Cubby-Blue

Cubs vs Cards Weekend! Can't wait.

Ahhhh yes. Cubs vs Cardinals all weekend long.
Let's take a look at the post Memorial Day Weekend standings, shall we?

Cubs are hanging on through a tough stretch where the pitching sort of stumbled until Kyle Hendricks' fabulous 8 innings of 4-hit glory resulted in a big W over the Houston Astros.
In early May when the Cards last faced the Cubs, it was a 3-game Blue Sweep in Chicago.
And that put the Red Birds in a facedown funk - since then, they've lost 6 of 7 series with the one tie in Kansas City (they had a rainout for game 1).
And they're currently a game under .500.
I see no reason for that to change unless my little bit of humor put some kind of jinx out there.
The timing of being horrible is actually good for the Cards since the Blues and the city are all tied up with Lord Stanley.
Here's an article from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post Dispatch on who's hot and not for the Cards.
Big addition Paul Goldschmidt is slashing .275/.365/.450 with 11 homers, but we've seen the D-Back damage he's done so... keeping an eye on him.
Anyway, big fun for the weekend!

Pretty sure you're aware of the foul ball Albert Almora hit into the stands that also hit a child in Houston.
Horrible all the way around, but Albert's reaction made me proud of him and the team under such awful circumstances.
I don't know if every park extended their nets like they did at Wrigley, but each ballpark should do it's own study for what is a truly safe net extension so this just can't happen. Also, this is America where we're supposed to be able to overcome problems. Why hasn't someone invented a gossamer net (like fishing line) that's at least translucent if not transparent so all the people who think no nets are more important than people can shut up? It'll help ballplayers as well... the astounding plays made by our own Anthony Rizzo going into the stands could just as easily have resulted in a broken leg. If/when those plays can't happen because of a net... we'll get used to it. Just like the damn cameras doing replays.

Okay, today it's Yu Darvish vs Miles Mikolas. 
Darvish seems to be in limbo between where he was and greatness.
Here's hoping he can leap back into greatness.
Go Cubs.

I'm having trouble believin' Cubs relievin'.

First, a moment of silence for the great Bill Buckner.
I had no idea he was ill, so... what a shock.
Seems like I just saw him at the Cubs Convention...

Next, it pains me to do a negative post like this, illustrating every quick bad headline I could think of about the current state of the Cub bullpen.
But this 'pen problem is not going to go away by itself.
And if it makes it harder for you and me to watch a game with the dread of knowing that even with a lead, it's getting more and more likely to all go to hell in the last innings... imagine what that's like for even professional baseball players.
Nobody on this team would ever say anything (remember Curt Schilling hiding under a towel when Mitch Williams pitched?), but come on - it's human nature.
This kind of losing will take it's toll - the Cubs are tied with the Nats and Mets for most blown saves in all MLB.
It creates a sense of late inning deja vu dread, and it's happening waaay too much.

So get yourself mentally prepared for what may happen.
If it's a trade coming up to fix the pen, don't just think it'll be someone convenient the Cubs send to another team.
It might hurt pretty bad.
If you're the GM of a potential trade partner, you know the Cubs situation.
The window is slowly closing, yada yada, and the way the bats are going this season... management can't let this opportunity slip away.

This Astros team that's beating the Cubs is not even the Astros.
No Altuve, no Correa...
Sure Kris Bryant's injured but a sweep in Houston ain't gonna inspire any confidence - the confidence that the Cubs just built up.
They've got big bats AND a bullpen.

That's why today ALL my hope is riding on Kyle Hendricks.
Go into the 7th, let the bats get to ex-Brewer Wade Miley, and get a win.
One more day til a sorely needed off day for our favorite team, and one little W today will make everything feel a little better.
Go Cubs.

Do not think this is a full-on rage-rant from me yet.
I promise that'll come if this keeps up.
But if they stay atop the Central until they can make something happen before the One True Deadline, then all will be well.
And honestly, it's good to get a gauge of reality by playing the best, even if it's the team I despise the most.
Still| gonna live by the "beat the teams you're supposed to" thing, but this is a good reality check.

Cubs v Astros on Memorial Day, now with art.

Edit: I posted this earlier but forgot to put in the art. Doh.

Not everybody likes Kyle Schwarber leading off, and maybe he won't today, but if you're a pitcher and you have to deal with these 4 guys in a row... kinda gotta be a nightmare.
Of course, after yesterday's collision with Jason Heyward, I don't know if Kris Bryant's in today's lineup or not.
They'll be using a dh, so maybe if he's merely dinged he can still bat.
When that happened, by the way, I group-texted to my baseball buds: "I am currently vomiting."

I'd hunt down the combined numbers of these 4 guys because I'm certain they're astounding, but I just got an offer to go on a coffee cruise around the lake, so... I'm going to go enjoy this Memorial Day and I hope you do, too.
Remember what today's about. 
Here's a fav pic of my dad (good lookin' guy, far left) doing a little R&R on a beach with a couple other Air Force buddies.

He'll be watching today's game from Arizona.
Go Cubs.

Cubs 5 Reds 6. Bryant and Rizzo go back to back, but Hendricks doesn't get the win.

I was on production and missed a week of so much good baseball.
Some giant home runs.
Anthony Rizzo off the "d" on the Budweiser sign in the same game that Albert Almora hit his first Grand Slam.
Yesterday Kyle Schwarber led off the Reds game with a massive long ball, and later Byrant and Rizzo would do the same.
Not enough, though. 
The Reds came back late.
Cub pitching is... you ever flown a plane?
One time a friend of my father's allowed me to take the controls of his plane for like 5 minutes flying from Butte MT to Prescott, AZ.
He's a retired fighter pilot, I'm an art guy.
He told me to "keep it pointed at that rounded peak".
Which I did, but I never stopped moving the stick.
Ever. 
The plane would point 2 degrees east, I'd move the stick and then it would be pointing a little west.
I overcorrected each time the plane moved, and it made for more of a circus ride.
Chuck could nudge the stick a little and let go, and then the plane would stop it's correction pointed right at the rounded peak.

So let's just say that overall the pitching feels like Chuck's flying and not me, but it needs a nudge.
I felt horrible for Cisheck after he gave up the homer to Eugenio Suarez in the top of the 9th. 
It seems like Cisheck is the guy coming in almost every game in a big situation.
So... Stop can't get back fast enough, and I hope all the talk of getting more help through free agency or a trade is true.
Playing the Reds is one thing, but next week the Cubs will be playing the Astros - the cream of the AL - at Minute Maid Park.
Marquee stuff.
It'll also be the last 3 games of 16 straight for the Cubs.
That is going to be tough, and if the Astros just kick sand in the faces of the 'pen it would... not sit well.

But the Cubs are on top of the Central and the Big Boys on the team are playing serious ball.
Let's see what happens one game at a time, today it's Yu Darvish, and he could not pick a better time to go deep and give the pen a little rest.

Cubs 14 Nats 6 and 3 Bryant Homers.

Kris Bryant.
(HEY THERE'S A 3 IN THE B!)
He's been sort of on a tear lately, and in last night's Cub Victory, he hit 3 homers.


Which isn't that unusual, he did it in 2016 (there was something about that year... it'll come to me), only last night he homered in 3 straight innings.
I say awesome way too much, but rarely do I say "epic".
That was epic.
So was this at bat with Schwarber vs Barraclough in the 8th: strike, ball, foul, foul, foul, ball, foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, ball, homer. it was such a long at bat, I had time to wonder what's the longest at bat in baseball history?
Oh, it happened last year.
Brandon Belt's 12 minute 45 second, 21 pitches at bat that ended with a flyout.
Sorry Brandon, your ride was nice, but the destination way better with Kyle's.
Anyway, 6 Cub homers in one game brings the Cubs up to 3rd in the NL behind the Brewers (75) and Dodgers (74).
Captain Rizzo was back from the bad back a day after Victor Caratini came back from the hamate bone thing, and each were rewarded by getting hit by a pitch.
Speaking of pitch, Cole Hamels vs Max Scherzer was a pretty amazing game itself.
Hamels went 5 innings, struck out 5, gave up 7 hits and 2 runs while Scherzer went 6, K'd 8, and gave up 6 hits (the biggie being Almora's 445 foot 2-run dinger in the 2nd) and 3 runs.
Hamels is now 4-0, Scherzer 2-5.

Tonight is special.
Jon Lester with his incredible 1.16 ERA vs Stephen Stasburg and his 3.63.
What a matchup.
It's also supposed to be 80 out, the game starts at 6:05 so you know... get the fire going, pull the steaks out, turn on the radio and grab a frosty cold one.
Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer will take you thru the action.
My garage transistor radio finally busted.
I bought it at Walgreen's in the camera section back before they started only selling blue tooth devices, and it lasted a loong time. 
So I hunted online for a new one - looking for a bigger speaker and one that plugs in - and I found the most AWESOME radio on Amazon.


$28 bucks, a Panasonic.
We live in Portage Park which is about where planes start to be noticeable as they descend into OHare. The speaker on this one is loud enough to make the plane noise a non-issue.
AND both the Brewers and Cards lost.
I'm so dang happy.

Okay, Go Cubs.

Kyle Hendricks' game: Toss Softly and Carry a Big Stick.

It started with a bunt.
2 out, nobody on, Daniel Descalso is up and the Reds have a full shift on with no one on the left side of the field.
He tried a bunt, failed, and tried again.
Single.
Tanner Roark is one of these kind of surprising Reds starters - newly acquired from the Nats, he's 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA.
This looks like nothing but an extension of the inning for one out, but then Albert Almora hits a single.
So now it's Kyle Hendricks' turn, and nobody expects anything to happen when suddenly it does.
He smacks one over the head of rookie Cinci centerfielder Nick Senzel and both Descalso and Almora score.
Ha!
What a novelty!
Only last night, it was actually just a fact: Hendricks was seeing the ball.
He went 3 for 4 with the two ribbies and the Cubs beat the Reds 3-1.
Late in the game, Kris Bryant hit a single (he went 3 for 5) which prompted Len to say that he was just trying to keep step with Hendricks.

Okay so that was SO awesome having Hendricks step up during the 2nd Cub game without Anthony Rizzo (sore back).
But on the other side of his game, Hendricks was just. So. On. The. Mound.

He gave up a serious homer to Joey Votto, who's barely hitting Mendoza and that's sure to correct itself.
He also gave up a solid smack to I can't remember who but Albert Almora appeared like a special effect, leaping about 30 feet to catch a deep fly.
But other than that, you gotta go all the way to the bottom of the 9th, when Hendricks gave up his only walk (to Senzel) to find a mistake in his game.
Nothing but soft contact.
He's brilliant.
He's the most unique.
He's like an odd looking movie star who steals every scene.
He's also looking alot like, or maybe even better than, that guy who beat Clayton Kershaw in Game 6 to clinch the NL title in 2016.

Everybody's saying this and so will I - the Cubs are 23-7 after their 2-7 start.
But if one more "expert" lectures me about being one of the people who felt some panic at the start of this season, I'm gonna punch them in the nose.
The ENTIRE off season was about how important the wins are in April.
So shut up and let's all just enjoy.