from 2010 becuase he was this guy called "Nate The Great" when he played for them.
He got a hit and a walk in his 5 at-bats against the loser Rangers.
Right now, that guy has a .370 on base percentage AND a .582 slugging percentage.
For the Cubs.
Add that up and DAMN!
A .952 OPS.
He's supposed to be kind of a good glove with an excellent arm.
But this .952 OPS stuff?
He's ranked #9 in the NL right this second as you read this, if you're reading on Sunday morning, April 28, 2013.
You know who's #10?
David Wright.
You know who's #8?
Ryan Braun.
So there's Nate standing there next to Ryan Braun and David Wright, and he says, "Hey guys, imagine me standing in the same OPS space as you couple All-Stars." 
Then he goes, "Hey Dave, mind getting me a cup a joe?"
Just like that.
And David Wright goes, "Sure Nate, you want cream or anything?"
ISN'T THAT CRAZY!

Anyway, who knew?
Not me, because Nate Schierholtz is what they call under the radar - at least he's under the radar on my blog, since I'd never really noticed him before.
Even when Theo and Jed gave him the $2.5 mil to come be a Cub for a year, I thought "hmm, I wonder who Nate Schierholtz is?" 
But I never really looked him up or anything.
Yesterday against the Fish, he goes 1 for 3, scored a run, and walked.
In a 3-2 game, that run is pretty important.
Which is what the score turned out to be, with the Cubs WINNING AGAIN!
It's a 3-game winning streak and today they might just swuuuh.
Swuuh..
HEEP.
You know what I mean.

I hope this post didn't ruin it for Nate.
Because probably now, EVERYbody knows about him.
Everybody.
 
Go Cubs. 

 

Anthony Rizzo's Twin Homers

Anthony Rizzo proudly announces the birth of his twin homers, Deep Center and Upper Deck, each weighing at about 5.2 oz, and measuring 420 and 413 feet.
To celebrate, the Chicago Cubs continued their two game winning streak, beating the Miami Marlins 4-2.
I actually had to look up how much a baseball weighs, and it's on the Official Rules page at MLB.com: 

1.09
The ball shall be a sphere formed by yarn wound around a small core of cork, rubber or similar material, covered with two stripes of white horsehide or cowhide, tightly stitched together. It shall weigh not less than five nor more than 5 1/4 ounces avoirdupois and measure not less than nine nor more than 9 1/4 inches in circumference. 

"Avoirdupois"?

Yeah whatever...so Rizzo came into the game at what turned out to be the end of a 1 for 20 slump because he went 3 for 4 with the 2 dingers and a single.
He cliamed the single was his favorite hit of the day because "that's my swing there."
The 2 homers put him up on the homer leader board tied for 2nd with some guy named Bryce Harper at 8 homers apiece.
Kind of strange in that almost half of Rizzo's 17 hits are homers, but there you go.

Scott Feldman gets his first win as a Cub, Darwin Barney goes 3 for 3 (doubling his season total hits), and Kevin Gregg gets the save.

Tonight it'll be Travis Wood and his NL #11 ranked 2.08 ERA taking on the Marlins, and tomorrow is Carlos Villanueva and his NL #4 ranked 1.53 ERA for the final game.

Suwuh.
Sw.
Suwuheee.
Weep.

Can't quite say it.
That word that means one team wins every game in a series against another team.
That thing.
Might happen.